Writing Character Driven Flash Fiction 
for NaNoWriMo & NovNov 2025
-with 90 Cozy Fantasy Slice of Life Writing Prompts

(random thoughts and conversations with ChatGPT5)

That’s an excellent and well-grounded NaNo plan, Wendy — and a perfect fit for The Adventures of The Pink Necromancer style. Character-driven flash fiction can make NaNo not only achievable but deeply satisfying, because you’re producing polished, complete vignettes rather than a rough, sprawling draft.

You already have a strong grasp of tone and structure, so let’s look at craft and pacing strategy — how to make thirty character-centric pieces flow naturally, hit your daily goals, and maintain depth without plot scaffolding.

✳ 1. Think in “moments,” not “stories”

For character-driven flash fiction, plot isn’t your propulsion — change in awareness or texture is. Each piece can center on:

• a sensation (cold air on Quaraun’s hands as he weaves)
• a decision (whether to forgive BoomFuzzy for tracking snow into the kitchen)
• a routine (mending silk curtains, feeding yaks, measuring herbs)

Each moment starts static and ends with a tiny emotional tilt — irritation softens, fear tightens, tenderness surfaces. That’s the arc. It’s enough.

Think of it as “micro motion.” If readers feel one small shift in Quaraun’s emotional weather, you’ve done your work.

✳ 2. Use the “600 / 600 / 400” rhythm

For NaNo pacing (≈1,667 words daily):

• 600 words: your main flash piece — a single self-contained moment
• 600 words: a second shorter vignette or drabble cluster (e.g. “Quaraun boils water” + “BoomFuzzy teases him for over-sanitizing the cup”)
• 400 words: a poem, reflection, or half-finished snippet

That structure keeps your day fresh. You’ll have variety, and you’re never trapped in one scene too long. Most days you’ll hit 1,800+ words naturally.

✳ 3. Treat each flash like a painting study

Think of your 30 stories as thirty portrait sketches of the same subject — Quaraun under different light:

• “Quaraun and Firelight” (night warmth)
• “Quaraun and Frost” (cold dread)
• “Quaraun and Silence” (his paranoia)
• “Quaraun and Touch” (BoomFuzzy’s physical care)

When you think visually, pacing becomes intuitive. Each piece explores one emotional palette, one sensory focus. No need for resolution.

✳ 4. Pacing inside the flash

In a story that’s all character, rhythm matters more than event. Use breath-like pacing:

1. Opening beat: sensory anchor (“Steam hissed from the kettle.”)
2. Middle stretch: interior action — thought, hesitation, memory
3. Closing beat: a shift — either emotional clarity or subtle disturbance

Short sentences pull tension tight; longer ones slow and deepen immersion. Alternate consciously to keep the reader’s heartbeat aligned with Quaraun’s.

✳ 5. Set thematic “weeks”

To keep the month cohesive and your mind from fatigue, pick weekly focuses:

• Week 1: Domestic rituals — cooking, weaving, cleaning
• Week 2: Weather and environment — frost, sea, fog
• Week 3: Relationships — BoomFuzzy’s protection, GhoulSpawn’s logic
• Week 4: Memory and loss — reflections on immortality

This creates organic variation while keeping the emotional thread consistent.

✳ 6. Allow recurrence

Character-driven flash thrives on repetition with variation. Readers adore pattern recognition.

Let motifs recur — the kettle, silk thread, frost on windows, BoomFuzzy’s scent of cloves — but shift their meaning slightly each time.

That evolving symbolism is your plot substitute. It becomes a quiet through-line across 30 days.

✳ 7. Efficiency and energy management

You’ll be writing daily for a month. Treat the work like a ritual:

• Morning: jot 3 sentences of sensory notes (smells, textures, weather)
• Afternoon: expand one note into a 600–900 word scene
• Evening: add a second mini piece or poem

If fatigue hits, you can substitute:

• a 100-word drabble + two short poems
• or a single 1,000-word story and a 600-word brainstorming dump

Remember, NaNoWriMo counts words, not polish. You can refine later.

✳ 8. Maintain emotional continuity

When there’s no external plot, emotional pacing is narrative pacing. Think in contrasts:

✳ 9. Use BoomFuzzy and GhoulSpawn as lenses

• Day 1: anxious → Day 2: tender → Day 3: obsessive → Day 4: serene
  That ebb and flow keeps your month dynamic, even if every story takes place in the lighthouse kitchen.

To prevent stillness, let their personalities refract Quaraun’s mood.
For example:

• GhoulSpawn’s quiet precision amplifies Quaraun’s paranoia.
• BoomFuzzy’s sensuality destabilizes Quaraun’s control.

