#CRPLyrebirds

Since I’m on a superhero kick, this new character will also be a superhero. He’s not a Chad, more like a dark, brooding type who sees himself as a noble crimefighter. Superficially confident, he harbors a secret fascination with thicc girls. He often does that head toss thing that sk8r bois with bangs do to clear the hair from his eyes; he thinks it makes him look dashing, but his hair isn’t long enough to actually cover his eyes, so it looks like he’s turning his nose up at people. To make him more likeable to readers… he’ll have an obvious crush on Candy, but she’ll think he’s being a douchebag when he’s actually just bad at flirting, and he’ll think he’s being rejected. The most important thing to him is his personal code of conduct, which covers everything from personal hygiene to honesty (and haircuts).

#CRPLyrebirds alright here's my attempt:

Yesterday we sketched our MC from the outside in. Today we're adding a second character - not to deepen the first, but to create contrast. This could be a friend, mentor, antagonist, or anyone whose relationship with your MC will drive the story. Whatever their role, contrast is what makes that relationship compelling. Draft a similar surface description, but focus on what sets them apart from your first character. If your MC wears pastels, this one wears black. If your MC is insecure, this one radiates confidence. Some complementary traits are fine - but lean toward contrast over commonality. Run them through the same questions: • What do they look like? How do they talk, dress, move? • What's one weird trait or idiosyncrasy they have? • How does that trait connect to what matters most to them? • Can you exaggerate it? How far? • What makes them likeable - or at least rootable? • What is the single most important thing to this character?

Good evening #CRPLyrebirds! Let's dive into the next step of our short story development plan. These are, as always, optional. Remember that I'm not just your camp counselor, I'm a writer too, so if it helps to see an example, I'll post my attempt below.

#onelinemc #camprevpit #CRPLyrebirds

stars wars writing meme about not wanting to write an ensemble cast

Anyone else?😅 #revpit #CampRevPit #CRPLyrebirds #amwriting #booksky #writingcommunity

This is cheating but these go back-to-back and really sum up Gable's mission statement:

"She should run, but she had a terrible need to see this through. If she couldn't save Gable, maybe she could help someone else."

#OneLineMC #CampRevPit #CRPLyrebirds

#CRPLyrebirds so, for my querying novel I was inspired by the MCU’s Winter Soldier and super soldiers. My story has changed so much though that I don’t have super soldiers at all lol.

My new project, I had the idea when I was untangling a bunch of knotted necklaces lol

Good morning #CRPLyrebirds! This is going to be a long one as it's really personal.

My project was born out of a joke. I was coming out of an awful job at a large corporation and two things helped me learn joy again: Star Trek TNG and a lovely game called I Was a Teenage Exocolonist. (1/4)

DAY 3 – WHERE DOES YOUR MAGIC COME FROM? Sometimes, when inspiration strikes, it can feel absolutely magical. For today’s cabin prompt, let’s explore the source of this power. What inspired your current project? Optional bonus: what is your normal/most usual source of project inspiration?

#CRPLyrebirds Good morning campers! Happy Day 3 of #CampRevPit!
(Personal heads up: I'm going to be in and out today and tomorrow with band rehearsals, but hit me up if you need anything or have any questions, and apologies in advance if I take a while to reply.)

Her anger was a beast. It would fight back against the lava. It would fight the lights. It would steady the quakes. She threw open the door to the stairwell and heard her anger yelled "retreat." The glowing green light was a five course meal to her fear. "Nope. This is my hospital bitch. I will win."

Meet Dr. Mya Sinian. The earthquakes have taken out the electricity and the green emergency lighting is trying to take her sanity.
#camprevpit #onelinemc #crplyrebirds

There had to be a third option. And if there wasn't, she was going to make one. Gloria knew her methods were clumsy, that she had not done right by anyone until now. But she thought of her crew and their earnest hopes and protectiveness surged through her. She couldn't keep running away from this.

this was my runner up, but it's more than one line 🤭
#CampRevPit #OneLineMC #CRPLyrebirds

Choosing a slightly different showcase for Gloria. She's a grump, she's got intimacy issues, she's a workaholic. But more importantly she's ✨ self deprecating ✨

#CampRevPit #OneLineMC #CRPLyrebirds

#OneLineMC There are two wolves inside you, etc

#CampRevPit #CRPLyrebirds

WIP title: Your Undead Name! #CRPLyrebirds

Day 2: generating short story ideas from characters There are as many different ways to approach story generation as there are writers. Some of them are less effective on short stories, because we have to pack a lot of character and story into a small amount of space and time. In order to keep readers engaged, we need them to care about our MC, but we don’t have a lot of time to tease out backstory and such. But that’s what’s awesome about a short story, because when we pull it off, it’s impressive. So I’m going to outline a very step-by-step approach. Let’s start with just the MC. Describe the character you want to explore. Focus on superficial descriptions and contrast for now, rather than backstory or plot, like: - What do they look like, how do they talk, dress, behave, etc.? - What is one weird trait or idiosyncrasy they have, - How can I tie that trait or idiosyncrasy to the thing most important to them? - Can I exaggerate it? How? - What can I do to make them more likeable to the reader? And finally: - What is the one thing most important to that character?

