T. A. Lucetti - Author
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talucetti.bsky.social
T. A. Lucetti - Author
@talucetti.bsky.social
120 followers 190 following 15 posts
First-time fiction author, working on my YA novel. Hoping to have more to say here soon!
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talucetti.bsky.social
I might be letting some of my own experience with healthy protein snacks influence my story. Write what you know, as they say?

#WIPSnips #Booksky #Writesky
When she reached the apartment, the entryway was dim, hollow. The kitchen lacked the usual sounds and scents of Kell's cooking. There was no sign that anyone had been there all day. Phina closed the door behind her and stood there for a moment, letting the silence settle. She toed off her boots, shrugged out of her coat, and dropped her satchel on the table with a soft thud that echoed more than it should have. Her stomach reminded her she'd barely eaten, so she opened a ration drawer and pulled out a sealed packet of protein crisps. The packaging boasted them as "savory umami," but she remembered the flavor profile being closer to "barely salted dust." She didn't care. Snack in hand, she padded down the hallway to her room, half-expecting some note or sign from Kell tucked somewhere conspicuous. Nothing. Their room was just as she’d left it.
September 6, 2025 at 12:58 PM
talucetti.bsky.social
The passage with "faith" gives a bit too much away, so doing "trust" instead.

Phina is extremely lucky to have a brother in Kell who unconditionally supports her and has her back, even if what she's going through seems unbelievable.

#WIPSnips #BookSky #WriteSky
Kell’s expression didn’t change, but he leaned forward slightly. "Why are you telling me this now?" "Because I need you to know I’m not slipping," she said. "There’s something going on. I don’t know what it is yet, and I’m not ready to drag you into it." "You’re not dragging me anywhere. I’d run." Phina smiled faintly. "That’s what I’m afraid of." Kell leaned back. "Then I’ll just stand watch nearby." "Kell..." she started, but trailed off. She didn’t want to say too much. Not because she didn’t trust him, but because she did. Too much. If she put words to it, if she gave it shape, then it might start to shape him too, and she wasn’t willing to risk that. Not yet. She shook her head, but the corner of her mouth lifted. "You know you’re impossible."
August 31, 2025 at 4:35 PM
talucetti.bsky.social
Awoke in the middle of the night and had a great idea for a revelation in the last 1/3 of my book before I fell back to sleep. Not a major plot change but it tied up loose ends in a way I'd struggled with.

I didn't want to brighten the room by grabbing my phone to jot it down and it's gone now. 😭
August 3, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Reposted by T. A. Lucetti - Author
cfranciswrites.bsky.social
Welcome back to #SummerOfStory

Day 2: Psychic Distance

A technique most writers probably use subconsciously, but can you get more out of your scenes if you actively fine-tune PD?

NB: These ideas are not my own. I'm not trying to tell anyone how to write, just prompt discussion.

#WritingPrompt
1. Title, Date, & Prompt Introduction This slide features a large torn piece of lined paper with the text "August 2nd" at the top and the title "Psychic Distance" in big script letters. There's a typewriter in the corner with a note saying "TOOLS not RULES". On the right, there's a speech bubble with prompt questions, a Bluesky butterfly, and it has a palm leaf background. Transcription: August 2nd Psychic Distance What's your take on this writing technique? Have you used it before—or do you avoid it? Share your thoughts, drop a snippet, or tell us how you’d use it in a scene. 2. What and Why This slide is a piece of lined paper with "What?" and "Why?" highlighted at the top and middle. It explains what "Psychic Distance" means as a writing technique and why it's useful. There's a Bluesky butterfly and palm fronds in the background. Transcription: What? Psychic Distance, a concept popularised by John Gardner, is about how close the reader feels to a character’s thoughts and experiences. It can range from far and objective—like watching from a distance—to deep inside a character’s head, feeling what they feel and thinking what they think. It’s not about POV; it’s about proximity. Why? Shifting psychic distance lets you control how much the reader connects and how fast the scene moves. Zoom out for clarity or commentary. Zoom in to build tension, intimacy, or emotional punch. 3. In Practice 
This slide looks like a piece of graph paper and features more highly dubious stick figure doodles by yours truly illustrating the five levels of psychic distance, from very far to very close. Each level has a sample sentence showing how narration changes as the psychic distance shifts. The right side explains how sliding between levels can affect story flow. The background is teal with palm leaves. Transcription:
 John Gardner defined 5 levels of Psychic Distance. 
Level 1 (very far) to Level 5 (very close) Level 1
 In the dark study, a woman sat at her desk late into the night.
 Purely external, objective narration. No access to character's thoughts or feelings. Level 2
 Charlotte often struggled to find the right words for her stories.
 We now know the character's name and a little of her opinion, but still from a narrative distance. Level 3
 She wondered whether she’d ever truly master psychic distance, or if her characters would always feel just out of reach. 
Now we're getting some of the character's internal thoughts, but still in third person. Level 4
 The glare of the laptop, the ache in her wrist, the endless shuffle of half-written sentences—her doubts pressed closer every minute.
 The narration is now inside the character's immediate sensory experience and emotions. Level 5
 Why can't I get this right? Maybe I'm not meant to be a writer after all.
 We're now essentially inside the character's head, hearing her (relatable!) direct thoughts. By sliding between the different levels, it makes writing feel more dynamic. If you jump between levels, though, it can feel discordant. 
String these sentences together and you have the start of story. Jump from L1 to L5, and it's jarring for your reader. 4. What do you think? This slide is a torn piece of paper with discussion questions for writers about using the "Psychic Distance" technique. There's a speech bubble repeating "TOOLS not RULES," a Bluesky butterfly, and palm fronds in the background. Transcription: What do you think? So, what's your take on Psychic Distance? Is it entirely subconscious for you, or do you pay attention to the flow of your scenes, zooming in and out with more forethought? Where does your writing mostly sit L1–L5? Why not share your experience or a snippet with the community? Hot takes welcome—just please don't set anyone on fire! BONUS Challenge! Why not try an experiment? Take a paragraph from your WIP and play around with the Psychic Distance to achieve a different tone or mood. Can you make scenes less or more intense by sliding up and down the scale? What happens when you stay at the same level the whole time?
August 2, 2025 at 9:17 AM
Reposted by T. A. Lucetti - Author
applesncinnamon.bsky.social
I just released my debut book, Sweet & Wild this week! It’s a MM Fantasy Romance that’s cozy adjacent, full of magic and nature!
Universal Link: books2read.com/u/bzNng9
Itch: applesncinnamon.itch.io/sweet-wild
Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/alexlarkspur...
Cover art by @northyme.com