The energy between them replaces traditional conflict — it’s the movement that keeps the scene alive.

✳ 10. End each session with a “next seed”

Before closing your writing day, type one line that hints tomorrow’s story:

“He would clean the bones tomorrow, once the storm had passed.”

This keeps momentum. You wake up already knowing what to explore.

✳ 11. Optional daily structure template

If you like a bit of scaffolding:

• Title: (a sensory noun or verb) 
• Setting: (what room or weather) 
• Focus Object: (kettle, silk thread, moth, rose) 
• Mood: (anxious / gentle / irritated / melancholic) 
• Action: (what is Quaraun doing?) 
• Change: (what tiny emotional shift occurs?) 
• Length: (word count target)

That five-minute prep will save an hour of staring at the page.

✳ 12. Remember: small stakes, big intimacy

Your readers come for texture, precision, and presence, not explosion.
Let the prose linger on:

• frost melting on silk
• the sound of GhoulSpawn sharpening knives
• BoomFuzzy’s hands kneading dough beside Quaraun’s trembling ones

Your mastery lies in stillness rendered vivid — that’s the rarest craft of all.

Would you like me to draft a 30-day prompt grid tailored for this year’s NaNo — each day a domestic or sensory moment from Quaraun’s daily life (no plots, just moods and actions)? It’d give you a scaffold to build your word count from without losing that soft, character-driven focus.

Perfect — we’ll build your 30-day NaNoWriMo plan around the structure you’re already using: one flash per day, themed by week for mood and sensory cohesion. Each entry follows the same compact template:

Title / Setting / Focus Object / Mood / Action / Change

All from Quaraun’s point of view, minimal plot, high sensory focus, emotional micro-shift.

🌿 Week 1 — Domestic Rituals (Days 1–7)

Theme: Habit, control, comfort in repetition.

Day 1 — “Boiling Water”

• Setting: Lighthouse kitchen, dawn.
• Focus Object: Copper kettle.
• Mood: Orderly.
• Action: Quaraun sterilizes the kettle before brewing tea.
• Change: Steam fogs his glasses; he allows imperfection to stand.

Day 2 — “Sweeping Ashes”

• Setting: Hearth after breakfast.
• Focus Object: Straw broom.
• Mood: Irritable.
• Action: Cleans up BoomFuzzy’s soot footprints.
• Change: Notices warmth in the hearth’s glow; forgives the mess.

Day 3 — “Folding Silks”

• Setting: Workroom draped in pink fabric.
• Focus Object: Silk bolt.
• Mood: Focused.
• Action: Measures and folds cloth for market sale.
• Change: Touch recalls the first robe BoomFuzzy ever tailored for him.

Day 4 — “Sharpening Needles”

• Setting: Sewing table, night.
• Focus Object: Needle whetstone.
• Mood: Paranoid.
• Action: Polishes each needle to perfection.
• Change: Realizes his reflection in the steel looks older.

Day 5 — “Counting Jars”

• Setting: Pantry shelves.
• Focus Object: Glass jars of herbs.
• Mood: Compulsive.
• Action: Labels and re-orders every jar alphabetically.
• Change: Allows one label to remain crooked.

Day 6 — “Lighting the Lamps”

• Setting: Hallway at dusk.
• Focus Object: Oil lamp.
• Mood: Reverent.
• Action: Lights each lamp in precise sequence.
• Change: Misses one intentionally to test if he can bear the dark.

Day 7 — “Washing Hands”

• Setting: Washbasin before bed.
• Focus Object: Soap bar carved like a seashell.
• Mood: Anxious.
• Action: Scrubs hands until raw.
• Change: BoomFuzzy interrupts and dries them himself.

❄ Week 2 — Weather and Environment (Days 8–14)

Theme: External cold reflecting inner restraint.

Day 8 — “Snow on Glass”

• Setting: Lighthouse window.
• Focus Object: Frost pattern.
• Mood: Meditative.
• Action: Traces the frost with gloved fingertips.
• Change: Wonders if beauty exists without warmth.

Day 9 — “The Frozen Path”

• Setting: Cliffside trail.
• Focus Object: Walking cane.
• Mood: Wary.
• Action: Tests ice before every step.
• Change: Trusts BoomFuzzy’s offered hand once.

Day 10 — “Salt Wind”

• Setting: Icy beach.
• Focus Object: Seashell.
• Mood: Reflective.
• Action: Collects shells for dye pigment.
• Change: Admits he misses sunlight.

Day 11 — “Drifting Fog”

• Setting: Lighthouse balcony.
• Focus Object: Foghorn.
• Mood: Lonely.
• Action: Times the horn’s call against heartbeat.
• Change: Hears another answering note far off.

