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authornautastra.bsky.social
Authornaut Astra ✨
@authornautastra.bsky.social
58 followers 83 following 91 posts
Angst first. Healing later. Happy endings always.
Neurodivergent writer. Queer stories. Earned softness.
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authornautastra.bsky.social
Authornaut Astra ✨ @authornautastra.bsky.social · Jun 28
🪷
I’m Astra (she/her). Writer. Neurodivergent. Queer ally. Bigger on the inside.

🌈 Queer stories
🥀 Emotional damage
🧠 Neurospiciness
🫂 Earned intimacy
🔪 No cheap drama
🫟 Messy people
🫀 Real feelings

Angst first. Healing later. Happy endings always.

#WriterSky #MLMfiction #NDwriting #SoftAngst
authornautastra.bsky.social
My birthday was yesterday. Didn't even get a cake.

Brain: you don't need one, it's just another day.

Other brain: you don't nurture relationships with others, what did you expect?

AuDHD brain: *shrugs*

Writer brain: notice this pain. So you can write about it later.

It's surprisingly helpful. 🌈
October 25, 2025 at 2:02 PM
authornautastra.bsky.social
Some days I worry about committing to a career as an author. Can I really do this? What if I run out of ideas? What if I lose the touch?

Other days I plot a full novella in 2 hours.

Looks like I'm committed, whether I like it or not lol.

#WritersLife #WriterSky #amwriting #MMRomance
October 17, 2025 at 12:10 PM
authornautastra.bsky.social
It's done! Can't believe I actually finished it. 110k words! 🎉

...

10k words more than it should be.

...

It's not done. 😩🫠

#WIP #WriterSky #MMRomance #SlowBurn #StrangersToLovers #SportsRomance #AmWriting #AmEditing #SendHelp
October 9, 2025 at 11:23 PM
authornautastra.bsky.social
So... Are we still collectively making an effort into this "show don't tell" thing?

Bc if I'm working my ass off to make ppl feel things and everyone else is building actual careers on naming emotions and listing facts...

I don't wanna play this game anymore. 😩

#WriterSky #AmWriting #WritersLife
October 7, 2025 at 8:30 PM
authornautastra.bsky.social
As decreed by the muse, I find myself deep into the casework and decisions of the FEI Tribunal (International Federation for Equestrian Sports) of the past few years.

Came for the info, stayed for the D-R-A-M-A!

Hours: 2
Regrets: 0

#WIP #WriterSky #MMRomance #SportsRomance #WritersLife #AmWriting
October 6, 2025 at 2:11 PM
authornautastra.bsky.social
Did you ever write something and feel "Wait, I'm all for angst before the healing, but maybe this will make readers cry TOO MUCH..."

And then just ignore the thought and do it anyway. 👌😎

Gimme your tears!!! MWHAHAHA!

#WIP #WriterSky #MMRomance #SlowBurn #StrangersToLovers #AmWriting
September 30, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Reposted by Authornaut Astra ✨
amybrown.xyz
this iconic advertising copywriter named Kathy Hepinstall Parks died over the weekend and I wanted to share something from her website I thought Bluesky would like
Why should I write better when a machine can do it for me? Because actually no one can do it for you, because your voice is unique among all the people on earth. Siri never petted a horse's neck. Alexa has never been ghosted by the captain of the football team. But you have lived, your heart is beating, you have suffered, and you have something important to say. It's a human's job, to use words, and whatever job you give to a machine, that part of your brain goes dark. Maybe it's worth it when it comes to remembering phone numbers and directions, but when that part of your brain that uses words goes dark, that's a vast area that's very close to your soul. Don't let some internet platform convince you that what you have to say and create isn't worthwhile. Words are the echo of your soul. Honing that echo matters.
August 22, 2025 at 2:20 PM
authornautastra.bsky.social
CASSIAN: He’d pretend it wasn’t. Let the panic burn behind his eyes.

ELI: Saddle up. Ride. Stay useful. If not useful, then close.

They'd find each other. So the other didn’t have to feel the end alone.

#BluePitHype #WriteSky #QueerFiction #MMRomance #SlowBurn #StrangersToLovers #AmWriting
bluepit.bsky.social #BluePit - A Storytelling Hype & Pitch Event @bluepit.bsky.social · Jul 10
It's Day 3 of #BluePitHype!

Today, we have some questions for your characters!

This is our FINAL QUESTION: ENDINGS.

Join us for Advice Share tomorrow as we all share some pitching tips!

