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Craig Shackleton

@craigshackleton.com

1.4K followers 980 following 2.3K posts

SFF writer and Swordplay instructor || Founder of Ottawa Swordplay || Lapsed TTRPG writer || AuDHD Currently seeking representation for my third novel and working on my fourth.

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Craig Shackleton @craigshackleton.com · 6d

Theria taught herself the Brotherhood of the Sevenfold Labyrinth’s secret magic, then used it to rob their temple.

Now Hanno, a warrior monk from the brotherhood, has tracked her down.

Can she trust his offer to teach her more?

PHOENICIAN FIRE
Age of Ash x Mask of Mirrors
#DVPit #ND #F #A

Reposted by Craig Shackleton

Kate Heartfield @kateheartfield.com · 43m

A good thread. I've been submitting short fiction since the days when I had to send an international reply coupon with my self-addressed stamped envelope, and honestly I think even that was better than today. The early 2010s was when the process was its most writer-friendly, I think.

Marie Brennan @swantower.bsky.social · 16h

<totters out onto porch>

<settles into rocker>

<thumps cane a few times>

Let's talk about what the process of submitting short fiction used to look like, shall we? And about what it looks like now.

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Reposted by Craig Shackleton

Maybe It Will Happen Today @today-maybe.bsky.social · 1d

A squirrel is standing inside and peeking over the top rim of a hollowed out pumpkin. The top of the pumpkin can be seen behind. The squirrel is wearing a slouchy black witch hat with orange stripes and holding a squirrel-sized chef knife. The knife is because the squirrel has carved the words ‘MAYBE IT WILL HAPPEN’ in the side of the pumpkin and in the ground in front the word ‘TODAY’ has been spelled with stringy orange pumpkin guts with seeds scattered all around.

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Reposted by Craig Shackleton

Suzan the chalant goth @sillysyntax.bsky.social · 21h

I'm back and the highschool kids were fabulous. They brainstormed ideas with pencil and paper and talked abt story ideas, had insightful questions, asked me abt writers block, asked me how to write the middle of books asked what exactly do publishers do? Lol 💀
Girl writing/reading is not dead yet.

Suzan the chalant goth @sillysyntax.bsky.social · 1d

Every day I see articles here about gen Z and Alpha using chatgpt to write and now today I'm off to talk to a grade 12 creative writing class. I think they might let some younger grades watch.
This will probably be my most discerning audience and one of my most important.
Never write off the kids🖤

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Craig Shackleton @craigshackleton.com · 21h

You can nurture your darlings.

John Wiswell @wiswell.bsky.social · 22h

Tell me your most life-affirming literary opinion.

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Reposted by Craig Shackleton

Cait Gordon ♿️ @caitgauthor.bsky.social · 1d

I’ll be at #CanCon2025 this weekend! And on Sunday at 11:30 am, I’ll be launching my first-ever short story collection, Speculative Shorts: Stories that fell out of my brain! Come for readings, giveaways, and most probably…shenanigans!

dinsdale press @dinsdalepress.bsky.social · 21d

If you’re going to @canconsffh.bsky.social in October, we’d love if you joined us for the first launch of our first book! The emcee will be Derek Newman-Stille, multiple Prix Aurora Award–winner of Speculating Canada. It should be a blast! #SFF #CanLit

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Craig Shackleton @craigshackleton.com · 1d

Oh hello AI shill follower, have a block!

Craig Shackleton @craigshackleton.com · 1d

And my axe.

Reposted by Craig Shackleton

Erin Rockfort (they/she) @pineapplefury.bsky.social · 1d

Probably nobody here needs me to tell them that Marie is a truly unmatched, one of a kind, wonderful human but I do need to mention that I would go to war for her

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Reposted by Craig Shackleton

Marie Bilodeau @mariebilodeau.bsky.social · 1d

We are getting close to @canconsffh.bsky.social and I am taking a moment to say that I have the best crew anyone could ever ask for. Ever. Lemme go on for a bit. You need to know how amazing they are, and they deserve it to be seen.