Good evening #CRPLyrebirds! Let's get our cabin story prompts underway. These are, of course, optional; participate if you can, don't feel pressured if you can't. And remember that I'm not just your camp counselor, I'm a writer too, so I'll post my attempt below.

I'm currently editing and planning revisions. Building an outline for Draft 2. No 'figure it out later' abyss-openings allowed. Character Arcs - sketched. Emotional Journeys - mapped. Timeline - being scheduled.

I can't wait to finalize the outline and start rewriting.
#CRPLyrebirds

Hi #crplyrebirds! I’m querying one project, but after some 10queries feedback, I’m editing it again. I also have a brand new project that I recently started drafting.

As for making progress…it’s a busy time at work (I work in a school) so anything (no matter how small) is progress!

Short stories are also such a great way to work on your craft, develop your process, find beta readers you vibe with, and explore story ideas that won't support a full novel 😊
#CRPLyrebirds #CampRevPit

a man sitting at a table says i 'm the furthest in yellow letters Alt: Parks & Rec: Ben Wyatt is sitting at home at his table. He is unshaven, unshowered, has bed head and is in an old tee-shirt. He is showing off a strange doll he's made. He says "I'm the furthest thing from depressed. I mean, look what I've accomplished. Do you seehim? Do you think a depressed person could make this? No!" It is obvious he is not well.

Something I'm really proud of is how much writing, editing and revision planning I've managed to get done while struggling with chronic pain and then recovering from surgery and trying to rebuild my focus and stamina💜 (along with ADHD and life life-ing 🔥)
#CampRevPit #CRPLyreBirds

#CampMap #CampRevPit #CRPLyreBirds

I'm in the middle of the woods after having gotten lost, rebuilding my hiking route. The sun is rising and it's almost time to pack up my tent and get moving again.

Hi #crplyrebirds I’m currently querying a story where the terraforming has failed and the lone survivors are trying to stay alive in a hospital long enough for rescue. At the same time my wip is a SF novel looking at how far loyalty will go and I’m trying to work in space whales.

A little late in the day, my day job is :) going through it (read: on fire). I wish I was writing instead.

For my WIP I made a playable game! Basically alien chess. It's not complex, but it IS playable. My husband made me a prototype. I needed rules to use for themes and metaphors!! #CRPLyrebirds

#CRPLyrebirds Right now I'm querying my SF R book, but also poking at it with edits as I get some feedback from betas. Simultaneously I'm working on outlining and drafting the second book. I have everything! Subplots, themes, characters, worldbuilding, etc. Except the main plot. This is fine. 😆

#CRPLyrebirds here are the award categories:
Embers of Excellence, a daily prize to showcase what makes our Cabins so special!
Starlight Stories, sharing the behind-the-scenes tales about our Cabins!

A bird hopping in snow says, "Hey you! Pay attention!" The bird hops, then says, "Did you see that?"

#CRPLyrebirds how goes your day, your writing?
Could you help me with something?
I need to nominate someone for an award.
So tell me something awesome about yourself, your writing, and/or your WIP!

#CRPLyrebirds I'm currently querying one while drafting another! (Which also means I'm fighting the impulse to completely rewrite the querying book, while trying to focus on the next)

#CRPLyrebirds cabin prompt for 4/21/26 DAY 2 – WHERE ARE YOU? A lot of us are using metaphors and drawings to map where we are in our WIPs. For today’s cabin prompt, let’s get specific: What writing stage are you at in your current project — brainstorming, drafting, revising, querying? Optional bonus: What does "making progress" look like for you right now?

#CRPLyrebirds It's day 2 - let's start talking about our WIP! Where are you at with yours?

#camprevpit #crplyrebirds

For my new project, I am lost in a major city, my phone is dead, and I only have the vague directions I memorized. My querying project, I thought I reached the end of the hike, saw the beautiful mountain vista then realized I still need to hike back…

Hi #CampRevPit #CampKickoff #CRPLyrebirds folks, bit late to today's prompt 😅I'm revising the YA Science Fantasy that I entered into this year's RevPit. The cool detail from my world is that I'm trying to combine a South Asian setting with a rustic / futuristic vibe.

Many authors, once past the milestone of a first novel, focus exclusively on long-form writing — to the detriment of their résumés. Selling a short story is far easier than selling a novel, and a few published shorts signal to readers and industry professionals that a writer has both skill and experience. Think of it the way filmmakers think of short films: not money-makers, but door-openers. Starting tomorrow, I'll be posting story development prompts alongside the daily cabin prompts. They're general enough to apply to any length or format, but I'll focus on short-form content you can pitch to magazines, anthologies, and similar markets. Toward the end of camp, we'll move into pitching and querying. If this interests you but you don't have the bandwidth right now, save the prompts and come back to them later — they'll keep.

#CRPLyrebirds Having recent short story sales in my bio is helping me get my long form material read and considered more. So I'm going to be doing an extra (optional) prompt this year. If you have any questions or topics about short stories that you'd like me to cover, comment below or DM me!

Hi #crplyrebirds! I write upmarket speculative fiction with a dark dystopian bent. My FMC is gifted some pebbles for her pockets by a young boy she befriends. She carries them with her the rest of the story.