Author | Lightnews

Michael Gattis

Michael Gattis

@mgattis.bsky.social

1.1K followers 1.2K following 440 posts

He/him Aspiring #fantasy #author 📖 🐲 Dad by day, #writer by naptime 🧑‍🍼 #AmQuerying (I'm just leaving these parentheses here until I think of something clever to say)

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Michael Gattis @mgattis.bsky.social · Jan 27

To save himself from prison – and the world from plunging into war – the Ayth Sea’s most bumbling pirate begrudgingly sets out to find Espira’s true heir: his estranged, resentful daughter.
Comps: Think Jack Sparrow + The Black Prism (Brent Weeks)

#2025Pit
#F
#A #YA crossover potential

Michael Gattis @mgattis.bsky.social · 1d

#WIPSnips vibes. #Total = summed up!
#WritingCommunity #Writing #Writesky #WritingPrompt

Finally, an idea hits me: I’ll write a short story about my hike today. But every story needs a disaster. When is mine going to strike?
The path ahead leads down to the stream. My immediate reaction can be summed up in one, great big, “NOPE.”
It’s a picturesque scene, but all that rushing water makes it loud. How will I hear the bear’s approach? And there are so many boulders. Which one is hiding the bear? Which dark, bear-sized cave has it chosen to lay in wait for an unsuspecting hiker (read: snack) to walk by? And when the bear does show up, how will I back away slowly while maintaining eye-contact without tripping, probably startling the apex predator and dooming myself?

Michael Gattis @mgattis.bsky.social · 1d

Outlining a novel from scratch is like making your own puzzle pieces and jamming them together until some sort of picture presents itself.

Reading your first draft is like realizing that picture looks like a three-year-old's drawing of the Mona Lisa.

#WritingCommunity #Writing #WriteSky

Michael Gattis @mgattis.bsky.social · 2d

#WIPSnips vibes! #gradient = hill.

Never underestimate the power of a haunting children's melody...nor the unexpected honk of a goose.

#WritingCommunity #Writing #Writesky #WritingPrompt

Ever upward, I march. I’m tired. What if I’m hit with vertigo, then have to back away slowly from a bear, down a hill, while I’m too dizzy to see straight?
A children’s song plays in my head.
If you go into the woods today, you’re in for a big surprise
…because today’s the day
“I’ll be the teddy bears’ picnic,” I finish aloud. I don’t know all the words, clearly, but it’s a haunting melody at any rate.
A lone goose honks in the distance, startling me back into silence.

Michael Gattis @mgattis.bsky.social · 2d

Stage 3. Soooo ready to be done with the edits.

a man wearing a citytv shirt is talking to a woman

ALT: a man wearing a citytv shirt is talking to a woman

media.tenor.com

Michael Gattis @mgattis.bsky.social · 3d

#WIPSnips vibes. #Charge = cost.
This was a fun little short story to write.

Premise: a support group for people with niche and useless superpowers.

MC: can fry a single egg per day.

#Writingcommunity #writing #Writesky #WritingPrompt

“Then he went and started his own support group for people who wanted to increase their powers,” said Steven.
Lenny sat up a little straighter. “Is that possible?”
“Well, yeah, but at what cost?” Steven asked. “So, he can make a rabbit come sniff his finger now. So what?”
“What do you mean, ‘so what?’” Lenny laughed. “Don’t you want to deliver important secret messages, Steve? And Louise, what if you could make daisies smell like funions? And Jimmy, what if you could…uh…”
“Change the color of my freckles to look diseased and get out of taking finals?” Jimmy asked.

Reposted by Michael Gattis

L.M. du Plessis 🇳🇦 🇺🇦📚💙 ‪✨Editing Cavern Clipper✨ @smoking-gnu.bsky.social · 4d

Good Morning #SFpit!

It's been a while since I took part in a pitch event, so here's my #agentsguide for #literaryagents.
Presenting my #A #WIP that I guess is a #SSF with a small dash of #F to it.
CAVERN CLIPPER (TREASURE PLANET X JOURNEY TO THE EARTH).

Background, Flying sail ships amids obscuring clouds.
presenting an Agents Guide to: Cavern Clipper.
Status: first draft complete at 117K words
Image Credit: “The Stormriders: Steampunk Pirates” by neko1206 on Deviantart.

Background, cavern lit up by bright orange-yellow light.
The Pitch: WHEN SAM DIES, HE AWAKENS IN A WORLD OF ENDLESS TUNNELS AND MASSIVE CAVERNS. JOINING A HUNTER CLIPPER CREW, HE GETS CAUGHT BETWEEN PIRATES AND A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER WHOSE URGENT MESSAGE COULD SAVE HUMANITY.

Background, massive square cavern in background with small forest and deer in foreground.
Comps: TREASURE PLANET X A JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH
Tropes and themes:
• TRANSMIGRATION (ISEKAI)
• AIRSHIPS
• PIRATES
• CAT AND MOUSE BATTLES
• A MESSAGE THAT MUST BE DELIVERED!

