T. A. Lucetti - Author

I might be letting some of my own experience with healthy protein snacks influence my story. Write what you know, as they say?

#WIPSnips #Booksky #Writesky

The passage with "faith" gives a bit too much away, so doing "trust" instead.

Phina is extremely lucky to have a brother in Kell who unconditionally supports her and has her back, even if what she's going through seems unbelievable.

#WIPSnips #BookSky #WriteSky

This one gave me chills!

It's not quiet enough for my taste...

Awoke in the middle of the night and had a great idea for a revelation in the last 1/3 of my book before I fell back to sleep. Not a major plot change but it tied up loose ends in a way I'd struggled with.

I didn't want to brighten the room by grabbing my phone to jot it down and it's gone now. 😭

1. Title, Date, & Prompt Introduction This slide features a large torn piece of lined paper with the text "August 2nd" at the top and the title "Psychic Distance" in big script letters. There's a typewriter in the corner with a note saying "TOOLS not RULES". On the right, there's a speech bubble with prompt questions, a Bluesky butterfly, and it has a palm leaf background. Transcription: August 2nd Psychic Distance What's your take on this writing technique? Have you used it before—or do you avoid it? Share your thoughts, drop a snippet, or tell us how you’d use it in a scene.

2. What and Why This slide is a piece of lined paper with "What?" and "Why?" highlighted at the top and middle. It explains what "Psychic Distance" means as a writing technique and why it's useful. There's a Bluesky butterfly and palm fronds in the background. Transcription: What? Psychic Distance, a concept popularised by John Gardner, is about how close the reader feels to a character’s thoughts and experiences. It can range from far and objective—like watching from a distance—to deep inside a character’s head, feeling what they feel and thinking what they think. It’s not about POV; it’s about proximity. Why? Shifting psychic distance lets you control how much the reader connects and how fast the scene moves. Zoom out for clarity or commentary. Zoom in to build tension, intimacy, or emotional punch.

3. In Practice 
This slide looks like a piece of graph paper and features more highly dubious stick figure doodles by yours truly illustrating the five levels of psychic distance, from very far to very close. Each level has a sample sentence showing how narration changes as the psychic distance shifts. The right side explains how sliding between levels can affect story flow. The background is teal with palm leaves. Transcription:
 John Gardner defined 5 levels of Psychic Distance. 
Level 1 (very far) to Level 5 (very close) Level 1
 In the dark study, a woman sat at her desk late into the night.
 Purely external, objective narration. No access to character's thoughts or feelings. Level 2
 Charlotte often struggled to find the right words for her stories.
 We now know the character's name and a little of her opinion, but still from a narrative distance. Level 3
 She wondered whether she’d ever truly master psychic distance, or if her characters would always feel just out of reach. 
Now we're getting some of the character's internal thoughts, but still in third person. Level 4
 The glare of the laptop, the ache in her wrist, the endless shuffle of half-written sentences—her doubts pressed closer every minute.
 The narration is now inside the character's immediate sensory experience and emotions. Level 5
 Why can't I get this right? Maybe I'm not meant to be a writer after all.
 We're now essentially inside the character's head, hearing her (relatable!) direct thoughts. By sliding between the different levels, it makes writing feel more dynamic. If you jump between levels, though, it can feel discordant. 
String these sentences together and you have the start of story. Jump from L1 to L5, and it's jarring for your reader.

4. What do you think? This slide is a torn piece of paper with discussion questions for writers about using the "Psychic Distance" technique. There's a speech bubble repeating "TOOLS not RULES," a Bluesky butterfly, and palm fronds in the background. Transcription: What do you think? So, what's your take on Psychic Distance? Is it entirely subconscious for you, or do you pay attention to the flow of your scenes, zooming in and out with more forethought? Where does your writing mostly sit L1–L5? Why not share your experience or a snippet with the community? Hot takes welcome—just please don't set anyone on fire! BONUS Challenge! Why not try an experiment? Take a paragraph from your WIP and play around with the Psychic Distance to achieve a different tone or mood. Can you make scenes less or more intense by sliding up and down the scale? What happens when you stay at the same level the whole time?

Welcome back to #SummerOfStory

Day 2: Psychic Distance

A technique most writers probably use subconsciously, but can you get more out of your scenes if you actively fine-tune PD?

NB: These ideas are not my own. I'm not trying to tell anyone how to write, just prompt discussion.

#WritingPrompt

This is great advice and really well-communicated! I'm going to go back and see how well my WIP follows this guidance.

Do you ever find it in conflict with parts of the story where you want to set a specific mood or do some worldbuilding?

I just released my debut book, Sweet & Wild this week! It’s a MM Fantasy Romance that’s cozy adjacent, full of magic and nature!
Universal Link: books2read.com/u/bzNng9
Itch: applesncinnamon.itch.io/sweet-wild
Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/alexlarkspur...
Cover art by @northyme.com

#WeeknightWriters

The "street", where many of us grew up playing with that one really sarcastic friend (or *were* that really sarcastic friend).

Writing the relationship between these two has been one of the best parts of this journey.

#WIPSnips #BookSky #WriteSky

For the word "balance", a moment of tension.

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The end of a busy weekend that unfortunately allowed no time for writing. Posting a #WIPSnips as an "apology" to myself to get re-motivated.

#BookSky #WriteSky

This is the first snippet I'm putting out into the world. Feels so vulnerable! But I wanted to board the #WIPSnips train.

#WritingSky #BookSky

This is absolutely true! I've already thrown out some whole chapters and a story direction I thought I wanted to go in because it just felt contrived and I couldn't make it work. If I can't convince myself, I certainly won't be able to convince my readers.

For me, I think the story and the world feel so much more open in the beginning. Even though I have an outline of where I want things to go, there are so many ways to explore the finer details. But by the back third, the stakes are so much higher and the conclusion needs to hit the right notes.

Just broke 50,000 words 😰 My first few chapters flowed like a river, but I've definitely slowed down at the roughly two-thirds mark. What's everyone else's experience? Fast out of the gates and slower later, or struggle to get started but all good once you get going? Sprint or marathon?

#booksky

Thank you! Yeah, I haven't been on Twitter/X for a few years now and from what I've seen of it lately, I'm definitely not missing out. 🤢

Hi everyone! New to Bluesky and a first-time author, working on a story I've had cooking for a while. I hope everyone will be able to read it soon! Until then I'd love to connect with other readers/authors 💗

📕 Novels
🖋️ Writing
👨🏼‍🤝‍👨🏾 Young adult
🦄 Fiction

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