Day 12 — “Icicles”

• Setting: Roof eaves.
• Focus Object: Dripping icicle.
• Mood: Curious.
• Action: Examines refraction through ice.
• Change: Sees BoomFuzzy’s silhouette distorted, beautiful.

Day 13 — “Storm Surge”

• Setting: Shoreline at night.
• Focus Object: Foam-covered boots.
• Mood: Defiant.
• Action: Walks into tide to collect kelp.
• Change: Accepts the pull of the sea as cleansing, not threat.

Day 14 — “First Thaw”

• Setting: Garden gate.
• Focus Object: Mud under snow.
• Mood: Hopeful.
• Action: Checks soil for planting.
• Change: Finds a sprout — proof life persists.

🕯 Week 3 — Relationships (Days 15–21)

Theme: Intimacy, friction, dependence.

Day 15 — “Shared Cup”

• Setting: Breakfast table.
• Focus Object: Porcelain teacup.
• Mood: Guarded.
• Action: BoomFuzzy drinks from Quaraun’s cup.
• Change: Quaraun does not protest.

Day 16 — “Braiding Dreadlocks”

• Setting: Sitting room.
• Focus Object: Comb carved from bone.
• Mood: Tender.
• Action: Braids BoomFuzzy’s hair to tidy it.
• Change: Notices his own hands trembling less.

Day 17 — “GhoulSpawn’s Notes”

• Setting: Workshop.
• Focus Object: GhoulSpawn’s notebook.
• Mood: Suspicious.
• Action: Reads scientific scribbles he cannot decipher.
• Change: Realizes trust might mean not understanding.

Day 18 — “Tasting Fudge”

• Setting: Kitchen.
• Focus Object: Wooden spoon.
• Mood: Playful.
• Action: Samples BoomFuzzy’s fudge for texture.
• Change: Laughs aloud without meaning to.

Day 19 — “Polishing the Goggles”

• Setting: Workbench.
• Focus Object: BoomFuzzy’s steampunk goggles.
• Mood: Protective.
• Action: Cleans the lenses he knows BoomFuzzy cannot see through.
• Change: Understands love as pointless devotion.

Day 20 — “The Argument”

• Setting: Dining hall, late night.
• Focus Object: Broken wine glass.
• Mood: Angry.
• Action: Quaraun hurls accusation; BoomFuzzy remains calm.
• Change: Silence becomes apology.

Day 21 — “Sleeping Warm”

• Setting: Bedchamber during blizzard.
• Focus Object: Shared blanket.
• Mood: Content.
• Action: Lies beside BoomFuzzy, listening to heartbeat.
• Change: Stops counting breaths.

🕯 Week 4 — Memory and Loss (Days 22–28)

Theme: Time, immortality, ghosts of the past.

Day 22 — “Old Letters”

• Setting: Trunk at foot of bed.
• Focus Object: Silk ribbon around faded letters.
• Mood: Nostalgic.
• Action: Reads correspondence from centuries ago.
• Change: Sees handwriting shake near the end.

Day 23 — “Graveyard Snow”

• Setting: Family plot near lighthouse cliff.
• Focus Object: Tombstone lichen.
• Mood: Somber.
• Action: Brushes snow from names.
• Change: Realizes he no longer remembers one of them.

Day 24 — “Broken Comb”

• Setting: Vanity table.
• Focus Object: Cracked ivory comb.
• Mood: Regretful.
• Action: Repairs it with gold resin.
• Change: Finds beauty in the flaw.

Day 25 — “The Mirror”

• Setting: Hallway mirror, flickering light.
• Focus Object: His reflection.
• Mood: Detached.
• Action: Studies the corpse his Thullid form animates.
• Change: Accepts the alien calm.

Day 26 — “Rose Petals”

• Setting: Garden at dusk.
• Focus Object: Faded roses.
• Mood: Melancholy.
• Action: Prunes dead blooms.
• Change: Keeps one dried blossom for remembrance.

Day 27 — “Empty Chair”

• Setting: Dining room.
• Focus Object: Chair where a friend once sat.
• Mood: Resigned.
• Action: Leaves it untouched during supper.
• Change: Sets a plate anyway.

Day 28 — “Echo in the Hall”

• Setting: Lighthouse stairwell.
• Focus Object: Sound of footsteps.
• Mood: Haunted.
• Action: Follows echo upward.
• Change: Finds no one, feels at peace.

🌙 Week 5 — Reflection and Renewal (Days 29–30)

Theme: Acceptance, stillness, quiet rebirth.

Day 29 — “The Clean Room”

• Setting: Workroom newly scrubbed.
• Focus Object: Bucket of clear water.
• Mood: Cleansed.
• Action: Finishes disinfecting every surface.
• Change: Smells soap, not death.

