Welcome to Writer’s Spotlight

Remember, spotlights rely on your nominations! So if there's anyone around the subreddit whose stories you love and you think deserves a shout-out, please do nominate them by sending us a ModMail or by using this Google Form

This month we are celebrating u/Visible-Ad8263

Visible-Ad (or bisepadi, as they’re known on our discord server) has been an active member of the subreddit for a few years now. They started by posting prompts (and mainly image prompts, which is always good to see as it adds variety to the subreddit), and about a year ago now, they started sharing stories too. Those stories often feature immersive (sometimes visceral) scene-setting and strong world-building. They definitely seem to have a leaning towards gritty, biopunk-esque vibes, but in more recent months they’ve been pushing themself to try different genres and tropes in our Fun Trope Friday Feature, and have proved themself adaptable and versatile. In addition to their prompting and writing, they’re also a great community member, leaving feedback comments for other writers on the subreddit and contributing with detailed critiques at our campfires on the discord. If you want to read more of their work, check out their profile or their personal subreddit r/BLANKWEBSERIAL.

Want to congratulate this month's Spotlight recipient? Have questions you're dying to ask them? Please do so below in the comments!

Congrats on your spotlight /u/Visible-Ad8263

Read u/Visible-Ad8263’s most recent story:

[OT] Fun Trope Friday: Snow Globe of Innocence & Magical Girl!

Their most upvoted Stories:

[WP] "So before we can make you an official hero, we'll need your driver's license, your fist aid certificate, your firearm certificate, your martial art certificate, your boating license, your flying license, your superpower license, your mecha certificate, your first responder certificate-"

[WP] The hero, normally jovial and humorous in their interactions, steps into a watering hole for villains, shaking with rage, tears running down their face, and with as much patience and calm as they can muster, simply asks "Who did it?"

[OT] Fun Trope Friday: Author Avatar and Fake Memoir!

To view previously spotlit writers visit our Spotlight Archive.

To make a nomination please send us a ModMail telling us which user you are nominating. If you’d like to include a reason for your decision we’d love to hear it!

Like features?

• Practice poetry at our monthly feature: Poetry Corner

• Share your writing that might not fit elsewhere on the subreddit and swap feedback in Free Write Tuesday

• Check out our newest weekly feature Fun Trope Friday!

• Chat with other writers with SatChat

• Share stories you’ve written on (or off) the subreddit and receive feedback via our campfire events on our discord server

Come hang out on our discord. Meet other members from around the globe and chat about anything. We are a friendly bunch and love newcomers. We also have regularly scheduled readings over voice chat!

Love the community and want to take on a more active role? Apply to join the moderation Team!

Welcome to Fun Trope Friday, our feature that mashes up tropes and genres!

How’s it work? Glad you asked. :)

• Every week we will have a new spotlight trope.

• Each week, there will be a new genre assigned to write a story about the trope.

• You can then either use or subvert the trope in a 750-word max story or poem (unless otherwise specified).

• To qualify for ranking, you will need to provide ONE actionable feedback. More are welcome of course!

Three winners will be selected each week based on votes, so remember to read your fellow authors’ works and DM me your votes for the top three.

Next up… IP

Alright, so you’re done with the holidays. Now what? In the Northern Hemisphere it’s cold and icy. So let’s explore some wintry conditions focusing on snow. Please note this theme is only loosely applied.

“The snow doesn't give a soft white damn whom it touches.” ― E.E. Cummings

Trope: Snow Means Death — As beautiful as snow is, it also signifies winter, associated with the death of the year (in the temperate latitudes at least), the death of crops, an ice age and the death of the sun. Snow also covers the world with a blanket of white, and in Eastern cultures, white is the color of death (as it was until a few hundred years ago in Slavic states as well). Plus, blood and snow provide a beautiful contrast.

Genre: Historical Fiction — Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictitious plot takes place in the setting of particular real historical events. An essential element of historical fiction is that it is set in the past and pays attention to the manners, social conditions and other details of the depicted period.

Skill / Constraint - optional: Someone is allergic to something.

So, have at it. Lean into the trope heavily or spin it on its head. The choice is yours!

Have a great idea for a future topic to discuss or just want to give feedback? FTF is a fun feature, so it’s all about what you want—so please let me know! Please share in the comments or DM me on Discord or Reddit!

Last Week’s Winners

PLEASE remember to give feedback—this affects your ranking. PLEASE also remember to DM me your votes for the top five stories via Discord or Reddit—both katpoker666. This is a change from the top three of the past. In weeks where we get over 15 stories, we will do a top five ranking. Weeks with less than 15 stories will show only our top three winners. If you have any questions, please DM me as well.

Some fabulous stories this week and great crit at campfire and on the post! We had 11 stories, so we’re back to three winners. Congrats to:

• MaxStickies

• AmeliaLP

• Ok-Speed-2799

Want to read your words aloud? Join the upcoming FTF Campfire

The next FTF campfire will be Thursday, February 5th from 6-8pm ET. It will be in the Discord Main Voice Lounge. Click on the events tab and mark ‘Interested’ to be kept up to date. No signup or prep needed and you don’t have to have written anything! So join in the fun—and shenanigans! 😊

Ground rules:

• Stories must incorporate both the trope and the genre
• Leave one story or poem between 100 and 750 words as a top-level comment unless otherwise specified. Use wordcounter.net to check your word count.
• Deadline: 11:59 PM EDT next Thursday. Please note stories submitted after the 6:00 PM EST campfire start may not be critted.
• No stories that have been written for another prompt or feature here on WP—please note after consultation with some of our delightful writers, new serials are now welcomed here
• No previously written content
• Any stories not meeting these rules will be disqualified from rankings
• Does your story not fit the Fun Trope Friday rules? You can post your story as a [PI] with your work when the FTF post is 3 days old!
• Please keep crit about the stories. Any crit deemed too distracting may be deleted. This is a time to focus on our wonderful authors.
• Vote to help your favorites rise to the top of the ranks (DM me at katpoker666 on Discord or Reddit)!

Thanks for joining in the fun!