Nicole Winchester 📚
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nicolewinchester.bsky.social
Nicole Winchester 📚
@nicolewinchester.bsky.social
470 followers 1.1K following 940 posts
Writer and reader of horror, fantasy, spec fic, drama, humor... a little of everything.

🚫AI WRITING CAN F OFF. PEOPLE, NOT ALGORITHMS. ✊

Find some of my stories at winchesterfiction.com
Enjoy other things at nicolewinchester.substack.com
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nicolewinchester.bsky.social
Nicole Winchester 📚 @nicolewinchester.bsky.social · Oct 9
It's finally here! 🎉 My short story "Unicorn Farm" and great stories from other authors is out in the Autumn 2025 edition of The Colored Lens! 14.99 paperback and 4.99 on kindle! 🦄 #writingsky #shortstory #authorsky #fantasy #booksky
www.amazon.com/dp/B0FTL7GQV...
The Colored Lens: Autumn 2025
Amazon.com: The Colored Lens: Autumn 2025 eBook : Brinegar, Rachael, Newkirk, David, Hoyt, Ellie, McIntosh, Parker, Klass, Judy, Vance, Michael, Clairval, Gio, Morrey, Josh, Apsley, JS, Docherty, Stuart: Kindle Store
www.amazon.com
nicolewinchester.bsky.social
#writingcommunity #pretendpanel #writers #authors
It's been a really good writing year for me. I finished my first (non fanfiction) book. I had a couple of short stories published, including one in a real print magazine, with the cover art clearly referencing my story! That's an ego boost.
hiriadunning.com Hiria Dunning @hiriadunning.com · 1d
Happy December #pretendpanel! I hope you don't mind reflective questions. I'm a fan of them. But no worries if you give this month a skip, I'll understand.

December 5th: What are you most proud of from your writing this year?

#WritingCommunity #Writers #Authors #WritingPrompts
#pretendpanel a daily prompt tag hosted by @hiriadunning.bsky.social December 5th: What are you most proud of from your writing this year? Please support your fellow #pretentpanel posters with replies, likes and reposts New #pretendpanel questions every Friday and Saturday. Hop in any time!
December 5, 2025 at 5:01 PM
nicolewinchester.bsky.social
#wipsnips #writesky #writingcommunity #writingprompts
Jim is on the verge of getting fired.
Kevin, Jim’s manager, sat behind his bare, metal desk and scrolled through something on his computer screen. He kept his wraparound sunglasses on in the fluorescent lit room. His huge hand dwarfed the mouse, like he was trying to squash a bug every time he used the scroll button. Kevin wasn’t the type of guy that belonged behind a desk, but he did belong at a hardware store. He looked weird to Jim when he wasn’t prowling the floor in his red apron lined with pins, limping slightly on his prosthetic leg, the real one having been blown to smithereens in Afghanistan. War hero Kevin, the pride and joy of shitty little Pinto, Texas, his childhood bully all grown up. It wasn’t true what adults had told him about bullies when he was a kid. They didn’t languish in obscurity after school. They became model citizens and got Purple Hearts, leeching off the self confidence they’d stolen from people like Jim.
December 5, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Reposted by Nicole Winchester 📚
charliefish.bsky.social
Time is running out to vote for your favourite literary magazines and short story websites of the year: www.chillsubs.com/best-lit-mag... Please take a minute to vote, it means a huge amount to the editors and staff who put so much work into spreading the power and joy of stories.
Best Lit Mag Awards - Chill Subs
Welcome to Chill Subs' 3rd annual Community Favorites Best Lit Mag Awards! Vote for your favorite literary magazines and celebrate the publications that make our community thrive.
www.chillsubs.com
December 4, 2025 at 8:57 PM
nicolewinchester.bsky.social
#wipsnips #writingcommunity #writingprompts
This is a vision that Jim has, living through something he never actually experienced in his lifetime...
Dust spends days and nights walking. Rolling hills poke into the sky, misty at first, almost as transparent as Dust, but they take shape the further she walks. Then she’s walking through a valley with tree-lined hills on either side. Then a city. There are more people in the streets and in the square. Many more. Sometimes, Dust can even come up close to them, unless a dog is on watch nearby. The dogs always bark and howl at her. Sometimes babies cry if she gets too close. There are men drinking, sweating through their clothes, swearing, playing cards with each other. There are women beating out rugs next to their houses and scolding their children. They’re warm, the people. They radiate more warmth than the sun as they sit or stand or do whatever they do. Even though they are always moving, they seem content. More than she is, at least.
December 4, 2025 at 5:05 PM
nicolewinchester.bsky.social
Couldn't sleep last night because the house was so cold it kept making popping noises every 20 minutes and kept me awake.
December 4, 2025 at 4:21 PM
nicolewinchester.bsky.social
#awesomecharacters the first time Jim meets Ben, his therapist, he's scared to death to tell him anything, but Ben's gentle, upbeat demeanor softens Jim to him fairly quickly.
charliedeltawrites.bsky.social Charlie Delta 🦊🐐 @charliedeltawrites.bsky.social · 3d
Tell me more about your #AwesomeCharacters

Tell me a bit about the first time your character met someone important to them.