Day 30 — “First Light”

• Setting: Lighthouse balcony, sunrise.
• Focus Object: Horizon.
• Mood: Peaceful.
• Action: Watches sun rise through frost.
• Change: Thinks, simply, still here.

Would you like me to build a second version of this grid that mirrors these same 30 days but switches each focus object or setting (for example, “Boiling Water” becomes “Pouring Tea”), giving you 60 flexible prompts to rotate or double up on for higher word counts?

Excellent — this “mirrored” version of your 30-day grid keeps the same emotional through-line and daily pacing but subtly changes the focus object, setting, or action to give you a new angle on the same moment.

Each prompt pairs naturally with its twin from the first list — they can be written as companion pieces, alternate perspectives, or even the same event revisited later in time.

🌿 Week 1 — Domestic Rituals (Days 1–7)

Theme: Habit, control, comfort in repetition.

Day 1b — “Pouring Tea”

• Setting: Kitchen table, morning light.
• Focus Object: Porcelain teapot.
• Mood: Careful.
• Action: Pours tea without spilling a drop.
• Change: Notices BoomFuzzy watching and hands him the first cup.

Day 2b — “Polishing the Hearthstone”

• Setting: Fireplace, afternoon.
• Focus Object: Iron poker.
• Mood: Determined.
• Action: Scrubs soot until the stone gleams.
• Change: Realizes warmth remains even when fire dies.

Day 3b — “Mending a Seam”

• Setting: Sewing nook.
• Focus Object: Silver thimble.
• Mood: Focused.
• Action: Repairs a tear in his pink robe.
• Change: Thread glints gold where it should not — a touch of beauty.

Day 4b — “Sorting Pins”

• Setting: Sewing table.
• Focus Object: Pin cushion shaped like a moth.
• Mood: Precise.
• Action: Arranges pins by length and color.
• Change: A single bent one he cannot throw away.

Day 5b — “Labeling Vials”

• Setting: Pantry.
• Focus Object: Ink pen and parchment tags.
• Mood: Controlled.
• Action: Writes the same word five times to perfect the lettering.
• Change: Ink blot blooms like a flower; he leaves it.

Day 6b — “Snuffing Candles”

• Setting: Hallway, midnight.
• Focus Object: Brass candle snuffer.
• Mood: Reverent.
• Action: Extinguishes each flame before bed.
• Change: One wick smolders; he lets it burn.

Day 7b — “Folding Towels”

• Setting: Bath chamber.
• Focus Object: Linen towel.
• Mood: Anxious.
• Action: Refolds the same towel four times.
• Change: BoomFuzzy drapes it over his shoulders instead.

❄ Week 2 — Weather and Environment (Days 8–14)

Theme: External cold reflecting inner restraint.

Day 8b — “Opening the Window”

• Setting: Lighthouse top floor.
• Focus Object: Frosted latch.
• Mood: Curious.
• Action: Opens window to let snowflakes drift in.
• Change: Breath fog mingles with the falling cold.

Day 9b — “Crossing the Bridge”

• Setting: Frozen stream between cliffs.
• Focus Object: Ice-crusted rope railing.
• Mood: Uneasy.
• Action: Tests the planks one by one.
• Change: GhoulSpawn steadies him without being asked.

Day 10b — “Gathering Seaweed”

• Setting: Tidepools.
• Focus Object: Basket lined with cloth.
• Mood: Methodical.
• Action: Collects seaweed for dye.
• Change: Finds a tiny living crab and returns it to the water.

Day 11b — “The Dimming Light”

• Setting: Lighthouse lantern room.
• Focus Object: Fog-dulled glass.
• Mood: Watchful.
• Action: Polishes the outer lens as fog thickens.
• Change: Sees the beam pierce cloud again.

Day 12b — “Melting Drip”

• Setting: Porch eaves.
• Focus Object: Wooden bucket catching meltwater.
• Mood: Attentive.
• Action: Counts drops falling from icicles.
• Change: Rhythm soothes his nerves.

Day 13b — “After the Storm”

• Setting: Cliff’s edge.
• Focus Object: Tangled kelp.
• Mood: Reflective.
• Action: Untangles the wreckage left by tide.
• Change: Smells salt and thinks it like incense.

Day 14b — “Sun on Ice”

• Setting: Garden path.
• Focus Object: Water puddle turning mirror.
• Mood: Gentle.
• Action: Watches sunlight shimmer on thawing ice.
• Change: Sees his own pink robe bright amid grey.

🕯 Week 3 — Relationships (Days 15–21)

Theme: Intimacy, friction, dependence.