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #Writers #AmQuerying #GameDev #Comics #TTRPG
#BluePitHype Q & A JULY 10th CHARACTER INTERVIEW For today, we have some questions for your characters! Question 3: What would your character do if the world was ending? What would be important to them? Who would matter most? 3 DAYS To #BLUEPIT ON JULY 13th! @BLUEPIT.BSKY.SOCIAL
July 10, 2025 at 4:35 PM
authornautastra.bsky.social
CASSIAN: He can make anything look effortless. If he knew how to rest, he'd probably crash for a year or two.

ELI: He listens. Completely. But at a distance so he's not heard back. A bit of Cassian may help.

#BluePitHype #WriteSky #QueerFiction #MMRomance #SlowBurn #StrangersToLovers #AmWriting
bluepit.bsky.social #BluePit - A Storytelling Hype & Pitch Event @bluepit.bsky.social · Jul 10
It's Day 3 of #BluePitHype!

Today, we have some questions for your characters!

This is QUESTION 2: SKILLS. The final question will be posted in 30 minutes!

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #Writers #AmQuerying #GameDev #Comics #TTRPG
#BluePitHype Q & A JULY 10th CHARACTER INTERVIEW For today, we have some questions for your characters! Question 2: What’s your character’s main skill? What do they wish they knew how to do? How would they use that skill? 3 DAYS To #BLUEPIT ON JULY 13th! @BLUEPIT.BSKY.SOCIAL
July 10, 2025 at 4:29 PM
authornautastra.bsky.social
CASSIAN: His mom. She handles pressure like her pantsuit's made of teflon. He just survives it.

ELI: His momma. Gentle when it would've been easier not to be. He molded his whole life around that gentleness.

#BluePitHype #WriteSky #QueerFiction #MMRomance #SlowBurn #StrangersToLovers #AmWriting
bluepit.bsky.social #BluePit - A Storytelling Hype & Pitch Event @bluepit.bsky.social · Jul 10
It's Day 3 of #BluePitHype!

Today, we have some questions for your characters!

This is QUESTION 1: ROLE MODELS. The next question will be posted in 30 minutes! The final question will be posted in 1 hour!

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #Writers #AmQuerying #GameDev #Comics #TTRPG
#BluePitHype Q & A July 10th CHARACTER INTERVIEW For today, we have some questions for your characters! Question 1: Who is your character's role model? What do they admire about them? What do they see of that in themself? 3 DAYS TO #BLUEPIT ON JULY 13th! @BLUEPIT.BSKY.SOCIAL
July 10, 2025 at 4:23 PM
authornautastra.bsky.social
Had so much fun creating this moodboard for my WIP, a M/M romance set in the equestrian world. Soft colors, warm vibe, but with some real power underneath. Excited! 🥰💪🌈🐎

#BluePitHype #WriteSky #QueerFiction #MMRomance #SlowBurn #StrangersToLovers #AmWriting
A collage of 14 photos that blend equestrian imagery and queer romance. Scenes include cowboys and log fences, two men embracing or kissing, horseback riders at sunset, free horses, and a mid-air jump during a competition. The mood is emotionally intimate, tender, and restrained, with warm lighting and soft colors evoking yearning and earned closeness.
July 9, 2025 at 2:34 PM
authornautastra.bsky.social
From my WIP — M/M romance set in the equestrian world. Slow burn, soft angst, guaranteed HEA.

Even a lifetime career can shatter. All it takes is bored sponsors with too much money. And one single mistake.

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #QueerFiction #MMRomance #SlowBurn #StrangersToLovers #AmWriting
“Shh.” She nods to the corridor. “Not now. Sponsors.” The word flips a switch and I’m PR ready before I even glance. Three men in tailored blazers make haste down the hall, overexcited to shake my hand. I give them the smile. They give me the pitch. “Phenomenal ride, Cassian,” says the one overdressed in orange and aftershave that hits before his palm does on mine, shaking it like he paid enough to own a percentage. “We’re thrilled about the next phase. A horse like that needs a rider who can handle the risk,” adds the taller one with slicked-back hair and a or else he doesn’t say. “Truly a legacy union. History in the making,” finishes the third, who barely looks old enough to drink, but wears a watch worth more than most horses. I nod. Smile. Confirm. Whatever they’re saying. All the while calculating what happens if I can’t ride this horse. If he throws me. If I can’t get inside his head. If I tank. Again. In front of the world. On a horse with my name on it.
July 9, 2025 at 11:49 AM
authornautastra.bsky.social
Hi 👋 I’m Astra. ND, queer-adjacent, very tired.