This could be a close friend, love interest, mentor, etc.

Did they like each other right away? Did they warm over time?

#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
December 4, 2025 at 12:31 AM
nicolewinchester.bsky.social
#writesky #booksky From page 64 of American Buddha: "Hi Ben," said Jim. He held up Retsu’s cage. Ben sucked in a breath so hard that he recoiled. "So, long story, but I had to bring my rat with me today."
shadowsparkpub.bsky.social Shadow Spark Publishing @shadowsparkpub.bsky.social · 3d
It's Hump Day, folks, and our friend demands a sacrifice. Let's get a page from your wip. Maybe it's the middle for you? Give us a line from PAGE 649?

If you haven’t gotten to that page, how about a post from page 64 instead?

#writesky #booksky 📚 🪐 💙
Wednesday Hump Day Two humped camel judging you
December 3, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Reposted by Nicole Winchester 📚
sagetgreene.bsky.social
Me when anything hurts
A man in a red shirt shrugs and says "Guess I'll die."
December 3, 2025 at 5:22 PM
nicolewinchester.bsky.social
How often do you find yourself writing yourself into a corner? Not like I would ever do that... 👀 #writingq #writingcommunity
December 3, 2025 at 5:23 PM
nicolewinchester.bsky.social
#writingprompt My WIP is set in the real world, February in Texas. This year there it's unusually warm, but he goes to other places where he's in shock by how truly bone-bitingly freezing the world can get in February, highlighting how deeply unprepared he is for his journey.
cometkins.bsky.social Ian Haramaki 🏳️‍⚧️✨ @MFF C8 @cometkins.bsky.social · 3d
What’s winter like in your book’s setting? Is it harrowing and plagued by the undead? Is it quiet and contemplative? Something else? #WritingPrompt
December 3, 2025 at 4:14 PM
nicolewinchester.bsky.social
I don't know how to use Facebook anymore. I left it years ago because my friends all quit and now I don't really know who to friend or what groups to join. The writer groups I've seen there are not helpful unless you're a brand new beginner to the craft.
December 3, 2025 at 12:44 AM
nicolewinchester.bsky.social
I just signed up for #netgalley and I'm not entirely sure what I'm getting myself into...
December 2, 2025 at 1:20 AM
nicolewinchester.bsky.social
#writingcommunity #booksky #writesky What are we reading this week??
I just finished The Saint of Bright Doors, which didn't satisfy me as much as I hoped it would, but beautifully written
Starting Red Moon... throws you straight into werewolf terrorism. No wonder Stephen King loves Benjamin Percy.
December 1, 2025 at 4:51 PM
nicolewinchester.bsky.social
#wipsnips #writingcommunity #writesky #writingprompts
Jim tries to fit in at a birthday party, but his intrusive thoughts butt in
Her relatives all just loved Mike. They came to him two at a time, smiling and laughing and talking while Mike flipped over burgers and hot dogs, like a real suburban dad. Jim wanted so badly to grab a beer or three and hide out in the house somewhere, but he knew better. Carla was coming late, and if she caught him drinking there would be hell to pay later. Jim’s voice recounted all of the weird and horrible things he’d done around each of Lucia’s relatives—humiliating reminders that he didn’t belong around people at all. Remember when you punched a hole in the wall at Lucia’s parents’ house while you guys were fighting? Remember when you got mad at Abuelita because she called you fat, and you made her cry?
December 1, 2025 at 4:42 PM
nicolewinchester.bsky.social
I love the return to serial fiction, everything from Royal Road and Wattpad, to a post apocalyptic newspaper by Benjamin Percy and Stephen King.
November 30, 2025 at 11:54 PM
nicolewinchester.bsky.social
#writingprompt Gabriel can't get Miranda out of his mind after their first meeting, but he really bonds with her when he learns she's being followed... and it's his fault.
cometkins.bsky.social Ian Haramaki 🏳️‍⚧️✨ @MFF C8 @cometkins.bsky.social · 6d
What made your MC really start to fall for their love interest in your book/wip? #WritingPrompt
November 30, 2025 at 6:27 PM
nicolewinchester.bsky.social
#novmemeber Some of my stories are on winchesterfiction.com . There are other stories and articles at nicolewinchester.substack.com. I recently had a story published with The Colored Lens, which you can buy here: www.amazon.com/dp/B0FTL7GQV... Thanks a lot @sagetgreene.bsky.social for the fun month!
November 30, 2025 at 4:30 PM
nicolewinchester.bsky.social
#wipsnips #writesky #writingcommunity #writingprompts This clip is full of spoilers, hence all the blanks. Jim is having a very bad time and needs his therapist's help. TW for psychotic episode
A long, anxious pause filled the silence until ____ finally spoke. “Fine. Another few minutes on this plane of existence won’t make much of a difference, anyway. Make it quick.” Jim stumbled back into the house, relieved and somewhat perplexed that ____ had relented. He tried not to look at the gun waiting for him in the hallway, at ____ lying dead under the towel. He shut the bathroom door and locked it again. As if that could stop ____ from coming through. He waited for a second before picking up the phone, trying to detect ____‘s presence in the room. His skin didn’t prickle, his heart didn’t race. He was as safe as he was going to be. Jim dialed Ben’s number. He picked up on the fifth ring. “Hello, Jim? What’s up?”
November 30, 2025 at 4:12 PM
nicolewinchester.bsky.social
I'll watch anything with Tom Hiddleston in it, but I wasn't expecting to like The Night Manager this much ❤️😍❤️🥵❤️ (I haven't read the book either, I intend to once I finish the series)
a man in a suit and tie stands in front of a gold curtain
Alt: a man in a suit and tie stands in front of a gold curtain
media.tenor.com
November 30, 2025 at 6:20 AM
Reposted by Nicole Winchester 📚
gwillow.me
The death of browsing is part of the reason art is the way it is now. Our opinions are largely fed to us by algorithms. Spending a spare 15 minutes wandering around a bookstore or comic shop or video rental place was how you found stuff you wouldn't ordinarily pick up and thereby expanded your taste
blipstress.bsky.social violet allen @blipstress.bsky.social · 12d
Bookselling is like the most "people go to the store and buy what looks cool to them without a particular agenda" type business left, and your purchases have a huge influence on what is ordered, what is displayed, and what is recommended.
November 29, 2025 at 6:44 PM
nicolewinchester.bsky.social
#novmemeber Haven't gotten as much writing done as I wanted. Partially because I've been watching The Night Manager with my precious free hours, partially because of holiday shenanigans. Hope to get more done through the winter.
November 29, 2025 at 3:44 PM
nicolewinchester.bsky.social
#awesomecharacters Not so much in American Buddha, but in The Messenger, Gabriel's sky-blue eyes and cool color scheme are commented upon many times. Lucifer has a silver/ash gray thing going on. Michael is all warm colors, fiery red and yellows, in contrast with his brother Gabriel.
charliedeltawrites.bsky.social Charlie Delta 🦊🐐 @charliedeltawrites.bsky.social · 8d
Tell me more about your #AwesomeCharacters

