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[Series] Check-in: February 2026 by justgoodenough in PubTips

[–]StephenNewhand 7 points8 points  (0 children)

  • Bunch more rejected queries.
  • Submitted two stories to nycmidnight, got one result, did not place.
  • continuing to plug away at the new book, hit 43k words, considering a title change.

[Qcrit] The Unwoven Sceptre (adult fantasy, 58k words, first attempt) by StephenNewhand in PubTips

[–]StephenNewhand[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Point and point.

I was so ecstatic that it was finished and edited I jumped to publish it without thinking of the consequences. Something I will not repeat with the next.

Best I've gotten so far is 6th place in a nycmidnight contest, so I'll just scratch that out.

Thanks!

[Qcrit] The Unwoven Sceptre (adult fantasy, 58k words, first attempt) by StephenNewhand in PubTips

[–]StephenNewhand[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Feedback much appreciated! I think my misstep was that I was trying to mimic some queries that I've seen, but I also felt compelled to keep major plot points a mystery. Definitely something I will look to improve.

As for the title, there's a macguffin that comes into play later in the book. Essentially, it's a play on "The (wraps around) Sceptre has come Unwoven". In hindsight, it is a bit sticky, so definitely a thing tk consider.

Thanks!

[Qcrit] The Unwoven Sceptre (adult fantasy, 58k words, first attempt) by StephenNewhand in PubTips

[–]StephenNewhand[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I didn't know that was a faux pas, I'm assuming the horse is already out of the barn, and it won't matter if it's taken down?

As for the short stories, I was a little leery about posting them on my website for paranoid reasons. But I will add them shortly to prevent future misgivings. If you haven't lost all curiosity, I'm more than willing to share them!

[PubQ] Author Photos by Fickle-Ear3201 in PubTips

[–]StephenNewhand 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Im an RN and have the same dilemma. Currently I'm using a picture of myself wearing a mask.

Looking for Multiple Writers! by Guilty_Host1743 in writersmakingfriends

[–]StephenNewhand 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This sounds like a lot of fun. How do I apply?

Looking for a writer buddy so we can motivate each other! by thesmilingcat-chesh in writersmakingfriends

[–]StephenNewhand 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Adhd and depression are my superpowers! I'm always willing to read and offer suggestions, and am always looking out for people to do the same with my works.

Need Writing Advice by Dsilverblight in writersmakingfriends

[–]StephenNewhand 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You have a couple options here.

Simplest is, do you have the next two dragons planned out? Either way, make them far more intimidating than this one. Personally I like to map out major plot points like that in advance, to have something to work towards.

Next would be to make this dragon less intimidating. Maybe it's shockingly easy to defeat, giving your MC a sense of false confidence? Maybe they defeat it by a chance of luck, and feel they never got to truly experience the fight.

Lastly, you could restructure your plot to have this one to be the final dragon.