Well, because the level 3 notice told me to... I'm sharing the first scene from the first chapter of what used to be the first book of the SciFi > Horror > Mystery > Coming-of-Age series I'm working on. It's now the second book, but the one I've put the most work into (around 40k words so far). All constructive feedback welcome. *I'm using ' to reflect the character's thoughts (Skool won't copy over italicized font). Derek’s silent tears rolled over his dirt-crusted cheeks in the defiled valley, where savage moonlight glinted off flame-charred trees; monoliths of sorrow mourning their fallen brethren. A cruel breeze whipped his eyes while gazing wearily at the nearby Aspens. Their quaking clusters of golden leaves an omen of pointless hope before devastation revisits the Sierra-Nevada foothills. 'At least as a colony they have each other… but they’re just kids, like me.' Grim as it was, it’s the only place Derek found solace when he could escape the compound. He knew it was dangerous – both if discovered, and the risks of being in such a place. It’s illegal to teach one of his social stature any skills of self-sufficiency… or at least it was. 'The war is finally over, but Lilith’s Defiance is defunct now. What’s going to happen to us? Will anything get better? Maybe I’ll finally get a toy! I guess people found a way after the last two World Wars. Maybe we will, too…' The crystal pulsed in his filthy shaking hands. 'Weird… it happened again…' It was the third time a glint of light shone from the crystal. Mistaken moonlight was an easy assumption… but moonlight isn’t purple. He clutched it to his chest, twisting tears trailing to his lips again as he shook his head. 'Why can’t you be here, Dad?! Why do I have to fight so hard to get anything of yours?! This is ALL I have left since losing you to the raiders, but if mom found out I took it…' The crystal pulsed again, now with bass reverberating through him. He couldn’t ponder on it long before a bright light focused on him.

Write a story that starts or ends with the line "I should've known better."

Starting this Sunday, WRITERS is officially going paid! This is something I've been working toward for a while, and it means I'll be able to invest even more into this space! 🌟More resources 🌟More tools 🌟More support 🌟& more value for all of you! Before anything else, I want to make sure you know: you are grandfathered in.🥇 As an existing member, you'll keep lifetime FREE access, no strings attached, now or ever. This change is about welcoming new members in a sustainable way, not about asking more of the people who've already been here from day one. And most importantly, I want to say THANK YOU! 💛🧡 The energy, engagement, and support you've brought to this community from the start is the reason it's been able to grow & will continue to. None of this happens without you.💛🧡💛🧡💛🧡💛🧡💛🧡 & One more thing: if you have friends who are into writing, now's a great time to invite them in! They can join before Sunday's changes take effect, and honestly, having more voices and perspectives in here only makes this space better. The more the merrier! 🥳 🥂 Thank you for being here from the beginning. Here's to what's next. 🙌

If you had to pick only ONE genre to read for the next YEAR. Which would it be? 🤔

I like to start from the beginning. I enjoy letting the story unfold to me as I’m writing; sometimes I don’t know what’s going to happen until it happens 😄. A friend of mine jumps around with her stories, usually writing from the climax, then back to the beginning, then finishing. So I was just curious what everyone else’s preference is. 😊