#WeeknightWriters
August 1, 2025 at 1:49 AM
talucetti.bsky.social
The "street", where many of us grew up playing with that one really sarcastic friend (or *were* that really sarcastic friend).

Writing the relationship between these two has been one of the best parts of this journey.

#WIPSnips #BookSky #WriteSky
"Phina," Renna pressed, her voice losing some of its teasing edge. "Look, you know you don’t have to be weird with me, right?" Phina swallowed hard. "I’m not being weird." Renna smirked, one brow arching high. "Right. And I’m the Chancellor’s long-lost daughter. Should I start practicing my royal wave?" She sweeps her gaze across the street like she’s acknowledging an adoring crowd, lifting her hand in a graceful, exaggerated wave to invisible onlookers. A queen of nothing, ruling over a kingdom that isn’t there. Phina forced a small smirk, hoping it would throw her off. "Would explain the attitude." Renna gasped dramatically, clutching her chest as if she’d been mortally wounded. With an exaggerated flourish, she extended her arm into the air, fingers curling delicately, chin tilted just slightly upward as if addressing an invisible court. "Alas, my reign is cut short by betrayal," she lamented, voice dripping with mock tragedy. "I’ll have to exile you for this."
July 30, 2025 at 11:52 AM
talucetti.bsky.social
For the word "balance", a moment of tension.

#WIPSnips #BookSky #WriteSky
The drone jerked mid-path and swiveled toward the sound. Its sensor passed over each of them, pausing just a heartbeat longer when it reached Phina. A red beam flickered, tracking her face. Her sudden loss of balance had caused her hair to slip out of place and the beam reached the eye that she had been keeping carefully hidden. The drone's scanner stuttered. For a second, the beam refracted oddly, like it had hit a flaw in the lens. The device let out a sharp, confused chirp, and its entire chassis gave a brief shudder. Then the beam flickered once more and extinguished.
July 29, 2025 at 10:37 PM
talucetti.bsky.social
The end of a busy weekend that unfortunately allowed no time for writing. Posting a #WIPSnips as an "apology" to myself to get re-motivated.

#BookSky #WriteSky
Before she left her bedroom, Phina had taken the journal from beneath her bed and held it in her hands for a long moment, giving it a kind of silent apology for the way it had been carelessly flung around. Then she tucked it away in the back of Kell's desk drawer, where the pen, ink, and data drive still remained. That was when she realized that Kell had already left too. No whispered debrief. No chance to tell him what she had heard in the dark. And without that, there could be no calm reassurance from him—no gently offered words that might have helped steady her, even if she knew he didn't fully believe them himself. Just the empty apartment, silent and normal, as if nothing had happened at all.
July 27, 2025 at 10:20 PM
talucetti.bsky.social
This is the first snippet I'm putting out into the world. Feels so vulnerable! But I wanted to board the #WIPSnips train.

#WritingSky #BookSky
She stared at the message for a few seconds before sending it, considering whether she’d gone too specific, too vague. It had to be forgettable. The kind of thing Darrow might approve without ever thinking about again. She attached a fabricated metadata tag referencing a minor logistics report from two quarters ago—nothing that would ever get a second glance—and hit send. Less than five minutes later, the approval came through. Darrow’s response was as concise as ever: Approved. Log your return with shift admin. Phina stood slowly, gathering her satchel with deliberate calm. Her heart beat faster, but her face didn’t show it. She left the floor with the quiet efficiency of someone performing a routine task, nothing more. The corridors changed subtly as she moved downward—less polished, less curated. The complex [...]
July 23, 2025 at 11:51 AM
talucetti.bsky.social
Just broke 50,000 words 😰 My first few chapters flowed like a river, but I've definitely slowed down at the roughly two-thirds mark. What's everyone else's experience? Fast out of the gates and slower later, or struggle to get started but all good once you get going? Sprint or marathon?

#booksky
July 13, 2025 at 12:12 PM
talucetti.bsky.social
Hi everyone! New to Bluesky and a first-time author, working on a story I've had cooking for a while. I hope everyone will be able to read it soon! Until then I'd love to connect with other readers/authors 💗

📕 Novels
🖋️ Writing
👨🏼‍🤝‍👨🏾 Young adult
🦄 Fiction

#promosky #booksky #YA
July 12, 2025 at 4:30 PM