Lester D. Crawford
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lesterdcrawford.com
Lester D. Crawford
@lesterdcrawford.com
69 followers 99 following 280 posts
Writer of stories involving dragons, mostly, that use themes of love, loyalty, friendship, kindness, acceptance, family of origin, and family of choice.

www.LesterDCrawford.com

Related Bluesky accounts:
@thedragonuniverse.com
@dracotation.com
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Lester D. Crawford @lesterdcrawford.com · Nov 20
"The Dragon Universe Utopia Origins" is available on bookseller websites. I recommend purchasing it through your local independent bookstore, or use Bookshop.org to credit your local independent bookstore.
Book cover for The Dragon Universe Utopia Origins showing a child having a picnic with a dragon in a forest
lesterdcrawford.com
#WIPSnips February 16 - hurt
Loneliness hurts.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky
Text that says: Even with these sessions with her teachers, Hope still experienced loneliness, the kind of loneliness that hurt. She couldn't allow herself to feel attachment or safe around others. She had to remain vigilant and wary, which meant she never felt close to anyone. — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
February 16, 2026 at 5:16 PM
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#WIPSnips February 15 - never
Hope never cursed.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky
Text that says: Even though she was mostly ignored her, she did her best to stay out of sight. There were people who would turn her over to the militiamen to collect a reward, if they could grab her. Those people were the ones who called her derogatory names, and sometimes threw things at her. She didn't understand why they despised her and screamed curse words when they failed to grab her. She decided curse words corrupted the mind, so Hope never cursed. — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
February 15, 2026 at 4:39 PM
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#WIPSnips February 13 - serious
How do you tell a good guy from a bad guy?
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky
Text that says: Hope did her best to avoid everyone even though she didn't believe most people, both riffraff and privileged, were a threat. However, some people were a serious threat and would chase her and try to grab her. She couldn't tell the people who were a threat from those who were not. So, she had to assume everyone was a threat. — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
February 13, 2026 at 6:29 PM
lesterdcrawford.com
Today, I wrote another paragraph in my story. Then, I broke it into five paragraphs to feel like I had done a lot of writing. #AmWriting
February 12, 2026 at 2:20 AM
lesterdcrawford.com
Reading and writing can lower dementia risk by almost 40%.
I'm trying!
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky #Dragons
Text that says Hope looked in the mirror. The baby dragon said, "Mommy, that's you, except you're left and right sides are on the wrong sides." She needed to give him a lesson about mirrors.
February 11, 2026 at 11:26 PM
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#WIPSnips February 9 - select
Learning to spar requires safety gear.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky
Text that says: "Sparring means making contact. A strike can cause injury or even break bones. I want everyone to be safe." He walked to a blank wall of the garden and triggered a hidden mechanism that allowed the wall to swing open revealing a small alcove containing a collection of staffs and cubbyhole that held what looked like clothing. "This is safety gear. Select and put on the head, hand, arm, leg, and torso protectors that fit. The head protector is rigid, but everything else is made of dense padding that absorbs the force of a strike. To deliver less strike force, the staffs have been treated to make them flexible and they're padded." Mister Emery took a staff and stack of gear from a cubbyhole then moved away to prepare himself while Hope made her selections and donned the gear. — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
February 9, 2026 at 5:40 PM
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What promise do you make?
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky
Text that says: "There's a lot of misery in the world. I promise not to add to it." — Hope in The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
February 8, 2026 at 9:41 PM
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#WIPSnips February 1 - zeal
Militiamen pillage.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky #Dragons
Text that says: Few riffraff were on the street after the previous day's militiamen swam. Thanks to the warning chimes, Mister Tymon had had time to secure his valuables, so his shop had survived the swarm with minimal losses -- militiamen pillaged while doing inspections. On the way to Mister Stirling's shop, Hope passed several shops where the owners were making repairs -- militiamen often caused damage in their zeal to terrorize riffraff. Mister Stirling's shop appeared undamaged. He looked up from where he was mashing ingredients in a large bowl. His contorted scowl transformed into a delighted smile. "Child, you're safe?" "Yes, Mister Stirling. How are you?" He glanced around the shop. "The militiamen took my food bars, except for the eaterregrets. Those were one of my experiments. I thought I could make them palatable, but few people liked them. I think I'll stop making them. I'll send the militiamen an invoice for what they took, but they never pay up." There was a reason eaterregret was called that, although Hope had given one of the food bars to the baby dragon and he had liked it. Of course, he liked everything. "I know someone who'll eat the food bars, so I'll take what you have left. But, I agree you shouldn't make more." He grinned before continuing. "I'm glad you came back. I have the meat scraps you requested." He glanced toward the street to ensure no one was approaching then retrieved a container and opened it to display the contents. — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
February 1, 2026 at 7:09 PM
lesterdcrawford.com
Another productive day writing.
