Tag: #amwriting

Writing Brain Dump: January 23, 2026

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Happy Friday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another writing brain dump. I’m in the middle of editing my most recent completed novel (based within the Rustbucket Riots board game universe) and had an epiphany. The specifics of the epiphany don’t matter much–two of the main characters are related for the curious folks out there–but how I came to this realization serves as a good reminder that writing ideas can come from anywhere. And you may need to step away from yourself. When the idea struck, I wasn’t at my desk writing. I didn’t have a pad of paper and a pencil at the ready. I was grocery shopping.

Since I’m a veteran, I shop at the local military base’s commissary. The commissary still employs baggers who will carry out your groceries to your car, and on this faithful day, I had a bagger whose past aligned with mine to some extent and even more so with my protagonist. My bagger was half Native American, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at him. He and his brother looked and acted nothing alike. And I have some experience with both of those aspects. It makes sense to adopt some of those elements for my protagonist. Heck. Some of those elements already existed. I just had to give them a sibling. I don’t want to get into too many details. I’m unsure if someone reading this may try and track down my bagger. But talking to others can help with your writing.

By no means am I a social butterfly. I’m happy to spend most hours of many of my days at my desk. I think most writers operate well in isolation, but when you’re stuck with a story/character/scene, stepping outside yourself can help. I may not talk that much when I’m in public, but I love to listen. You’ll never know which found stories (stories a writer finds while in the world) you’ll discover.

The next time I see “Name Redacted,” I may let him know that he helped me with a story. Or I may just listen. Have you found stories by listening to or observing others? Let me know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a fantastic day.

Fifth Wednesday: New Year’s Resolutions

Published on by Kyra1 Comment

Happy New Year’s…Eve, Geekly Gang! The holiday happens to fall on the fifth Wednesday of December, and whenever a month has five Wednesdays, our writers share personal updates. So, today sounds like a great day for New Year’s Resolutions. Feel free to share your New Year’s Resolutions in the comments. I’ll get us started.

Kyra’s Resolutions

I may have spoiled some of my resolutions with a previous writing brain dump, so you may find some repeats here. I’ll try to keep this short.

1) Write something every week. First, this needs to be something outside Geekly. Yes. I write something every week–or at least most weeks–for the site, so this is personal writing like a short story or chapter in a novel. But this could be as little as a single word. I’m not putting a word count on this resolution. My idea is that one word usually leads to a sentence, which will lead to much more.

2) Work on a game every week. This could be playtesting, developing an existing design, or even designing a new game. Again, the simple act of working on a game every week should lead to more than a single design or development session.

3) The above images remind me that I need to be more consistent with posting brain dumps–at least one of each per month.

4) Read one book a month in a genre that I write or a genre I’m interested in writing. It’s always a good idea to stay current with what sells. And reading helps with one’s writing. Don’t worry about reading another person’s writing impacting your writing. You have your own unique perspective.

5) Read one writing craft book or publishing business book next year. 2025’s book was Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style, and I barely got that one under the wire. Reading about the act of writing is crucial if one wants to write. And I could stand to learn more about the writing/publishing business.

6) Read at least one book next year in a genre I don’t intend to write. This past year, I read I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom-Com. I don’t know if I’ll ever write a romantacy novel, but I’m glad I read this title. Kimberly Lemming did a great job balancing comedy, steamy romance, and social commentary. Kudos! And romantacy sells. I needed to read at least one book from the genre. I may read another one or two in 2026. Romance and fantasy are two of the best-selling genres. Put them together, and you get a powerful combination.

7) Play at least six board games with themes or mechanisms I don’t usually gravitate toward. This is the board game design equivalent of the previous resolution. Nuff said.

8) Get something published. This resolution is largely out of my control, but I’m not so sure. If I don’t share a publication in a literary journal or board game through a publisher in the next twelve months, I may post a short story or poem on JK Geekly by the end of 2026. Let me know if you’d be interested in this style of content. I’ll even offer this invitation to our other Geekly writers. I can’t wait to see what they have in store.

9) I have plenty of other personal goals, like staying active and volunteering more with Extra Life, but I’ll still primarily focus on writing and board game design with these resolutions. Case in point, I’ll be at ScroogeCon in Lincoln, NE, January 10, 2026, with Extra Life. If you’re in the area, stop by and say hi. I helped raise thousands of dollars for the Children’s Hospital in 2025 and hope to raise even more this upcoming year.

Looks like I’m flying solo this week. Season and Skye aren’t sharing any New Year’s Resolutions in this post. I guess that means they won’t fail at any resolutions by next Friday. They don’t have to sweat Quitter’s Day (January 9, 2026). Smart.

What are your New Year’s Resolutions, Geekly Gang? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading this past year, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a fantabulastical New Year’s Celebration.