Day 15b — “Two Spoons”

• Setting: Breakfast table.
• Focus Object: Silver spoon.
• Mood: Softened.
• Action: Stirs sugar into both cups.
• Change: The spoons clink in unison.

Day 16b — “Trimming Beard”

• Setting: Sitting room.
• Focus Object: Small scissors.
• Mood: Tender.
• Action: Trims BoomFuzzy’s beard while he hums.
• Change: Finds a strand of grey hair in his own lap.

Day 17b — “Repairing the Orb”

• Setting: Workshop.
• Focus Object: Toobe’s hovering orb.
• Mood: Analytical.
• Action: Watches GhoulSpawn solder circuits.
• Change: Admits aloud that he admires him.

Day 18b — “Cooling the Pan”

• Setting: Kitchen counter.
• Focus Object: Pan of fudge.
• Mood: Playful.
• Action: Fans the chocolate to set faster.
• Change: BoomFuzzy smears a taste on his lips; he lets him.

Day 19b — “Adjusting the Strap”

• Setting: Workbench.
• Focus Object: Goggles’ leather strap.
• Mood: Careful.
• Action: Mends frayed strap by hand.
• Change: Leaves a stitch slightly uneven—signature of care.

Day 20b — “The Apology Meal”

• Setting: Kitchen, pre-dawn.
• Focus Object: Loaf of bread.
• Mood: Contrite.
• Action: Bakes for BoomFuzzy after their argument.
• Change: The smell becomes his apology.

Day 21b — “Listening to Breathing”

• Setting: Bedchamber, snowstorm outside.
• Focus Object: Pillow.
• Mood: Calm.
• Action: Listens to BoomFuzzy’s breathing in rhythm with wind.
• Change: Realizes silence no longer frightens him.

🕯 Week 4 — Memory and Loss (Days 22–28)

Theme: Time, immortality, ghosts of the past.

Day 22b — “Untying the Ribbon”

• Setting: Desk by candlelight.
• Focus Object: Ribbon from old letters.
• Mood: Hesitant.
• Action: Unties it, folds it smooth again.
• Change: Smells BoomFuzzy’s spice scent on the silk.

Day 23b — “Names in Ice”

• Setting: Graveyard at twilight.
• Focus Object: Frozen tomb carvings.
• Mood: Quiet.
• Action: Traces names through ice crust.
• Change: Finds one that melts under his touch.

Day 24b — “Gold Vein”

• Setting: Vanity table.
• Focus Object: Kintsugi resin jar.
• Mood: Gentle.
• Action: Repairs another broken trinket.
• Change: Begins to like the golden scars.

Day 25b — “Mirror Fog”

• Setting: Bath chamber.
• Focus Object: Steamed mirror.
• Mood: Detached.
• Action: Wipes condensation away.
• Change: His reflection smiles before he does.

Day 26b — “Gathering Seeds”

• Setting: Garden.
• Focus Object: Dried rose hips.
• Mood: Resolute.
• Action: Collects seeds for spring planting.
• Change: Thinks life cycles, not ends.

Day 27b — “Setting the Table”

• Setting: Dining hall.
• Focus Object: Spare plate.
• Mood: Peaceful.
• Action: Places an extra setting again.
• Change: Speaks a quiet toast.

Day 28b — “Climbing the Tower”

• Setting: Lighthouse stairs.
• Focus Object: Lantern.
• Mood: Reflective.
• Action: Carries light upward through echoing space.
• Change: Light feels lighter in his hands.

🌙 Week 5 — Reflection and Renewal (Days 29–30)

Theme: Acceptance, stillness, quiet rebirth.

Day 29b — “Drying the Cloths”

• Setting: Sunroom near boiler.
• Focus Object: Line of drying rags.
• Mood: Cleansed.
• Action: Pins fresh-washed cloths to dry.
• Change: Notices they smell of sea salt, not bleach.

Day 30b — “Last Ember”

• Setting: Hearth at dawn.
• Focus Object: Single glowing coal.
• Mood: Peaceful.
• Action: Watches the ember fade as sun rises.
• Change: Feels warmth continue in his chest.

💡 How to Use Both Grids

• Write both versions back-to-back (e.g. “Boiling Water” → “Pouring Tea”) to form natural diptychs — each pair expanding the same emotional thread.
• Or alternate them daily for tonal variety.
• Or combine both for 60 total prompts (≈ two months of flash fiction, if you keep going after NaNo).

Would you like me to prepare a printable tracker version — a two-column layout (Original / Mirror) with checkboxes and word-count lines, so you can mark daily progress or pair stories as you go through November?