Does your character have a particular color scheme?

Are there specific colors they prefer for their clothing, accessories, hair etc?

Is it for practical (e.g. stealth) or aesthetic purposes?

#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
November 29, 2025 at 12:38 AM
nicolewinchester.bsky.social
I've been struggling with this chapter. First of all, it's long. Second, I've basically already written it in my vomit draft, but copy-pasting it doesn't feel right. Even though I know what I'm writing now is better, it feels like I'm writing the same thing and it's tedious. #writingcommunity
November 29, 2025 at 12:33 AM
nicolewinchester.bsky.social
Indubitably!
November 28, 2025 at 6:26 AM
nicolewinchester.bsky.social
#novmemeber I don't usually listen to music while I write because it distracts me, but the music of Arvo Part inspires the more intense and moving parts of American Buddha youtu.be/8HON4AswPVk?...
sagetgreene.bsky.social Sage T. Greene, Author @sagetgreene.bsky.social · 9d
#Novmemeber 28

Share a song on your writing playlist. This doesn't necessarily need to relate to your story—just something you like to listen to while writing.

(If you don't listen to music while writing, adjust the prompt however you see fit!)
28. A song on your writing playlist A prompt game for the month of November, titled #Novmemeber (as in meme). Hosted by @sagetgreene.bsky.social . The bottom says "Have fun, interact, and remember alt text!" There is a silly emoji face with wild eyes and tongue sticking out, and some fall-style leaves in the corners.
November 28, 2025 at 5:56 AM