Dawn Kaufman (She/Her)

#vssdaily

The gondola floated serenely down the #canal, giving no hint of the assassin hiding in its depths.

She peeked around the edge of the canopy toward the gondolier, who signaled their imminent arrival.

The Doge would speak in the square soon, offering her only opportunity to take him out.

#vss365

The mighty #predator stalks his prey, tracking the glowing red dot through the forest of furniture legs. He crouches down preparing to pounce, when a hand reaches down from above, scooping him up to be nuzzled against the smooth, chubby cheeks of his young human.

"Hello kitty," she croons.

#vssfantasy

"We could travel lighter if we relied more on rain water and less on carrying so many water skins," I said.

"Given the frequency of droughts, I'm not comfortable counting on rain."

I grimaced ruefully. "Good point. I guess the pony will just have to slosh when she walks."

#vssdaily

"Is there anything better than beer and #pizza after a battle?" Shayna asked.

"It'd be better if battles weren't necessary at all; we could enjoy a pizza without needing to fight first," replied Jemma.

"That would be great, but in this day and age there's always something to fight for."

a bunch of snakes are wrapped together in a ball ALT: a bunch of snakes are wrapped together in a ball

Battle for the mind
#Toxic thoughts strive for power
Like a coiled viper

#vss365 #haiku

hateful #toxic trait
limitless overthinking
slowly poisons me

#vss365 #senryu

Toxic is the moon spoon-fed on ego
humans gnawing stars for flavour
Greed drinks oceans, then cries drought
We trade forests for paper promises.
Hands full of fire, we pet the world
Even light, hoarded, rots
All excess curdled
beyond need,
poison.

#vss365 #toxic

#vss365

I stare out the window at the #toxic rain falling past the neon glow of business signs onto the abandoned streets below. Shelter in place directives are in force for the entire city.

But I can still link to my favorite VR simulation, "Matrix Plugin." Why can't life be more like the Plugin?

I do a mix of both. I pants the first few chapters then plot some major scenes. I'll write to that plot until I finish what I have and then pants through to the end.

#vss365

"What do you mean you're going to create a unicorn? How is that even possible?" I asked.

"Genetic experiments with horse and #narwhal DNA. Maybe if I can combine the right traits..."

"You're insane!"

"Maybe. But one way or another, I will make it work."

I shook my head and walked away.

#vssdaily

"There was an odd #chunk of metal in the debris that fell to earth last night. It's registering as an unknown material."

"Have you done a sensor sweep to see what it might have broken off from?"

I nodded. "There's nothing in range to account for it."

"It had to come from somewhere."

#vssfantasy

Multitudes of global archery contests led to this moment, the final tournament. She sighted down the shaft, released, exhaled. Watched as it traveled toward the target.

Bullseye!

The crowd erupted in cheers. "Queen of Arrows!"

A lifetime of dedication; the title was finally hers.

I collect paper planners. Does that count?

Lol. I was amused when I noticed it. There doesn't seem to be an edit option for posts though, so I couldn't fix it.

#scififri

" #Extracting the chip isn't an option," said our technomancer. "It controls too many things: credits, ID, doors."

"It also lets them track us wherever we go. We're not a covert operation if they can always find us."

"I can disable tracking, leave the other functions intact."

"Do it."

#vssfantasy

The years had passed slowly, but the memory remained. I laid my hand on the tree where we met and saw the face of my handsome elven prince. Cold and haughty til his smile broke through, freeing the kind, compassionate core that few were privileged to know. How I miss my long lost love.

#vssdaily

She crossed her legs, gently tugging on the hem of her skirt before sipping her #Manhattan. Being undercover wasn't as scary as she'd thought.

A voice in her ear said, "Target approaching. Prepare to intercept."

"Acknowledged." She turned away from the bar ready to charm the target.

#vss365

The troll squatted next to his kill and tore loose a femur. He cracked it in half and sucked tits #marrow.

"That teach stupid heroes to try killing Throckshar," he mumbled. "Throckshar eat stupid heroes."

He gazed down at the remainder of the corpse before him.

"Throckshar want stew."

*not mine, from Twitter:
#SCIFIFRI 05-23-25
Optional Theme: #EXTRACT/#IMPLANT
Or choose your own scifi-ish topic
OK Let's dazzle them ~!~
@PromptAdvant
@XWritingPrompts
#scifiart Original Images & Artwork welcomed
#amwriting #WritingCommmunity #amwritingscifi
Links encouraged, try not to spam * ੈ ✩

A sphinx that sucks the #marrow out of life. Each visitor brings a new mind, which she pokes with another fresh riddle, until it bursts like a bubble. A puzzled expression is sweeter than ambrosia.

#vss365

Crime drama. The novel version of NCIS or the original Criminal Minds. I have an urban fantasy version in the planning stages, but juggling a cast like that is so intimidating!

The seller's sly grin grabs her. Seal skin boots, one of a kind. No price too high for fashion.
Preening, she glides through town, but at the beach, she hears her doom: With each step, a #whimper. The weeping boots drag her to the sea, where their #selkie sisters wait, eager for a new skin. #vss365

He visits the aquarium every day, rain or shine, summer or winter. Now an old man, with thinning gray hair and walking with a cane, he wants another glimpse of the #selkie he saw only once before when he was a boy. Each day ends with disappointment. #vss365

Ava loved the beach at dusk.
She always found something fun, like a sand #castle or shell.
Tonight’s find, a bag of #spicy chips, made her #whistle.
The sea would be cooling.
She slipped into her hidden seal skin, then the water.
Ava loved the beach—& being a #selkie.
#vss365 #vssdaily #blueskyrelay

It's not a helpful thing to say but I feel it's important to acknowledge that you keep coming back to it when you're able. Determination is as important as knowing your limits.

With writing I think it's the quality of the finished product that matters rather than the time it takes to accomplish it.

It is. Understanding my limitations is the key to succeeding.

Have you had luck achieving any sort of regularity in your writing, or is that something you're still working toward? After all, even one day a week is a regular habit. 😊

Four days a week. But that's because I require a three-day weekend to recharge for another week of school. I might be able to pull off every day, but I'd rather not find out I'm wrong by burning out and messing up my degree progress.

I schedule writing when I have spoons to spare and it helps a lot. I write and work on my MFA first thing in the morning so that work gets my peak energy. I schedule other things with my remaining spoons. I know that won't be possible when I start teaching, but for now it works. Hope that helps.