#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #WriteSky
Image of error message from Microsoft Word that says 'The document is too large for Word to handle.'
January 31, 2026 at 10:29 PM
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I would describe baby dragon in my story as indefatigable, but I don't believe many people know what the word means. I would say tireless, but fear not many more people know what that word means. (It's not "my car has no tires.") Illiteracy makes writing hard. #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #WriteSky
Word usage chart from Google's Books Ngram Viewer showing in 1800 indefatigable with a high usage, but tireless being virtually none. By 1920, indefatigable had dropped significantly and tireless had increased somewhat to overtake it. From then on, tireless occurs more than indefatigable, but not by much.
January 31, 2026 at 9:47 PM
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#WIPSnips January 29 - formation
Militiamen marched past.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky
A squad of seven militiamen came into view. One man led while the others followed in pairs. Unlike a normal patrol that searched as they went, these militiamen marched past in formation as if they were intent on getting somewhere. — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
January 29, 2026 at 6:27 PM
lesterdcrawford.com
Today was a good writing day. I added 16 new words, but deleted four old words. That is a net gain of 12 words. So, I deserve a treat. #AmWriting
January 27, 2026 at 9:19 PM
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#WIPSnips January 27 - commit
Hope and Baby face Monsoon, not Highstorms.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky #Dragons
Text that says: Hope and the baby dragon sat in the cave's entrance watching Monsoon. After a while, Baby said, "Why is there Monsoon?" "The science books say Monsoon is caused by an atmospheric circulation that pushes rivers of moisture into the valley and up against the mountains causing the atmosphere to drop the moisture. The circulation oscillates back and forth bringing Monsoon and then dry. Most of the time, it's dry. "What is science?" "Science is a way to understand the world using observations, conclusions, and testable explanations, and testing those explanations through experiments and analysis. It's also the knowledge gained by that process." "How does the water get into the sky?" Hope described the water cycle of evaporation and condensation that caused water to fall from the sky. Baby kept asking questions. She did her best to answer them. — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
January 27, 2026 at 6:12 PM
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#WIPSnips January 26 - commit
Think before you act.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky
Text that says: Hope reminded herself to stop and think before she acted to ensure what she was about to do was the right thing to do before committing to doing it. — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
January 26, 2026 at 6:06 PM
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Few things are more rewarding than making an edit to a sentence in your story, and then sitting back, reading it aloud, and saying, "I like that."
#AmWriting
January 22, 2026 at 2:04 AM
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#WIPSnips January 8 - canvas
My thesaurus says tarp is a synonym for canvas.
