D.D. Ward is Writing

Back in my room, Amy helped me out of the dress. I blushed again. The thought of Amy seeing me in a state of undress banished my foul mood. I had angered my best friend by standing up for her. And I hadn’t even meant to do it. And now she saw me as her rival. I had done everything I hadn’t want to do. But under the gaze of my beautiful maid, those feelings melted away.  “I’m not looking,” Amy said. “I wasn’t objecting.” I answered, still cherry red.  “It isn’t appropriate. Not since we know that we both like the ladies.” but I saw her sneak a glance upward.  “I know,” I said, then a thought crossed my mind like a jaywalker on meth. I was guessing here. But I was confident in my guess. I was sure Amy hadn’t confided about her sexuality to the rival before I got here.   “You know,” I said, “You didn’t bring up your interest in the feminine form at any time in the last three years either.” Amy blushed and didn’t say anything. I smiled. I’d been right.  It took...

“We saw a pair of beautiful ladies in need of company and thought we should introduce ourselves.”    I turned to see that the suitors had moved to join us.  The Duke Leon Delmar had been speaking.  He waited until we had both turned, and then continued, “As long as you’d like the company. You know, that is. We wouldn’t dream of disturbing you. Are we disturbing you? I hope not.” Fiona gave Leon a flat smile, “Well that undercut all the confidence you presented. How did you do that?” Leon smiled an off-balance smile, “It’s a gift.” “So, ladies,” Vincent said, “Are we welcome, or should we move on?” “You are, of course, most welcome to join us,” Lynn said, “I am Lady Carolynn Octavian. This is my cousin, Lady Karen Octavian. But please. Call us Lynn and Ren.” Vincent dropped into a practiced bow, “I am Count Vincent Metternich. You may, of course, call me Vincent. This is your own Duke Leon Delmar- but you both know him. And the lovely lady beside me is Countess Fiona ...

I noticed the butler, Manfred, standing at the top of the grand staircase. He wore his black waist coat and short dinner coat.  Morning sunlight poured through the massive windows of the hall.  Silver wisps from Manfred's receding hairline drifted in the light.  “Presenting the Lady Carolynn Octavian.” I stiffened and almost dropped my wine glass. Did that mean what I thought it meant? It had to. The heroine didn’t have a name, neither did the rival. The player entered both names when they started the game.  I only knew one Carolynn. And she’d named the rival after me last night, and the heroine after herself.  And then there she stood at the top of the grand staircase, my best friend since kindergarten: Lynn. She was wearing an A-line powder blue ball gown. The outfit was a good deal more ornate than mine, and more formal as well. The dress had a built-in swan bill corset. It didn’t look comfortable- but did look spectacular. She was looking to make an impressi...

Well, it's Monday morning. Really early Monday morning in my case. I have a lot that I want to do today, and I suspect that my subconscious knows that. So here I am.  Listening to music as I work. And I thought that I would share my recent find with you: Sunglasses at Night by Baby Storme . I'm very impressed with the revised lyrics in this cover.  Well, back to work.  Read more in "Daughters of the Digital Empire," Available soon!  Check me out on AO3 https://archiveofourown.org/users/ddwardiswriting  Check me out on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ddwardiswriting

I recently read "Save the Cat: The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need." And I was reasonably impressed. The book has become something of a cliche, along with "The Writer's Journey." But I liked "Save the Cat" and so I sought out "Save the Cat Writes a Novel." I prefer "Save the Cat Writes a Novel." It is definitely a companion piece to the first book, and you should really read both if you want to read the second book. The difference between the first and second book is that the first book treats the system as a formula to be followed exactly. The second book treats the system as a basic recipe into which one adds ones own ideas. So yeah. Nothing detailed today. Just a modest recommendation.  Read more in "Daughters of the Digital Empire," Available soon!  Check me out on AO3 https://archiveofourown.org/users/ddwardiswriting  Check me out on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ddwardiswriting

A twitter mutual of mine has started a hashtag: #RaiseTheRooster. It is a challenge, consisting of 31 prompts that participants attempt to find in their own romance/erotica writing, and then post under the hashtag.  I have been participating and my posts can be found at  https://twitter.com/ddwardiswriting . Much of what I have posted is unfinished first draft writing, so expect some spelling and grammar issues. But much of it has not been published elsewhere. That said, as a result, be wary of spoilers. But if you're curious, enjoy.  Read more in "Daughters of the Digital Empire," Available soon!  Check me out on AO3 https://archiveofourown.org/users/ddwardiswriting  Check me out on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ddwardiswriting