Background, Cavern with a skull face being watched by a woman.
Excerpt:
THE CLIFF FACE STRETCHED DOWN FOR KILOMETERS! HOUSES WERE BUILT INTO THE SIDE OF IT! WALKWAYS BUILT INTO THE CLIFF-SIDE ALLOWED WALKING ACCESS DOWN TO THE BUILDINGS, WITH PEOPLE ON THEM AS IF IT WAS THE MOST NORMAL THING TO DO!…
…HIS STOMACH TURNED AT THE SIGHT. HE STARTED BACKING UP WHEN A SHADOW PASSED OVER HIM, ANOTHER WONDERFUL, TERRIBLE SIGHT FLYING IN THE AIR FAR ABOVE HIM.
A SHIP. WITH SAILS, LIKE YOU’D SEE ON THE OCEAN, IN HISTORY BOOKS OR PIRATE MOVIES. FLYING!

Michael Gattis @mgattis.bsky.social · 4d

#WIPSnips #Second #WritingCommunity #Writing #Writesky #Writingprompt
What a lovely witch.

The boy hid behind the hedges, watching the witch feed her chickens.
She wasn’t as ugly as the townsfolk joked. Her skin was neither green nor gray, but a pleasing combination of the two. She sported a thick beard that would have been considered attractive on any man. In fact, if you looked past the mountain range of warts on her cheeks, her knobby, horse-sized knees, and the second nose growing where her left ear should have been, she was quite lovely.

Michael Gattis @mgattis.bsky.social · 5d

Thanks, Pam! It shouldn't be anyone's favorite demon haha.

Michael Gattis @mgattis.bsky.social · 5d

Thanks for reading :)

Michael Gattis @mgattis.bsky.social · 5d

Every Maga's response to No Kings: "What a great success! It must have worked, because there are no kings!"

Me, realizing there must have been lots of tea at the Tea Party protests:

a man wearing a hat that says hds is standing in front of a door

ALT: a man wearing a hat that says hds is standing in front of a door

media.tenor.com

Michael Gattis @mgattis.bsky.social · 5d

#WIPSnips #Field
Demons have different olfactory opinions than most people.
#WritingCommunity #Writing #Writesky #Writingprompt

“It doesn’t pretend to know the impetuses of humankind.” Zaelzagog smothered a yawn in the crook of its arm and a sink hole swallowed one of their hovels. Half the villagers fled into the forest. “Apologies. Its strength grows the longer it remains awake. Mayhap if they turn over proper tribute, it can eat and be on its way?”
“No!” the sacrifice cried. “I won’t let you take any more of the people I love!”
“You don’t have to watch,” said the demon, quite reasonably.
“You’ll have me or no one.”
The demon considered her. She smelled terrible, it was true. Like a field of roses slathered in honey. Yet, something was familiar. “Has it eaten of your flesh before, sacrifice?”

Michael Gattis @mgattis.bsky.social · 5d

Who robbed the Louvre? Right answers only.

Michael Gattis @mgattis.bsky.social · 7d

#WIPSnips vibes today. #loaf = bread.
This was a fun one to write because I sought out cliches to use, rather than avoid them. It was the point.
#WritingCommunity #writing #writesky #writingprompt

Chef had time to neither dilly nor dally. Though it would be a quick read, her short story dessert still needed boatloads of preparation and careful editing.
As she worked, Chef’s head floated up to the clouds. She could see The Critic’s article now, calling Cliché’s “the best thing since sliced bread.” The appetizer and entrée would never win any awards, but maybe she’d enter the dessert in a short story competition to see what would happen.

Michael Gattis @mgattis.bsky.social · 9d

I #might have had too many choices for this week's #WIPSnips...
#WritingCommunity #Writing #Writesky #Writingprompt

…Well, it was less a superpower, and more a “specific issue resolver.”
Lenny Livingston could [insert drumroll here] fry an egg under any circumstances, provided he had a frying pan handy.
No, he couldn’t create fire to heat the pan. No, he didn’t have laser vision to cook the egg. And, no, he didn’t switch the uncooked egg for a fried one when you weren’t looking. He merely cracked the egg open, dropped it into the pan, and shook his fist at it threateningly. Moments later, the egg was so perfectly fried, Gordan Ramsay himself would call it “the most amazing” thing he’d ever eaten (before remarking the burnt toast that came with it was “a real shame”).
I imagine some of you might be asking questions about Lenny’s power’s limits. How about an omelet? What if you wanted sunny-side up? Could he do an ostrich egg?

Michael Gattis @mgattis.bsky.social · 10d

Yeah, good advice. Thanks for grounding me! Grain of salt and all that haha.

Michael Gattis @mgattis.bsky.social · 10d

#WritingCommunity #Writing #Writesky

Me: best friend, please give me critical feedback on this story I've worked my ass off to hone to perfection.

Friend: it kinda sucks except this one part. Also I don't get it.

Me:

a man is wrapped in a blanket with his arms crossed .