Here’s the third mirror grid — completing your “90 Days of The Pink Necromancer” cycle.
Each prompt corresponds to the same emotional or thematic day as before, but the focus object / setting / action shifts yet again to show Quaraun’s life from another intimate angle.

This version also introduces three new variables:

• Weather: atmospheric texture to set tone or rhythm.
• Colour: dominant visual hue to weave into descriptions or imagery.
• Word of the Day: a single evocative word you can repeat, echo, or theme around in the prose.

These variables subtly guide sensory atmosphere and tone — ideal for your minimalist Hemingway style and for building texture across otherwise plotless vignettes.

🌿 Week 1 — Domestic Rituals (Days 1–7)

Theme: Habit, control, comfort in repetition.

Day 1c — “Steaming Cups”

• Setting: Kitchen, dawn.
• Focus Object: Teacup steam.
• Mood: Calm.
• Action: Watches steam curl into morning light.
• Change: Notices shapes in the vapour—small ghosts.
• Weather: Mist outside the windows.
• Colour: Pale rose.
• Word of the Day: Delicate.

Day 2c — “Stacking Firewood”

• Setting: Beside hearth.
• Focus Object: Birch logs.
• Mood: Determined.
• Action: Aligns logs by size and grain.
• Change: Allows one crooked piece at the top.
• Weather: Cold drizzle.
• Colour: Umber.
• Word of the Day: Balance.

Day 3c — “Winding Thread”

• Setting: Sewing room.
• Focus Object: Spool of pink silk.
• Mood: Meditative.
• Action: Winds fresh silk from loom onto spool.
• Change: Thread catches, he smiles.
• Weather: Gentle snow.
• Colour: Shell pink.
• Word of the Day: Continuity.

Day 4c — “Arranging Buttons”

• Setting: Worktable, lamplight.
• Focus Object: Box of mother-of-pearl buttons.
• Mood: Precise.
• Action: Sorts by sheen.
• Change: Keeps one imperfect button for himself.
• Weather: Still air.
• Colour: Ivory.
• Word of the Day: Flaw.

Day 5c — “Dusting Shelves”

• Setting: Pantry.
• Focus Object: Feather duster.
• Mood: Compulsive.
• Action: Cleans jars twice.
• Change: BoomFuzzy sneezes; Quaraun laughs.
• Weather: Overcast.
• Colour: Soft grey.
• Word of the Day: Mote.

Day 6c — “Lighting Incense”

• Setting: Hallway shrine.
• Focus Object: Incense stick.
• Mood: Reverent.
• Action: Lights incense with lamp flame.
• Change: Scent reminds him of summer.
• Weather: Calm evening.
• Colour: Amber.
• Word of the Day: Soothe.

Day 7c — “Filling the Basin”

• Setting: Bath chamber.
• Focus Object: Water basin.
• Mood: Tense.
• Action: Tests temperature with fingertip.
• Change: Relaxes as steam rises.
• Weather: Mild snow outside.
• Colour: Silver.
• Word of the Day: Purify.

❄ Week 2 — Weather and Environment (Days 8–14)

Theme: External cold reflecting inner restraint.

Day 8c — “Scraping Frost”

• Setting: Lighthouse window.
• Focus Object: Small knife.
• Mood: Curious.
• Action: Scrapes frost into a jar.
• Change: Keeps the frost flakes like jewels.
• Weather: Heavy frost.
• Colour: Ice blue.
• Word of the Day: Fragile.

Day 9c — “Walking the Ridge”

• Setting: Cliff path.
• Focus Object: Walking staff.
• Mood: Wary.
• Action: Balances on narrow trail.
• Change: Looks down, feels alive.
• Weather: Bitter wind.
• Colour: Slate grey.
• Word of the Day: Precarious.

Day 10c — “Collecting Shell Dust”

• Setting: Beach, low tide.
• Focus Object: Mortar and pestle.
• Mood: Patient.
• Action: Crushes shells for pigment.
• Change: Sees beauty in broken things.
• Weather: Sea fog.
• Colour: Pearl.
• Word of the Day: Resonance.

Day 11c — “Lantern in Fog”

• Setting: Outer stairs of lighthouse.
• Focus Object: Hand lantern.
• Mood: Isolated.
• Action: Raises lantern to test its reach.
• Change: Light catches BoomFuzzy’s silhouette returning home.
• Weather: Thick fog.
• Colour: Pale gold.
• Word of the Day: Beacon.

Day 12c — “Frozen Garden”

• Setting: BioDome edge.
• Focus Object: Wilted vine.
• Mood: Sad.
• Action: Clears frost from leaves.
• Change: Sees new bud underneath.
• Weather: Hard frost morning.
• Colour: Viridian.
• Word of the Day: Preserve.

