https://medium.com/the-writers-reach/why-you-need-an-inciting-incident-74f68e315fb3

The inciting incident is the moment that breaks the character’s normal world and pushes them into the plot. Choose the moment that disrupts your character’s life, then write it.

#writing #incitingincident #newwriter #medium #writingtips #writingcommunity #writers

Becoming a New Writer in the New Year

…
https://writerunboxed.com/2026/01/05/becoming-a-new-writer-in-the-new-year/

#Inspirations #Lamentations #provocations #REALWORLD #newwriter

The dream of publishing a book is still alive. A lifelong goal of mine is to publish a fiction novel. I don’t have any goals for commercial success—this journey is the goal. #writing #newwriter #WritingCommunity

https://terrillo.com/blog/2025-07-03-draft-3/

Closeness Over Comfort

He never wore suits,
Only embroidered Hausa kaftans, always pressed,
with dark lips I carry like a family heirloom,
and narrow eyes that vanished when he laughed.
Tall and composed,
he smelled of a mix of burukutu
and aftershave,
the scent of him coming home past midnight
with koose or biscuits wrapped in nylon,
even when his wallet was empty.

He gave without asking;
shirts, shoes, whatever he had,
to anyone with open hands.
Closeness meant more to him than comfort.
He taught my mother how to give.
And I learned by watching.

Once, I called him “uncle,”
after too long away.
He packed my bag in silence
and took me home.
Even broke,
he chose closeness over comfort.

By day, he wore a lab coat,
Moved through rooms with quiet precision.
Watching him,
I thought maybe healing runs in the blood.

He showed up when it mattered.
Once at school,
when a teacher laid hands on me,
he didn’t just stand still,
his silence was a storm,
a warning in his eyes,
fierce enough to make the air shift.

He never went to church
but read his Bible daily
black hardcover, corners worn,
his handwriting crowding margins.

I didn’t understand then.
Now I carry his voice
in black print:
no sermons,
only clues.

Reggae played like prayer in our home.
Lady in Red by Chris De Burgh was his ghost song.

Sunshine…
He called me that just once.
And I’ve held that word
like a struck match
still burning.

Now when I laugh too loud,
or play his ghost song on repeat,
or give too much,
or open his Bible for no reason,
he’s there again.
Not perfect,
but permanent.

It feels amazing to know an editor considers my work good enough to publish.

By branching out into different publications on #Medium, I have discovered a core list of publications that never reject my work.

Read on to find recommendations that worked well for me as a #NewWriter. 👇 #Writing #Writer #MediumPublications

https://medium.com/new-writers-welcome/new-writer-heres-how-you-use-publications-to-earn-your-first-dollar-and-beyond-9bd80736af50?sk=e1dbcbae8db23c42d13f7ce823f0e36f