Monsoons swiftly strike causing everyone to panic.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky
Text that says: Miss Livia and Mister Finn rushed from their shanty and looked skyward, and then Mister Finn went back inside. As Miss Livia pulled tarps out of storage bins, she said, "Quickly, Child. Load your carrysack with as many fruits and vegetables as you can." Hope began filling her carrysack. Mister Finn returned with a couple of books he stuffed into a small carrysack for her to take. "Here's a textbook for you to study, and storybook for you to read." Donning her carrysack and picking up the books' carrysack, Hope made a little bow of her head and said, "Thank you, Miss Livia, Mister Finn." As she climbed the wall, she added, "I'll return after Monsoon." — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
January 8, 2026 at 6:40 PM
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#WIPSnips January 7 - lock
Locking the door.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky
Text that says: The tamper warning twine was still on the edge showing no one had opened the hatch. After checking to ensure no one watched, Hope pushed on the upper-right edge to pop out the hatch, slipped in, lifted the hatch back into place, set the security bar across it to lock it, placed the tamper warning twine on it, and connected the alarm trigger that was attached to a chain of useless pots, pans, and other noisy metallic objects. — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
January 7, 2026 at 6:35 PM
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#WIPSnips January 6 - low
Learning to fight with a staff.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky
Text that says: "I'll repeat the lesson I've already taught you: Do not surrender to anger. Unrestrained anger is dangerous and destructive. It brings hate, which impairs judgment, which causes mistakes. Repeat, 'I will NOT surrender to anger.'" Hope stood, brought her staff into fighting position, and said, "I will NOT surrender to anger." He poked her again. This time, she didn't fall. "Anger is a normal emotion; we all experience it. Do not hide from your anger -- stay angry, Child; you will need it." She ducked as he swung high then stepped back as he swung low. He twirled his staff. "Anger is not a weapon; it's a tool. Wielding that tool with skill and wisdom enhances your performance, but if you surrender to it, it owns you, corrupts you, and makes you fail." Another swing. Hope blocked. "Used as a tool, anger is energy. When you control it, it becomes power. The best fighters never surrender to anger, but they do use the strength anger brings them." He swung from the left. She blocked. From the right. She blocked. "Keep your mind calm and on task. Remaining calm gives you an advantage over your opponent. Remaining calm allows you to be rational, not emotional; proactive, not reactive. And, being calm in the midst of battle conveys a sense that you are sure you can best your opponent. That can disquiet your opponent causing them to make mistakes." Another series of strikes. Hope blocked all of them. — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
January 6, 2026 at 6:19 PM
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#WIPSnips January 5 - benefit
Change brings opportunities.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky #Dragons
Text that says: "We have a decent life here, and we're safe. I don't want to move. I don't want to change." Comforting emotions filled their connection. Hope liked the feeling. The baby dragon's concern for her was always present, but sometimes it was extra strong. She was never more at peace than when she was sheltered in his arms and wings with his neck and tail wrapped around her. The next day, Hope visited Miss Nella to ask for her wise advice about facing such a fundamental change. Miss Nella said, "Have you considered the opportunities the change brings and how the change will benefit you?" She had not. All Hope had thought about was what she would lose. — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
January 5, 2026 at 6:20 PM
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#WIPSnips January 4 - home
What makes a home?
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky
Text that says: Hope had never thought of any place as being home. She just had places where she hid. — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
January 4, 2026 at 6:25 PM
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#WIPSnips January 3 - calm
Be calm. Be quiet. Be patient.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky
Text that says: Be calm. Be quiet. Be patient. Miss Nella had used the phrase Be calm. Be patient. Hope liked it, but added be quiet to the middle because the quieter she was the safer she was. She stopped crying but continued her calming exercise by silently humming to further steady her breathing, to relax her mind and body, and to clear her thoughts so she could plan. She said to Foxy, "I don't like change, but Miss Nella told me life is change. I'm not afraid. I can do this. I'm good at surviving. This is simply a new situation to survive. I'll find a way to cope. I always do. Mommy and Daddy would be proud of me." — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
January 3, 2026 at 7:08 PM
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#WIPSnips January 2 - resolution
Washing the dragon.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky #Dragons
Text that says: Washing the baby dragon was slow. Hope cleaned a hand-sized patch until her sense of perfection was satisfied then moved to the next patch. Her resolution had been to make him squeaky clean, even though she thought few things were worse than a squeaky dragon. — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
January 2, 2026 at 6:14 PM
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#WIPSnips January 1 - begin
Begin is began because I'm writing in past tense.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky
Text that says: Hope sighed, "Okay," and began her evening routine. Miss Nella had taught her the predictable pattern of routine provides structure that makes one feel in control. Everything simply falls into place, which reduces stress and improves mood. Hope had embraced the idea. Existing was full of unpredictable difficulties, but her routine gave her reliable comfort. — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
January 1, 2026 at 5:46 PM
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#WIPSnips December 31 - end
Catharsis moment.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky #Dragons
Text that says: "We're going to be alright, you and me." The End
December 31, 2025 at 6:33 PM
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#WIPSnips December 30 - sun
Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky
Text that says: Mister Emery's appointment window required Hope to pay attention to the time. She used two methods: the position of the bright spot in the overhead orange-haze -- that the science books said was caused by the sun -- and occasional clock towers distributed about the city. — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
December 30, 2025 at 7:07 PM