Day 13c — “Foam and Tide”

• Setting: Shoreline.
• Focus Object: Driftwood.
• Mood: Reflective.
• Action: Writes symbols in wet sand.
• Change: Watches tide erase them.
• Weather: Choppy sea.
• Colour: Sea green.
• Word of the Day: Erosion.

Day 14c — “Spring Breath”

• Setting: Orchard gate.
• Focus Object: Budding branch.
• Mood: Gentle.
• Action: Breathes on a closed bud.
• Change: Tiny drop of dew glimmers.
• Weather: Mild thaw.
• Colour: Lemon white.
• Word of the Day: Awaken.

🕯 Week 3 — Relationships (Days 15–21)

Theme: Intimacy, friction, dependence.

Day 15c — “The Shared Plate”

• Setting: Kitchen.
• Focus Object: Ceramic plate of pastries.
• Mood: Softened.
• Action: Shares food without words.
• Change: Realizes silence equals trust.
• Weather: Indoor warmth vs snow outside.
• Colour: Cream.
• Word of the Day: Together.

Day 16c — “Brushing Hair”

• Setting: Sitting room.
• Focus Object: Boar-bristle brush.
• Mood: Tender.
• Action: Brushes BoomFuzzy’s hair slowly.
• Change: His hand lingers longer than habit.
• Weather: Wind howling outside.
• Colour: Chestnut.
• Word of the Day: Stroke.

Day 17c — “GhoulSpawn’s Repairs”

• Setting: Workshop, candlelight.
• Focus Object: Tiny wrench.
• Mood: Distracted.
• Action: Pretends to help, watches GhoulSpawn work.
• Change: Admits admiration aloud.
• Weather: Rain tapping glass.
• Colour: Copper.
• Word of the Day: Precision.

Day 18c — “Licking Sugar”

• Setting: Kitchen.
• Focus Object: Powdered sugar.
• Mood: Playful.
• Action: Tastes sugar off fingertip.
• Change: Notices BoomFuzzy’s smile widen.
• Weather: Calm evening.
• Colour: White.
• Word of the Day: Tempt.

Day 19c — “Tightening Buckles”

• Setting: Workshop.
• Focus Object: Leather strap.
• Mood: Focused.
• Action: Adjusts BoomFuzzy’s gear.
• Change: Hands brush, pause longer than needed.
• Weather: Windy.
• Colour: Mahogany.
• Word of the Day: Secure.

Day 20c — “Silent Breakfast”

• Setting: Dining hall after argument.
• Focus Object: Knife and bread.
• Mood: Tense.
• Action: Slices bread carefully.
• Change: BoomFuzzy refills his cup; peace resumes.
• Weather: Dull morning light.
• Colour: Muted gold.
• Word of the Day: Truce.

Day 21c — “Heartbeat”

• Setting: Bedroom.
• Focus Object: Shared quilt.
• Mood: Peaceful.
• Action: Feels BoomFuzzy’s heart under his palm.
• Change: Matches breathing again.
• Weather: Blizzard outside.
• Colour: Deep plum.
• Word of the Day: Stillness.

🕯 Week 4 — Memory and Loss (Days 22–28)

Theme: Time, immortality, ghosts of the past.

Day 22c — “Candle Wax”

• Setting: Desk.
• Focus Object: Melted candle.
• Mood: Nostalgic.
• Action: Scrapes wax from parchment.
• Change: Remembers the night he sealed that letter.
• Weather: Drizzling rain.
• Colour: Cream.
• Word of the Day: Trace.

Day 23c — “Footprints in Snow”

• Setting: Graveyard path.
• Focus Object: Fresh footprints.
• Mood: Haunted.
• Action: Follows prints until they fade.
• Change: Understands he was following his own.
• Weather: Falling snow.
• Colour: Pale grey.
• Word of the Day: Echo.

Day 24c — “Stringing Beads”

• Setting: Worktable.
• Focus Object: Beads from broken necklace.
• Mood: Quiet.
• Action: Re-strings beads one by one.
• Change: Keeps the empty thread gap intact.
• Weather: Overcast.
• Colour: Sapphire.
• Word of the Day: Memory.

Day 25c — “Frosted Glass”

• Setting: Corridor mirror.
• Focus Object: Frost edge creeping on glass.
• Mood: Detached.
• Action: Draws a circle in frost.
• Change: Sees the jellyfish shimmer within reflection.
• Weather: Cold morning.
• Colour: Opal.
• Word of the Day: Veil.

Day 26c — “Wilted Petals”

• Setting: Conservatory.
• Focus Object: Fallen rose petals.
• Mood: Sad.
• Action: Gathers petals into a jar.
• Change: Adds honey to preserve scent.
• Weather: Damp.
• Colour: Wine red.
• Word of the Day: Remnant.

