History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

Fun for Friday: December 2019 Writing Prompts

| November 29, 2019

It’s time for the December 2019 writing prompts, which are a mix of random prompts with some themed prompts for December weather and events this month. Hopefully, they’ll provide some fun options for you. You could also integrate the photo I’ve included with this post as a part of your prompt. Check back on the […]

Denizens of Distant Realms: Stormbringer

| November 28, 2019

My short story, “Stormbringer,” which is available in Denizens of Distant Realms, started out with several very strong visuals. I pictured an orchard at harvest time, a dark-haired man in a white suit, and a rainy night on a farmhouse porch. I pieced those together with a bit of created mythology I wanted to play […]

What I’m Reading, Watching, and Listening To, Late November 2019 edition

| November 27, 2019

Reading: I got a copy of Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes from the library, so I’m squeezing that in between books I need to read for reviews. Watching: We finished up the last season of Iron Fist (loved the concluding scene so much!) and now are working our way through the last season of Jessica Jones, which […]

2019 Awards Eligibility

| November 26, 2019

It’s the time of year when folks start posting lists of their stories and books from the past year that are eligible for award nominations. And here are mine! Flash Fiction: “Coffin Coffee Table,” The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts (March 2019). “Brick-Red Love,” The Arcanist (April 2019). Also available in The Arcanist: Year Two. “Safe Haven,” Five Minutes at Hotel […]

Poetry Forms: Cascade

| November 25, 2019

Today, I’m talking about cascade poems. This is a relatively easy form by the “rules.” You write one stanza. Then the remaining stanzas have the same number of lines as your first stanza, and each one ends with a sequential line from the first stanza. There’s no rhyme scheme to worry about (unless you choose […]

Fun for Friday: Three Random Photos

| November 22, 2019

Today’s image selection is super random. We’ve got a knotted piece of blue cord, a badger on a walk, and a pocket watch with leaf wings surrounded by stars. Go forth and write things!

A Creepy Tale of a Ghoul

| November 21, 2019

One of the stories in Volatile Figments is “After School Special,” and it’s about a ghoul and her best friend. At the beginning of the story, the two girls have drifted apart, due to one of them moving away. When she gets back to her old school, things have changed a lot. She doesn’t realize just […]

My GeekGirlCon 2019 Haul

| November 20, 2019

GeekGirlCon was this past weekend, and while I didn’t bring home TOO much stuff, I did have a couple of awesome things I picked up! The fabric from Fireside Textiles is destined to become a young gamer’s first dice bag, picked out especially for them. They had so much other AMAZING fabric that I wanted, […]

Brass and Glass 3!

| November 19, 2019

Have you had a chance to check out Brass and Glass 3: The Boiling Sea yet? I’d love to know what you think of it, and of the trilogy as a whole! You can find the ebook and print books online, and you can leave reviews at Goodreads, Amazon, or wherever you’ve bought your copy! Or, […]

Question from the Audience: De-Trunking a Story

| November 18, 2019

I’m back today with another question from the audience! Do you have any advice on trying to “de-trunk” and resuscitate a story you really liked? Like, how do I know if it’s time? How do I find the good bits without holding onto the ones that just aren’t working? So remember how I talked about […]