Hyba Is Writing

April 2024 Writing Prompts   15 Writing Prompts for April A cryptic social media post launches a full-fledged treasure hunt. A spy makes a critical mistake - and gets caught. "Things have been too peaceful around here." A grumpy workaholic is forced to take a holiday. A character gets an anxiety attack in the middle of their day. A selective mute makes a new friend passing notes in class. "You weren't supposed to survive that." A cashier notices a sum of money missing from the register. The sky whale only passes once a year; rumour has it that if you are able to touch it, you will gain amazing powers. A patient escapes from a secured psychiatric facility. An insomniac witnesses a crime on their street one night. A young couple moves into their first home together. "Tragedy is inevitable." A man arrives at the home of the woman he loves, intending to ask her father for permission to marry her. A soldier begins to question his orders.  Do you want even m...

Murder in Heliopolis Fleur Verdi - Character Introduction In the previous draft of this book, Fleur Verdi was a very minor character. So minor, in fact, that she could have well been an extra. Not this time around, though. This time, Fleur has her own significant role in the plot of Murder in Heliopolis . Fleur Verdi is Cassia Grove's assistant at Nymphaeales. She is a professional and ambitious young woman who has been working at Nymphaeales for only a couple of years. Within that time, she has gained Cassia's trust and has shown herself to be a capable employee.  However, there's something Cassia Grove didn't know about Fleur Verdi. She knew Aster Lockwood - and the man married to Cassia Grove - the man who calls himself Aster Lockwood - that's not him. Fleur begins to investigate the best way she knows how - by digging into Cassia - but what she uncovers might just prove fatal.

Greenland Farm: Worldbuilding - Murder in Heliopolis One of the biggest and most successful farms in Heliopolis is Greenland Farm. One of over two dozen vertical farms in the mega-city, Greenland Farm stands out due to a range of different reasons.  First, its helix-shaped structure, so different from that of the other vertical farms in The Farms , is striking to onlookers: With about 60 floors - most of which host a farm each - and a beautiful, hanging ivy and wisteria falling off the sides, it's a colorful and awe-inspiring sight to behold. Here is how it is described in Detective Laith Alazraq 's POV in Chapter 2: Greenland Farm was easy to pick out from the group of vertical farms. Its helical structure, which made use of the curves and spaces of his shaping to create a set of ivy falls all the way up its length, was impossible to mistake. Wisterias had recently been introduced, and their flowers - purple, blue, and white - cloaked the farm in beauty. Second, its produce is...

On Minimalist Book Covers - Self-Publishing Tips Back when I was trying to design the cover for my debut novella Apartment , I had very limited resources.  I could have created hand-drawn cover, if I was patient enough to really make it look good, to try and try again. I wasn't feeling very patient back then. I could have hired someone to do it for me, but I wasn't financially secure at that point in time and rates can be quite high. I could have used free-for-commercial-use graphic assets, but I was concerned that the assets uploaded to Pixabay and other websites aren't always 👀 above-board. I could have waited, but I didn't want to wait. Like I said, I wasn't feeling very patient back then. I don't take short-cuts, and I don't like the idea of using something I'm not certain about. When in doubt, stay away, and all of that. So, I went with the easiest but most acceptable and aesthetic route I could take: a minimalist book cover design. You can see it ...

Starting immediately, I will be on hiatus on all of my social media and on this blog. There's a backlog of scheduled posts which will continue to be posted, but apart from that, I won't be working on anything for the blog or for my social media for the time being. With Ramadan in full swing, I've had to step away from social media and writing in general. Since then, I've worked on a few things at my own discretion, and I remembered how nice it is to work on something for the pure joy of working on it.The simple joys of doing something for the pleasure of the experience. So, I'm going to make the best of that for the time being by staying away from social media and the online world of writing. Scrittorio's Ramadan 1445 issue release will be pushed down as a result, but I'm completely fine with that. Moreover, I do have a few other non-writing projects I've been working on, so it's helpful to be able to prioritize those and give them more time.   I hop...