Rumor has it that Elon Musk will be banning explicit content on Twitter (yes, he calls it X). If that is the case, it is entirely possible that my own account will be banned. This will, of course, depend on how explicit content is defined, and whether this rule applied retroactively. But my Twitter account might just disappear in the coming months. Other things that would cause me to leave Twitter would be a requirement of government ID by Twitter, or a removal of the free accounts. I am not paying for Twitter. And I am not trusting Twitter with either my financial information or my personal ID.  If that occurs, well I'm on Blue Sky. I'm here. I'm on Live Journal. Yes, really. I'm on Tumblr. I'm not hard to find. But Twitter may be about to fade into oblivion.  Read more in "Daughters of the Digital Empire," Available soon!  Check me out on AO3 https://archiveofourown.org/users/ddwardiswriting  Check me out on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ddwardiswriting

I've been doing a lot of reading on the technical aspect of writing again recently. I've read two Lawrence Block works: " Telling Lies for Fun and Profit ," and " Writing the Novel: From Plot to Page to Pixel ." I've read " Save the Cat ," and am now starting " Save the Cat Writes a Novel ." I enjoy looking into new perspectives. I value this continued education. I would recommend all of these books, but would remind the reader not to put too much faith in any of them.  Other Cool stuff Starship Velociraptor Best Band in the Universe 10,000 Light-Years Read more in "Daughters of the Digital Empire," Available soon!  Check me out on AO3 https://archiveofourown.org/users/ddwardiswriting  Check me out on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ddwardiswriting

I've started reading the manga: " I Can't Believe I Slept with You ." I've read one volume and am enjoying it so far. I've also been reading " Nekogahara ", and I've been interested in the art style. The anime adaptation of " I Favor the Villainess " is out now. I haven't watched it yet, but plan to do so.  I also read T Kingfisher's " What Moves the Dead ." This is a riff on " The Fall of the House of Usher " by Edgar Allan Poe. This is a short little piece, but quite engaging and I recommend it.  I finally got around to starting " Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury ". I've only watched episode 0 thus far, but am really impressed.  Read more in "Daughters of the Digital Empire," Available soon!  Check me out on AO3 https://archiveofourown.org/users/ddwardiswriting  Check me out on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ddwardiswriting

I made my way through the halls of castle Octavian. My Uncle had the hall decorated in gold and red, the colors of House Octavian. Shields hung adorned with red and gold counterchanged hunting dogs. This was the symbol of the House. The carpet was a rich crimson. The air smelled of a riot of perfumes, body odor, alcohol, and talc. People were wandering towards the great hall. I caught snippets of conversation as I moved through the crowd. “I invoked my precognition gift on this party. But all I could see was that somebody gets slapped.” “The alchemist delivered your little blue pills this morning, so you’d better not eat too much. I expect you to be ready for the after party!” “I made an offering to the Quintuple Lords of Misfortune. We should have protection against bad luck in this venture.” “Did you hear about the attack last night? Something mauled a blacksmith at his forge last night, before dawn. The guards suspect either a werewolf or a barghest. But last night wasn’t a full moo...

I thought i would put together a collection of quick collages. These are the intended vibes of the Moonlight Hearts. Copyrighted material belongs to original holders, used under fair use. Read more in "Daughters of the Digital Empire," Available soon!  Check me out on AO3 https://archiveofourown.org/users/ddwardiswriting  Check me out on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ddwardiswriting

Once Amy had brushed my hair out, she helped control my curls by putting them in a waterfall braid. This kept the top of my head under control, but let the rest hang down in loose curls. I’d never had hair this long. It should have felt heavier than it did, I thought. Was that because I was in a game world? I didn’t know.  Next came make-up. Amy helped me apply an anachronistic moisturizer, followed by a primer. She then applied liquid foundation, concealer, and foundation powder. I was getting the whole treatment I realized. I waited as she worked through bronzer, blush, and highlighter. I realized she hadn’t asked for my input. I wondered if the rival had a default make-up or if the rival had instructed Amy on what kind of make-up she should apply? Or maybe the game just provided the rival with a single look. Either way, I let her carry on. She was doing an amazing job, so I wasn’t worried. Eye shadow came next, and Amy applied a dramatic gold eye shadow. I loved it. These weren’...