ALT: a man is wrapped in a blanket with his arms crossed .

media.tenor.com

Michael Gattis @mgattis.bsky.social · 10d

#WIPSnips #care #WritingCommunity #Writing #Writesky #writingprompt

Still, Patrick was exhausted; the kind of tired you get from years of working all day, only to come home and spend what free time you have left focused on other peoples’ needs. Helping the kids with their homework. Chauffeuring them to their various extracurriculars. Cooking, cleaning, doctor appointments, home maintenance, car repairs. Patrick and Rebecca thought they’d reclaim some time for themselves once their youngest left for college, but now Patrick’s mom, in her twilight years, needed daily care. With neither siblings nor the money to pay for a home health aide, that, too, fell on Patrick and Rebecca. It was a miracle they could (barely) keep up with the H.O.A.’s stringent demands in between everything else.

Michael Gattis @mgattis.bsky.social · 11d

This #ultimate #WIPSnips from a short story where the king falls in love with an evil sorceress.
#WritingCommunity #Writing #WriteSky #Writingprompt

After a moment, the king recovered himself enough to ask, “well, what is it? What’s wrong with me?”
“Nothing,” Aremento said, his voice hollow. “Only…you are in love.”
“Love?” asked the king.
“Love.” Aremento looked out the window. He was really going to miss the sunshine. “It would be sweet, if the consequences weren’t so dire.”
“Love.” The king nodded, slowly. “I see. Well, what can be done?”
Aremento shook his head. “Nothing, unfortunately. Love is the ultimate blessing, but also the ultimate curse. People – even kings, it seems – do stupid things for love.”
The next day, the king married the evil sorceress, and the kingdom burned.

Michael Gattis @mgattis.bsky.social · 11d

Today, I finally learned the value of being SPECIFIC in my writing. Short stories really force this. You can pack in a lot of information by not saying "he missed his wife" and instead saying something like "he missed their impromptu and tuneless karaoke sessions."
#Writing #WritingCommunity

Michael Gattis @mgattis.bsky.social · 12d

Today's #WIPSnips #push from a tongue-in-cheek short story about a chef who owns a restaurant called "Cliche's." Seasons the dishes (stories) she makes with overused tropes and cliches.

#WritingCommunity #Writing #Writesky #writingprompt

There are too many cooks in the kitchen.”
“I wondered when we’d see that one,” said Waiter.
As the staff shuffled out the door, Chef consulted the rolodex of clichés in her mind, muttering them to herself. “If you can’t stand the heat…no, not for a dessert. Tip of the tongue? It has potential, but I’d rather her swallow it whole.” Then Chef had it. “Icing on the cake!” That one always pushed a dish across the finish line.
Chef thrusted the final course into Waiter’s hands and watched him funeral march his way back to the dining room. Then she leaned against the wall and slid to the floor.

Michael Gattis @mgattis.bsky.social · 14d

I'm a sucker for a cute dog pic! Enjoy your unplugged time. Very important.

Michael Gattis @mgattis.bsky.social · 15d

Truly some #WIPSnips vibes today for #prize. This is part of a short story I'm going to enter for The Hope Prize. Still lots of editing ahead.
#WritingCommunity #Writing #Writesky #WritingPrompt

Ron beamed. “A choice has been made! Tell him what he’s won, Bill.”
“Connnn-gratulations, Patrick!” said a deep, sultry voice from the ceiling. “You’ll spend the next twenty years paying off a debt totaling $38,575. After graduation, you’ll land yourself in a stable career that has nothing to do with your major. Best of all, your choice today will lead you to Rebecca, the love of your life!”
“Amazing!” said Ron. He clapped Patrick on the shoulder. “Good choice. Congratulations, Pat. Thanks for playing. And we’ll see you next time on—”
LIFE’S! LITTLE! CHOICES!

Reposted by Michael Gattis

Pamela Jeong @pamelaelaela.bsky.social · 17d

THE KINDLER
What’s trickier than straddling 2 worlds as an immigrant kid? Discovering there’s also a 3rd. When Danbi digs up her estranged father’s secrets in a hidden world, she finds a magic-stealing killer on the hunt for her rare powers. Better figure out how to use them.
#DVpit #YA #F #OWN #POC

Michael Gattis @mgattis.bsky.social · 17d

#WIPSnips vibing: #dungeon = cage
#WritingCommunity #Writesky #writing #writingprompt

“Roby?” I whisper into the silence. “Roby, where are you?” There’s no answer. Maybe he’s asleep. But, if he’s asleep, I should hear him snoring. Roby is a chronic snorer, and falls asleep instantaneously, if he’s laid on his back.
One by one, I peer into The Basement’s plethora of cages. Some are empty, save for a few scrap parts and discarded batteries. Others house husks of prisoners long past their expiration dates, barely distinguishable from the trash around them. Too late for them. They’ll have a snack time appointment with the monsters already on the books.

Michael Gattis @mgattis.bsky.social · 17d

Thank you so much! I will check out both of these routes 😃