A few weeks ago, I posted a story about Lyryk. In the past few weeks, I started her backstory from the beginning. This is where it would fit in the progression. This story came from another writing prompt I read shortly after my husky got loose from her leash and ran the neighborhood. At the … Continue reading Doggy Humor
Most of the characters I write start off young and (mostly) innocent. They have experience in some areas of debauchery, but not much. Like most young adults, they think they know it all until they learn that their knowledge is incomplete at best and harmful at worst. In this excerpt of Lyryk’s story, she is … Continue reading The Cost of Naivete
Last week, I introduced Lyryk Starsong, a bard I played. She helped one of our weekly players catch up to the rest of the party (he was half-level behind, and we were only 3rd level). When Lyryk introduced herself, I had a vague idea that she could be a backup character if Skrie got exceedingly … Continue reading Lyryk Starsong
(C) 2020, JJ Shaun As our online Dungeons & Dragons group became more cohesive and took more risks, I decided to create a “just in case Skrie dies” character. (Skrie is the halfling healer with more than a pinch of rogue that I play in our game.) When I created this new character, I chose … Continue reading Getting to Know New Characters
At the beginning of the year, I started a spreadsheet to track my word count. Seven months into the year, I’ve noticed that my word count is slowing down for the summer. While I managed to write almost 4500 words for this blog in June, I realized that I hadn’t written a new story since … Continue reading Writing Season
(C) 2020, JJ Shaun When I write to a prompt, I don’t always know what direction a short story will take. This is especially true when writing a character’s backstory. I sit back and record what’s going on most of the time. That’s what happened in this next story. I looked at a prompt before … Continue reading Finding Inspiration
(C) 2020, JJ Shaun I recently got some feedback on the first part of an old story I had posted on a writing website a few years ago. So, I went back and looked at the comments from the reader. I decided it needed a new coat of polish. I began editing the piece. Having … Continue reading Revisiting Old Writing
I have this thing about creating different characters and seeing how they act in various situations. The writing prompts I look at daily help a lot. Sometimes, the prompt itself brings a story forward. Other times, I need to put more thought into what to write. This story needed a little reflection, and I wanted … Continue reading Playing With Character
(C) 2020, JJ Shaun A few weeks ago, one of the daily writing prompts had me step out of my usual storytelling style. The prompt had what I considered a challenge this day, so I ran with it. Here’s the prompt: Write a story or poem where: The main character (narrator / POV character etc) … Continue reading Playing With Scenes
I’ve been using a variety of writing prompts to flesh out some of my characters. Because I spent the most time with her, the Trickster Cleric I play in our weekly tabletop game gets the most attention. Skrie Tripfoot is a young halfling who was orphaned in childhood. She is a survivor who refuses to … Continue reading Writing Backstories
Dream ✨Imagine ✨ Believe
Books, games, music, and life — filtered through the mind of a writer, drummer, and philosopher who thinks too deeply about all of it. If it moves something in your chest, I'm interested.
Tavern Tales
Poetry BLOG By Edge of Humanity Magazine
J.J. Shaun 