Elara clutched her ration card, its edges frayed from countless uses, and whispered to the woman beside her, “What’s the ration for today?”
The woman’s weary eyes met Elara’s, and she replied, “Two pounds of potato powder. That’s all we get.”
Image generated in Midjourney and enhanced in Photoshop. Free to download for personal use.
I’m trying something new starting today. Every Friday there will be a 40-word story posted. You can share 40 words from your story, or write a short 40-word story. Total words must be 40 words or more and less than 50 words. Here’s mine:
In a bleak future, where machines ruled and humanity cowered, Jon found an unlikely companion, a weathered droid with fading memories named, R-3Z. Together, they defied the oppressive regime, seeking forgotten truths in rusted data archives. Their bond sparked hope in a desolate world.
Image by Grandfailure, purchased from Depositphotos.
This sounds like a great way to get noticed as a self-published author. More information at Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards.
What do you think of awards like this for independent writers? Does this sound like something you’d participate in?
Let’s have some fun and write stories with these prompts. Pick one, or two, or all of them, and just write. Feel free to share them with me. Just contact me here and I’ll share your stories, if you want.
If you want to be a writer but don’t know where to start, here are 12 motivations to get you going:
1. Creative Expression: Writing allows you to express your creativity and imagination. It’s a medium for crafting stories, poems, or essays that reflect your unique perspective on the world.
2. Self-Discovery: Writing can be a journey of self-discovery. Through introspection and exploration of your thoughts and emotions, you can gain a deeper understanding of yourself.
3. Communication: Writing is a powerful tool for communicating ideas, stories, and information to a wide audience. It enables you to share your thoughts and knowledge with others.
4. Influence and Impact: Writers have the potential to influence and inspire people. Your words can motivate, educate, entertain, and even change lives.
5. Catharsis: Writing can be therapeutic. It allows you to release pent-up emotions, heal from past traumas, and find solace in putting your thoughts on paper.
6. Storytelling: If you have a passion for storytelling, being a writer lets you create intricate worlds, complex characters, and compelling narratives that captivate readers.
7. Legacy: Writing offers the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy. Your written works can outlive you and continue to inspire future generations.
8. Advocacy: Writers often use their platform to advocate for social, environmental, or political causes. Your words can raise awareness and drive positive change.
9. Intellectual Growth: Writing requires research and learning, which can lead to personal intellectual growth. It encourages you to expand your knowledge and perspective.
10. Financial Potential: While not guaranteed, successful writers can earn a living from their craft through book sales, freelance work, blogging, or content creation.
11. Flexibility: Writing offers flexibility in terms of where and when you work. Many writers enjoy the freedom to set their own schedules and work from anywhere.
12. Connection with Readers: Building a connection with readers who resonate with your words can be a deeply fulfilling aspect of being a writer. It allows you to touch people’s lives in meaningful ways.
Ultimately, the reasons to become a writer are as diverse as the individuals who pursue this path. Whether it’s a lifelong passion, a means of self-expression, or a way to make a difference in the world, writing can be a rewarding and fulfilling endeavor.
If you’re looking for a new sci-fi adventure with romance to read, Clearance Level Theta is available for pre-order. For a direct link, click on the image or this link, here.
Blurb:
Colette Demeter is ready for a change. She wants to work off-world and has found the perfect opportunity on a planet called, Aratus. Getting to Aratus isn’t going to be easy, but if there’s a will, there’s a way.
The vessel, Erosa isn’t what Colette had expected. Feeling out of place, she didn’t fit in with the crew at first, but through trials and tribulations, they all became friends. Additionally, there is a crew member that caught her attention, and she is determined to figure him out.
Aratus is where Colette’s courage and loyalty is tested. She realizes she’s not perfect, but can she come through and defeat the creatures disturbing Aratus and still manage to work at her dream job?
If you’re a new writer or just need a refresher, this ebook, “How To Write A Dynamic Act One,” by Ley Taylor Johnson might come in handy. I received this ebook free and thought I’d share it with anyone who’s struggling with getting their story started.
There’s a lot of excellent content in this ebook. They are content that are similar to what I follow so instead of writing my own, I think this is an excellent resource.
Just fyi, I don’t know the author of this book nor am I part of their promotional group or anything. If you’re a serious writer or want to become one, you can benefit from this.
Here’s the link to the ebook: How To Write A Dynamic Act One. You will have to provide your email to receive the ebook.
Aeva: The Last Hope
On a far-off planet, a virus continues to destroy the female reproductive capabilities of an alien species. Female humans are temporarily used as surrogates while scientists work on a cure, but things are not moving fast enough for the alien general of the USS mothership. He wants access to earth, to limitless female humans, and will do whatever it takes to locate the data chip that holds the code to bypass earth’s tightly secured atmosphere.
Rowen Teschner, a captain on the USS mothership, returns from a mission and is unexpectedly discharged and relocated to another starship. With losing everything he’s worked for, life on the starship is a chance for him to start over. As part of his new job, he is required to volunteer. His duty as a volunteer is to make sure Aeva, a genetically engineered human, gets her memory back before interrogation day. She was volunteering on a cargo ship when the ship was hijacked. A poisonous gas was emitted killing the crew, but she survived, and the alien investigation team is demanding answers. If they don’t get the answers they want, it could potentially lead to her demise.
As Aeva’s story unravels, Rowen is caught between starting a new life and putting his life on the line to protect her.
****This is a space opera sci-fi with military action and a touch of real-life romance that both men and women will enjoy. It’s rated 18+ with mature content.
Right now it’s free on Smashwords. Get it before the freebie expires. Link to the book is >>>here.
Smashwords is having an ebook reading week from March 5th -11th. During this week, all participating books will be either discounted or free. I wanted to share that Aeva: The Last Hope by Tori C. Lore will be free to download during this week.
You will find the promo starting on March 5, so save the link:
https://www.smashwords.com/ebookweek
Here’s your chance to read an exciting space opera story with military, romance, and genetic engineering.
Thanks for your support and happy reading!
What have you all been up to?
I’ve been working on book two of the sci-fi space opera. I had wanted to get the romance revised/edited and out this year but that will be delayed until I figure out exactly where I want to go with it. I’m not naturally a romance writer so after going through the first revision, I just didn’t feel it would be ready within the year. I’m wanting to get the fantasy book out, so I’ve been editing it like crazy. However, suddenly, I had this urge to work on the cyberpunk characters. I have a character named Isamari. That’s not her real name. Rather, it’s her hologram name. She is a side character who works with the mc and whom the mc bumps into later. Normally, I don’t focus on side characters but Isamari is just itching to be written.
I know very little about Isamari, and I never intended to know her more than just a co-worker, but as I think more about her, I realize she plays an important part of the story. Her part is small, but she creates tension for the mc. So, because of that, she needs to be more developed than intended. I’m pretty excited because I kind of want to know who she is.
Do you ever get sidetracked by a minor character? Do you let them grow and become a bigger part of your story, or do you remind yourself that they’re not that important and keep them in the background? I’m curious.
The Writing Sparrow 
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