jaredchenwynn.bsky.social
@jaredchenwynn.bsky.social
I’ve been asked how to structure and write short stories by members of my #CampRevPit #CRPWizardWasps cabin and other #WritersofBluesky recently. The most common piece of advice I’ve seen to that end is, read a bunch of short stories first. That’s great advice, but it doesn’t answer the question.
May 10, 2025 at 11:49 PM
Whenever I think a plot idea might be too risky...
#CRPWizardWasps
#WritersofBluesky
May 8, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Good evening #CRPWizardWasps! Writing is a journey with as many different paths as there are writers. It’s been such a privilege to be on overlapping paths these last two weeks with all of you. I’ve really enjoyed learning about your stories and getting to know your voices.
May 5, 2025 at 1:07 AM
Whoo! #CRPWizardWasps, welcome to the LAST day of #CampRevPit! Our DAY 14/final INTERACTIVE: What are your writing goals for the next week? And what are your writing goals for the next month?
May 4, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Good evening, #CRPWizardWasps! Action scenes can be page turners when they’re unique, or make readers tune out when they aren’t. One way to make them work is to tie the action to the character’s identity in such a way that no two fight scenes could be interchangeable between characters.
May 4, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Morning, #CRPWizardWasps, welcome to the penultimate day of #CampRevPit! Our DAY 13 INTERACTIVE: How have your projects fared during these two weeks of camp? Have you made significant progress, changes to your MC, etc.? And do you have any requests, questions, needs, or feedback for us?
May 3, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Good evening, #CRPWizardWasps! One-the-nose dialogue isn’t always boring; when done right, it can be used to hide important emotional beats behind major story revelations. Today’s exercise is also a great prompt for flash fiction. It’s called Interrupt It. Here’s how it works:
May 3, 2025 at 1:10 AM
Morning, #CRPWizardWasps, welcome to day TWELVE of #CampRevPit! Our DAY 12 INTERACTIVE: Do you also write short stories? If yes, do you develop new worlds and characters, or write spinoffs based on MCs and worlds from your novel projects?
BONUS: What's been your experience pitching short stories?
May 2, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Good evening, #CRPWizardWasps! The key to compelling subtext in dialogue is to embed emotion into 𝘩𝘰𝘸 things are said rather than 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 is said. This next exercise is especially helpful right before starting on a rewrite. It’s called Say It Without Saying It.
Here's how it works:
May 2, 2025 at 1:21 AM
Morning, #CRPWizardWasps, welcome to day ELEVEN of #CampRevPit! Our DAY 11 INTERACTIVE: How do you juggle your writing routine with the rest of your busy life? Do you need a distraction free time to write, and if so, do you schedule it or work it in when you can?
May 1, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Good evening, #CRPWizardWasps! I’ve been posting some elaborate writing exercises these last ten days, and I should explain my intentions with these. They’re fun to do with friends and peers, but I’m mostly just sharing them as takeaways, something to save in a file and break out later when needed.
May 1, 2025 at 1:53 AM
#CRPWizardWasps
It looks like everyone is on top of their feedback swaps, so this is just a cautious reminder - DM me or the #CampRevpit main account if you need assistance!
April 30, 2025 at 11:18 PM
Morning, #CRPWizardWasps, welcome to day TEN of #CampRevPit! Our DAY 10 INTERACTIVE: Do you have a favorite quote (or a recent one that really resonates with you) about writing?
April 30, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Good evening, #CRPWizardWasps! Character development exercises aren’t just for the story/plot development stage, they can also be helpful when struggling with dialogue or trying not to get bogged down in the second act. One which I’ve found particularly helpful is called A Debt of Silence.
April 30, 2025 at 2:11 AM
#CRPWizardWasps
A sustainable pace wins the race!
April 29, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Morning, #CRPWizardWasps, welcome to day NINE of #CampRevPit! Our DAY 9 INTERACTIVE: What are your plans for your current project? (Pitching agents, self-publishing, etc.) When do you anticipate taking that next step? (Or are you already taking it?)
April 29, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Good evening, #CRPWizardWasps! Today’s exercise is called “The Memory that Won’t Let Go,” and it’s about developing characters while discovering what makes them tick. Because characters that resonate often have memories that shape how they behave and what they believe.
April 29, 2025 at 2:24 AM
The First Rule of Write Club is...
#CRPWizardWasps
April 28, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Morning, #CRPWizardWasps, welcome to day EIGHT of #CampRevPit! Our DAY 8 INTERACTIVE: Have you ever co-written a novel or novella with another writer? If so, what was your process? If not, is that something you’d be interested in or open to exploring, and if so, what would your process be?
April 28, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Good evening, #CRPWizardWasps! I’ve never been one to romanticize life in the Victorian era, mostly because of all the inequity and racism, but also because deodorant wasn’t invented until 1888. But their slang makes that era feel less like a place in time and more like a story world.
April 28, 2025 at 2:01 AM
Morning, #CRPWizardWasps, welcome to day SEVEN of #CampRevPit! Our DAY 7 INTERACTIVE: On “pantsing” (writing from the seat of our pants) vs. plotting (writing from an outline), where do you fall? E.g. are you a 100% plotter, a 60-40 pantser…
April 27, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Good evening, #CRPWizardWasps! I’ve got a fun little exercise that breaks through boring moments by forcing my characters to act and react – often saying and doing things that I can pull from the exercise and insert directly into the scene in front of me. It’s called The Stranger at the Threshold.
April 27, 2025 at 1:22 AM
Morning, #CRPWizardWasps, welcome to day SIX of #CampRevPit! Our DAY 6 INTERACTIVE: Let’s talk about writer’s block:
Do you experience it? (Occasionally? Often?)
What do you think causes it?
What solutions have you tried, and did they help?
April 26, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Good evening, #CRPWizardWasps! Predictability and boredom are the worst things that can happen to a story. One way to avoid them is by brainstorming on the worst things that can happen to a character in the story. So, today’s exercise is aptly named, “What’s the Worst that can Happen?”
April 26, 2025 at 12:34 AM
Morning, #CRPWizardWasps, welcome to day FIVE of #CampRevPit!

Our DAY 5 INTERACTIVE: Of all the relationships you’ve written, which is your favorite, and why?

BONUS: To what extent do you draw on your own real-world relationships in your writing?
April 25, 2025 at 6:14 PM