Writing started as an escape and became the hard thing that reminds me I deserve softness too. So that’s what I give my characters. (Eventually 😈)

I write queer romance that’s not about queerness. And love that stays. 🌈💕

#BluePitHype #WriteSky
bluepit.bsky.social #BluePit - A Storytelling Hype & Pitch Event @bluepit.bsky.social · Jul 8
Welcome to the first day of #BluePitHype!

It's only 5 days to #BluePit on July 13th! So, join us for our Q&A.

Today is Introduction Day! Tell us who you are! Make some new friends!

We can't wait to meet you and your stories!

#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #GameDev #TTRPG #AmQuerying
#BluePitHype Q & A July 8th Introductions Tell us about yourself ahead of #BluePit! What inspires you, what genres do you write in, how did you become a writer? Pitch contests are also a great way to make/reconnect with friends. Remember to us the #BluePitHype tag! 5 DAYS TO #BLUEPIT ON JULY 13th! @BLUEPIT.BSKY.SOCIAL
July 8, 2025 at 8:02 PM
authornautastra.bsky.social
From my WIP — M/M romance in the equestrian world. Slow burn, soft angst, guaranteed HEA.

The perfect riding machine doesn't get victory laps. He gets his mistakes on rerun and a quick polish. The press awaits.

#WIPSnips #WriterSky #QueerFiction #MMRomance #SlowBurn #StrangersToLovers #AmWriting
My eyes stay stuck on that loop, even as Mom tilts my head, lifts my chin, inspects for flaws. Again, I watch myself on the rollback, a soft jasmine scent as she slips out a wet wipe. Again the oxer, as she dampens and scrubs cracked concealer from under my eyes. Again the line, as she rummages for more. Again, as she dabs a fresh coat with the pad of her ring finger. More noise, a richer scent, a spray, a brush. Then a tug on my tie, on my showjacket’s lapels and flap pockets.
July 6, 2025 at 2:22 PM
authornautastra.bsky.social
Expect tears.

Because crying is healthy, and some people need imaginary words to start.
I do.

Expect angst that feels like a chest kick or a chokehold, but always with a happy ending. That's non-negotiable.

There’s already too much pain in the real world.

#WriterSky #QueerFiction #SoftAngst #HEA
justinauthor.bsky.social Justin S @justinauthor.bsky.social · Jul 1
#WritingCommunity #WritingQ

What's something readers should expect in most if not all of your stories? Intentional or not?
July 2, 2025 at 3:49 PM
authornautastra.bsky.social
AuDHD Writer - issue #3736:

Best way to focus is lying face down in the dark like a dead phone. Beautiful brain silence... 🧠💕

Before that:
➡️ The fridge hums wrong
➡️ The air tastes square
➡️ A memory of laundry, perhaps

#AuDHD #NeurodivergentWriter #NDLife #WriterSky
June 30, 2025 at 10:15 PM
authornautastra.bsky.social
Duck is not fine! 😩

But duck is still duck, just a very tired one.

(via @diploma.duck on IG, who apparently hacked into my brain and got worried enough to flood my feed 🧠✨)

#AuDHD #NeurodivergentWriter #NDLife #WriterSky
June 30, 2025 at 9:05 PM
authornautastra.bsky.social
AuDHD is two ducks in one brain.

Still a good duck.
Always a good duck. 🥹🦆🫂

(via @diploma.duck on IG)

#AuDHD #NeurodivergentWriter #NDLife #WriterSky
June 29, 2025 at 9:12 PM
authornautastra.bsky.social
From my WIP — queer romance, slowburn, angst with a happy ending.

Title: May the Whisperer Be Ugly, Please

Cassian is not doing great. 🧵

#WriterSky #mlmfiction #queerWIP #softangst #characterdriven #ndwriting
June 29, 2025 at 12:00 AM
authornautastra.bsky.social
🪷
I’m Astra (she/her). Writer. Neurodivergent. Queer ally. Bigger on the inside.

🌈 Queer stories
🥀 Emotional damage
🧠 Neurospiciness
🫂 Earned intimacy
🔪 No cheap drama
🫟 Messy people
🫀 Real feelings

Angst first. Healing later. Happy endings always.

#WriterSky #MLMfiction #NDwriting #SoftAngst
June 28, 2025 at 11:46 PM