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Reposted by Craig Shackleton

Kate Heartfield @kateheartfield.com · 1d

We are one week away from the launch of Premee's new book here in Ottawa at Perfect Books, with me as wingman. Please come, and support a lovely bookstore while you're at it.

Kate Heartfield @kateheartfield.com · 14d

If you are going to be in Ottawa Oct. 20, you should come see me and @premeemohamed.com at the launch for her excellent novella, The First Thousand Trees. At the wonderful community hub that is Perfect Books.

JOIN US FOR THE LAUNCH OF
THE FIRST THOUSAND TREES
PREMEE MOHAMED
MONDAY
OCTOBER 20
7:00-8:30 PM

PERFECT
BOOKS
258A ELGIN ST,
OTTAWA

Author Premee Mohamed in
conversation with Kate Heartfield

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Reposted by Craig Shackleton

Aidan Moher @aidanmoher.com · 1d

Authors shouldn’t need day jobs

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 2d

Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat

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Craig Shackleton @craigshackleton.com · 1d

Last night I watched the movie Heat, which I've never seen before, and I thought it was supposed to be good?

Craig Shackleton @craigshackleton.com · 1d

I am 56 and I still remember the phone number of a guy I stopped being friends with when I was 10.

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Reposted by Craig Shackleton

𝖒𝖚𝖑𝖑 @mudnblood.bsky.social · 1d

A typical cuirass from around AD 1400

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Reposted by Craig Shackleton

amanda moore 🐢 @noturtlesoup17.bsky.social · 2d

This really fucking sucks!!! I’m not even paid to be here by an outlet, so doing this is just fucking me personally!

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Reposted by Craig Shackleton

amanda moore 🐢 @noturtlesoup17.bsky.social · 2d

The inflatables have made it to Broadview.

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Reposted by Craig Shackleton

Brandon Eby @thebrandoneby.bsky.social · 1d

The lion does not concern themself with a coherent marketing strategy

www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5...

Dieselpunk 1921 Free Edition - BrandonWritesGames | DriveThruRPG

Dieselpunk 1921 Dieselpunk 1921 is an 125 page all-in-one book presenting an alternate history world, where the streets are dominated by towering machines and complicated characters fighting for their...

www.drivethrurpg.com

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Craig Shackleton @craigshackleton.com · 2d

Hearts, maybe?

Craig Shackleton @craigshackleton.com · 2d

I am so ready for @canconsffh.bsky.social this week and also I am so not ready!

Craig Shackleton @craigshackleton.com · 2d

...I started studying different novel planning strategies until I found one I liked. It makes it easier to both finish novels and to recognize when something isn't working early on.

That said, there are elements of exploratory writing that are absolutely necessary to my process.

Craig Shackleton @craigshackleton.com · 2d

When I started writing again after a years-long burnout, I started with no plan then decided the thing I was writing was a novel. I have written a novel's worth of words for it and revised it many times, but it's fundamentally broken.

The first time I realized there was a structural problem...

Mx. D. D. Ward (they/them) @ddwardiswriting.bsky.social · 3d

Okay #WritingCommunity

Planners and Pantsers. Have you ever tried the opposite approach? Planners, have you ever just writtem with no plan? What happened. Pantsers, have you ever tried outlining? What happened?

Was there anything you kept from this experiment.

I switched from pantser to planner.

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Craig Shackleton @craigshackleton.com · 3d

Solidarity.

Craig Shackleton @craigshackleton.com · 3d

This seems like a fire risk, Finch app.

A screen cap from the Finch app showing a green bird in fancy clothes sleeping in a bed while holding a lit candle.

Craig Shackleton @craigshackleton.com · 3d

I find myself unfollowing a bunch of people who are knowingly reposting AI-generated videos to talk about not liking AI-generated videos.

Reposted by Craig Shackleton

Ryan North? But - he died... 30 years ago this very night!! @ryannorth.ca · 4d

I used to get mad when people misused "decimated" to refer to things that weren't 1/10th destroyed, but I've given it some thought and now I've done a complete 360 on it

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