Erika Tracy

#WIPSnips #WritingCommunity

This is the first harvest since the colonists arrived. Gender roles are still roughly what they were in the old country. Expectations about gender roles, and quite a lot of other social norms, will break down with time and hardship.

This is a world with all sorts of Elves and Dwarves and Kobolds and so on. There's also a major religious schism. The grouping is pretty much My Kind, by birth and by religion, and Everyone Else for this character. Bigotry is awfully common among this particular My Kind.

#AwesomeCharacters

My antagonist is a great parent, a good spouse and friend, and a good aide. Also an absolutely vicious enemy with a cold and calculating brain. You're in the in group or the out group, and you really won't enjoy being in the out group if that's where you land.

I'll bet Flavor Flav serves better grub than lukewarm MacBurgers.

#WIPSnips #WritingCommunity "science"

Jarek, the colony's acting botanist at this point, is observing her environment, forming a hypothesis, and testing it. Long snip because it was this or an unpleasant spoiler from the acting anthropologist.

#WIPSnips #WritingCommunity "metal" but subbing in "steel" with a side of bronze. Hogarth is presenting a plan to his governor.

#WIPSnip #WritingCommunity "billow"

First page of the as-yet-untitled colony-building story.

#WIPSnips #WritingCommunity "corner"

It's the second winter in the colony, and there have been several deaths by disease. The Elf healer was no help -- Elves know about injury, but not fever. When the third member of this household starts to get sick, Jarek spots something tiny and crawling.

Erika's Scribbles | Patreon Short stories of elves and tricksters

Small burst of shameless self-promotion to remind everyone this exists:

www.patreon.com/cw/ErikasScr...

Two hard questions. Book 1 is outlined and roughed out; I know how the missing bits should go and need to plant my butt, close BlueSky, and do the job. From there, not too sure how long the rewriting and beta-bickering will last.

LOL I guess I'd better go finish this book...

We have a religious minority fleeing their old city and trying to carve out a new one. The focus begins on a couple of girls of just-marriageable age and a soldier, and what happens to them over the next few years.

bsky.app/profile/erik...

At the moment, three MCs, one of whom probably gets his own book, and a couple more who seem to want to stick their noses in and have a say. Which is fine. The first two MCs have enough survival skills to make room for inventiveness; the gardener imagines differently from the soldier.

I did! "Except."

#WIPSnips #WritingCommunity "subtle"

I think I may have shared this one before, for a different word. The colony's governor is at a large funeral after a disastrous decision.

Kitchen table is a favorite. Snacks and tea or coffee ready to hand, a spot for a pet to hang out beside me, laptop or notebook on the table, music on the stereo.

But I'm versatile.

"Begin to see him change" -- He has a lot of growing and adapting to do, and doesn't manage to change a couple of things that really needed to.

I have a pretty good idea what everyone looks like, but they're not particularly looks-focused, so the 3rd-person limited limits the sharing and spoilers.

There's a really big assumption in that question...

Cleverness, luck, sheer brute stubbornness, flexibility, and some borrowed magic account for the ones that do survive.

#WIPSnips #WritingCommunity

Hogarth the soldier, now turned hunter and guard, is reflecting on the values of the old world, where his well-off bride would have been a lucky match for him, and the new, and trying to adapt. He is also *almost* strong enough to drag his kill back to the village.

Fantasy, in a world inspired by early European colonies in North America. Lots of hostile environment, hubris, and poor choices, but with Elves and Kobolds and such running around.

Thanks!

#WIPSnips #WritingCommunity "hurt"

The colonists are clearing out the old dwarf tunnels in the cliff for those who prefer to live in caves and building houses for those who don't.

#WIPSnips #WritingCommunity "never"

The colonists here have come from a place where Elves are enemies and the war has lasted decades. Being polite to the Elves on the new continent never really occurred to them, which very much limits their ability to learn about their new surroundings.

Dropping a line to let you know that Week 2 has been super helpful in all sorts of ways that don't work at all in 300-character posts but have been very useful to the book. Thank you!

“Some babies do get a nip, but there seems to be some protection of them in the instinct. Serious mistakes have never happened that I’ve heard about. Then again, I’m a builder, not a midwife.” “Thank you. Thank you so much for being here.” “I’ve a daughter near your age, and you may need to perform this deed for her one day. I’d call that payment.” Jarek watched the baby’s face and waving fists. “She’s so tiny.” “You said she was a little early. She’ll catch up.” “What was I thinking, going and getting pregnant?” “Most likely, ‘Hey, this is fun.’” Jarek laughed. “I suppose so. Still. I thought it was mad having babies here before we were really settled in, and wondered why anyone did, and…” “Maybe what you were thinking was that with the workers teaching us how to live here and the mill in progress, we were really settled in.” “Maybe. I felt hopeful last summer.” “Well, then, keep feeling hopeful.” “I’m afraid to. It seems like if I’m hopeful the floods will be worse than ever, or the food will run out, or the cliff will fall on us.” Larien put a hand on her shoulder. “Stop that. Go to sleep, since your baby has, and enjoy it while you can. You’re just tired.” That seemed likely, and although she couldn’t imagine going to sleep while feeling so awkward and strained, she did. She woke to Hogarth scraping mud off his boots on the porch and the infant nuzzling hopefully at her breast. He came in proudly, carrying a big feathery bundle, but her bundle was better. He dropped the fowl by the door and came on, his face a study in marvel that made her laugh with joy. “Larien didn’t tell you?” “She just said I should go straight to the bedroom and show off the turkey. Your friend is wicked. I was worried you were ill or hurt, and here you’ve gone and had a baby!”

#WIPSnips #WritingCommunity "Serious"

First draft of story. Second draft of post! Some key I bumped wiped out the quote-post one.

#WIPSnips #WritingCommunity "defense"

Very early in the story.

Who’s 'We'? | Erika's Scribbles Get more from Erika's Scribbles on Patreon

Back in action on the Patreon short stories! Just a little shortie tonight, but I enjoyed Lavinia and Fabian.

www.patreon.com/posts/whos-w...

And lots of pink yarn.

"WTAF" is going to be the title of the book series describing this era.

#WIPSnips #WritingCommunity "liquid"

Blood, childbirth. Also, my colonists are not humans, and do not do everything quite the same way as we might.

#WIPSnips #WritingCommunity "Select"

We're getting into some of the uglier stuff here.

Droste effect - Wikipedia

I just learned recently that there's a name for this phenomenon: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Droste_...