Murder in Heliopolis Audra Haize - Character Introduction Audra is one of the more popular characters from the first draft of the book - which, by the way, you can still read on Royal Road . This is probably because out of all of the characters in the first draft, Haize is the one which actually has a personality, with her heli-goth aesthetic, her computer (hacking) skills, her curiosity, and her eagerness to help Detective Laith Alazraq in his investigation. But Audra, too, has grown a lot in the new edited version of Murder in Heliopolis . I've introduced other facets of her character, and I think she is becoming a more complete character with a more dynamic arc as a result. Read on to learn more about Audra Haize. Audra Haize is a PATET Specialist - or, to be more precise, an Assistant PATET Specialist - working at PATET HQ . While that may not sound like a glamorous job, in Heliopolitan society, PATET Specialists are very highly regarded. Only a chosen few have the skills and ...

Clara picked at the hangnail on her thumb, her leg bouncing restlessly as she waited for the bell to ring. Last class, and then she'd be going home, and the day would be over. Well - school would be over. Who knew what awaited her at home, or even online? Ever since her argument with Jay, she'd been anxious. She'd said something wrong - according to Jay, anyway - and now she was worried. She'd seen what happened to people who said the wrong thing online. She'd seen the mobs converge upon them like vultures around wounded prey.  God, what if Jay put it online - whatever it was? What if other students found out? What if they ganged up on her, too, just like they did online?  Her gut twisted nervously, and she glanced at the ticking clock above the whiteboard for the n th time while Ms. Malik droned on and on about meiosis.  What had she even done wrong? What had she said? She honestly couldn't tell; couldn't remember the words, exactly, and couldn't rememb...

Nymphaeales: Worldbuilding - Murder in Heliopolis In Murder in Heliopolis , the story begins when Detective Laith Alazraq is assigned to investigate the homicide of Cassia Grove, a successful businesswoman in Heliopolis who owns a club called Nymphaeales.    What is Nymphaeales? Nymphaeales is a recreational club located on The Floats, which is a network of natural islands, man-made islands, and floating structures off the coast of Heliopolis. (The coast is another district called The Shores - but that's another worldbuilding post for another week.) Nymphaeales boasts a highly successful membership clientele, beautiful landscaping, sports activities, and a range of luxury services. Against the sociocultural landscape of Heliopolis, Nymphaeales, along with a few other establishments, stands out for its apparent antithetic nature. Exclusivity, for many Heliopolitans, is a dangerously capitalist leaning, which pushes people away from a collectivist and community-focused culture ...

"He's useless." The scientist set down his clipboard, letting it clatter noisily against the metallic surface of the exam room table. "He's not giving us anything else. It's strange, but... not completely uncommon." She crossed her arms, tapping a perfectly manicured finger against her elbow - bright red on blinding white. "You're certain there's no chance of rehabilitation?" "Highly unlikely," the man replied, pushing his glasses up his round, stubby nose. She recoiled inwardly at the giant pores, but showed no sign of discomfort as he continued. "It'll cost us more to try and rehabilitate him - with only a 15% chance of success - than it would to just replace him. There are other candidates." "None with abilities as strong as his," she replied with a frown. Her cold eyes scanned over Grigori's thin frame, hunched over in his chair. He didn't need to look up to know when her eyes were on him; t...

Have You Seen This Blurb? On Crafting Blurbs You might be familiar with this situation: A book has a cool cover, so you pick it up and turn it over to find out what it's about. Instead, all you find are quotes from other authors, some of whom you've never heard of or read, and which don't actually tell you anything at all about the book. Even worse: the book is wrapped in plastic, so you can't crack it open and give it another chance. 😟 Let's start with the easy question, to make sure we're all on the same page, because we all seem to define the word "blurb" differently: What is a book blurb? Blurbs are little descriptions of your book's plot that whet the reader's appetite and pique their curiosity without giving too much away. The blurb is a promotional tool - a short passage which aims to get readers interested enough in your story that they want to pick it up. That's generally where most definitions of the word stop. But if you look a...

This one's just a quick update to say that Ramadan has been a lot busier than I had previously expected. I haven't been able to meet any of the deadlines I set for myself, and I actually had a few new big things pop up over the past couple of weeks that I hadn't expected at all. A couple of new projects, a couple of new adventures 😉 Keeping myself wildly busy as always!  Which is another way of saying I haven't done anything for the Ramadan 1445 issue or for editing my novel. 😂 I hope to get to them soon, but I think right now there are some things I've got going that really take priority - one of them being Ramadan, obviously.    In previous Ramadans, I actually felt like I had all the time in the world! I did so much because of course you're not really worried about food and you don't have to stop what you're doing to make/eat/clean up a meal. I would get so much done. Super productive. This Ramadan, though... I'm approaching it a bit differently...

 "So... you're not friends anymore?" he guessed, staring at Clara's back as she stomped off. Jay shrugged with a huff and explained what Clara had said. "We should have never been friends. I can't believe she'd say that to me. Like, how offensive! You don't even ask a question like that!" Vince was silent. "What?" Jay snapped, crossing her arms. "You, too?" "Hey, hey, hey," Vince said, bringing his arms up in surrender. "I didn't even say anything." " Vince ," Jay gritted out, her teeth bared in anger. "Okay - alright," Vince conceded. "It just seems like... a small thing to fall out over. Okay - she asked you something not quite politically correct," he offered before Jay could interrupt. "But who hasn't said something... maladroit , now and then? We're all learning. It doesn't help to fight first, reason later. I mean... Jeez, if I cut out every person in...

Murder in Heliopolis Toma Pom: Character Introduction Originally a very minor character in the first draft of Murder in Heliopolis , Toma Pom now plays a more integral role in the story at large. Though still a minor character, he, like all the other characters, holds a piece of the greater puzzle, and as a result I've given him a few POV scenes. A quick sketch drawing of Toma Pom.   Toma Pom is a young man entering the workforce. He tells people that it was sheer, dumb luck that he was able to get the job that he has - assisting Aster Lockwood, the founder of and brain behind Greenland Farm - but in reality, luck had very little to do with it.  You see, Toma's not at Greenland Farm just to work. Don't get him wrong - it's a great job, and he gets paid well, and as far as career-launching experiences go, this is as good as it gets. But there's another reason he's working at Greenland Farm. Toma knows Aster Lockwood. Or, at least, he did . They graduated from the...

The flower was radiant. It shone and glimmered under the sun, and lured in all who beheld its beauty, filling them with a temptation - a strong desire - an undeniable urge to pluck it, take it for themselves. Its golden petals shone like polished wood, and its stem stood strong, rooted in the fertile soil. But the flower was a trap. For those who touched it - those who dared to place their hands upon its deceptively fragile figure - would meet an immediate demise from which they could never return. They would undergo a transformation so complete, it could not be undone.  The boy had been watching the flower for some time now. He did not like flowers. He especially did not like picking flowers. But this one - this one was strange. It gleamed at him, called to him, whispered in his ear, and he did not like that .  For the little boy, it was a suspicious thing. Still, he was compelled to stay, to watch it. It was like the early moments of wakefulness, when your subconscious battl...

Guides: Worldbuilding - Murder in Heliopolis Heliopolis is a huge city. So huge, in fact, that it's about the size of a full US state or a small country. Those sizes vary - but even the smallest country would make a huge mega-city, right? Right. So, while I was considering this, and I was considering the political elements of Heliopolis and how it is governed, I realized that the best way for a more effective democratic governance would be to have it split up into regions or districts which could then be represented by a leader. This leader is referred to in Heliopolis as a Guide. Why choose 'Guide' as a title? The terms that we have today are laden with connotations. Titles like President, Chief, Congressman, Senator, Member of Parliament, Chancellor, etc. are all fixed with connotations that can't be severed from them - at least not now, while we are currently living with them and the events which revolve around these leaders.  Even though MiH takes place centuries in...

Her wings flapped against the wind, loud in their resistance. If anyone had told her just days ago that she would be able to fly - to unfurl these beautiful wings and take off into the sky - she would have laughed them off. And now, here she was.  It was exhilarating. Naturally, it took some getting used to at first. Turning, twirling, figuring out when to flap the wings and when to leave them outstretched, riding the winds - it was all a huge learning curve. What came to birds naturally came to her with great difficulty, and only through maximum focus and concentration could she control the wings the scientist had attached to her.  The leather straps dug into her chest and sides, and her arms ached something furious, but this was undoubtedly the best experience she had ever had. Her own set of wings! She could take flight whenever she wished! Enchanted, too, she reminded herself. They'll never let me fall. No matter what happens, I won't go plummeting down into the ground. W...

The Anxious Writer Mini Disclaimer: I'm not a psychological professional or doctor; I'm just sharing my opinion based on some research I've done, and some thoughts on current issues that most of us seem to be facing. Do you ever get hit with waves of deep anxiety, sometimes out of nowhere? You'll just be going about your day, and suddenly: your stomach is getting that funny, twisty feeling, and you can't ignore the rising tension in your body telling you that something is very, very wrong! - and you're not entirely sure what brought this on, but you know there's really not much to do other than ride it out. Ever feel like that? Well, if this was a couple of decades ago, I'd follow up that question by saying something reassuring, like "you aren't the only one." Today, however - the better measure is figuring out how many of us aren't anxious humans walking around with stress-addled brains.    From Pixabay Let's get one thing straig...

Solarpunk - The Right Genre Label for Murder in Heliopolis ? Lately, I've been considering my use of the 'solarpunk' genre for Murder in Heliopolis . In particular, I started questioning whether it was an appropriate genre tag for the book. Solarpunk as a concept deals with how to solve environmental issues (climate change, pollution, human interaction with the Earth, etc.) in a sustainable way.  It's natural that speculative fiction genres would have evolved to include something like this, given that all of the above are some of the biggest issues we are facing in our societies. Kind of like how steampunk was all about industrialization and mechanical over digital technology (albeit in a Victorian-alternative time period). In any case, solarpunk, which is also often referred to as ecopunk, is a movement which focuses on sustainable practices and environmentally friendly living solutions, both at an individual level and a social level. One of the questions I found mysel...

I think I must have dreamt it.  It's really the only thing that makes sense, you know? Because if I didn't dream it - if it wasn't all some kind of twisted nightmare dredged from the black depths of my subconscious - then I don't think I could live with myself. It happens, sometimes. I'm half asleep and half awake, one foot in the grave. Things will happen - I'll experience things - that I'm not entirely sure are real later on in the day. Did I really speak to her that morning, or was it just a dream? Did I really hear her singing in the shower, or was that part of the dream, too? Did I see her climbing out of the bed, or was that my imagination hard at work? Usually it's small things. Small things that barely matter. I never ask about them. I don't feel the need to. After all, they're harmless enough. Maybe she spoke to me, maybe she didn't. Maybe she sang in the shower that morning, and maybe she didn't. Maybe I saw her, and maybe I did...

Murder in Heliopolis Calliope Frost: Character Introduction Calliope Frost is a new character that was added to Murder in Heliopolis in its most recent revision stage. Born and raised in The Peak, she is the daughter of well-respected Guide, River Frost, and is his intended heir. To everyone in the Peak, she is a polite, professional, and trustworthy community member.  Well-respected and held in high regard in her district, Calliope is the golden girl of the Peak. She is loved by everyone, and given her position as their next Guide, she enjoys a distinction that doesn't quite exist in any other district in Heliopolis.  What the people of The Peak don't know, however, is that Calliope Frost also has a great many secrets. Dark, terrible secrets that would shock and appall. When Cassia Grove's murder launches an investigation into Aster Lockwood, Calliope Frost must act quickly. In order to protect herself and her... peers, Calliope takes measure to ensure that Detective L...