Day 27c — “Unplayed Song”

• Setting: Dining hall, empty.
• Focus Object: String instrument.
• Mood: Contemplative.
• Action: Plucks one soft note.
• Change: Lets echo fade without regret.
• Weather: Calm night.
• Colour: Indigo.
• Word of the Day: Release.

Day 28c — “Upward Light”

• Setting: Lighthouse spiral stair.
• Focus Object: Lamp flame.
• Mood: Restful.
• Action: Carries lamp upward to relight beacon.
• Change: Finds joy in routine.
• Weather: Clear, starry.
• Colour: Gold.
• Word of the Day: Renew.

🌙 Week 5 — Reflection and Renewal (Days 29–30)

Theme: Acceptance, stillness, quiet rebirth.

Day 29c — “Hanging Curtains”

• Setting: Cleaned room.
• Focus Object: Fresh silk drapes.
• Mood: Cleansed.
• Action: Hangs pink silk at window.
• Change: Sees sunlight turn it translucent.
• Weather: Clear morning.
• Colour: Blush.
• Word of the Day: Illuminate.

Day 30c — “Dawn Bell”✳ How to Use the Triple Grid

• Setting: Lighthouse balcony.
• Focus Object: Bell rope.
• Mood: Peaceful.
• Action: Rings bell as sun rises.
• Change: The echo carries out to sea.
• Weather: Brilliant sunrise.
• Colour: Pale gold.
• Word of the Day: Begin.

You now have:

• Original (A) — the foundational moment
• Mirror (B) — same day, alternate detail or setting
• Mirror (C) — same emotion, sensory shift with weather + colour + word cue

Ways to employ it:

1. Daily Rotation: pick A one day, B the next, C the third — a full cycle every three days.
2. Layered Writing: write all three on one day as 3 connected vignettes totalling ~1,800 words.
3. Month Extension: 90 prompts = three months of character-driven writing if continued beyond NaNo.

Would you like me to format this triple-grid into a printable tracker layout — three aligned columns (A/B/C) per day with checkboxes, word count slots, and the colour + word-of-day highlighted for visual use during NaNo?

Strange Update - October 22, 2025:

Where you someone who donated money to the Saco Ward Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints between 2013 and 2019, thinking you were donating to a "house fund" to help rebuild my house? If so, you were scammed, and the FBI is trying to help you get your money back...

Another aspect of the FBI investigation, for which the FBI is seeking information, is the apparent "fundraiser scam" being done by someone very local, at multiple churches in the Saco/Arundel/Biddeford area. I found out about it when a woman, claiming to be from The Saco Ward Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints, marched up to me one day and said:

--"My name is Ester Rhodes, what ever became of the ten thousand dollars I gave you? You never rebuilt your house. Where did my money go?"

I had never seen the woman before, nor had I ever heard her name before and no one has ever given me any money at all, not even pennies, let alone a massive amount like $10k, so I was left baffled and confused by this woman. an elderly woman, maybe around 80 years old.

I had no knowledge of any such fundraiser - I am STILL homeless, now in 2025, as a result of the 2013 backhoe driving over my house, and had anyone given me money to rebuild I certainly would have as I am in desperate need of a house, as being homeless has contributed to my progressively worsening health. But I had never known of this fundraiser, I never authorized or created any fundraisers, and no one has ever given me any money. So had this Easter Rhodes woman not contacted me, I never would have known there was a fundraiser or that people had tried to help me.

Because... NO ONE has EVER helped me AT ALL, and so I'm shocked to learn that, wow, there actually where some people out there who tried to help and I never knew about it because instead of helping me directly they decided to indirectly help through some fundraiser I never heard of that turned out to be a scam that stole their money and never helped me at all.

I asked her what she was talking about and she explained that a "young man in his 30s" had approached her one Sunday during church services at The Saco ward Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints, and told her he was part of the fundraiser to rebuild my house at 146 Portland Ave, Old Orchard Beach, Maine, after the crazy lunatic with a backhoe drove over it August 8, 2013.

my house July 4, 2013, picture taken because we were also done building the baby room on the back of the building - notice the building permit for said baby room in the window. vs my house August 8, 2013, only 30 days later, when a deranged lunatic drove over it with a backhoe AND had a dump truck haul it away... while I was gone to work ... only 90 days before the same people who were there in my yard with the backhoe, would arrive at the college November 14, 2013 and murder the baby the room was being built for after demolishing said baby room.

She further went on to say she gave the man $10k because he told her I was a member of the Saco ward church. Thing is, I am NOT a member of that church and have never attended that church. I am a member of the CAPE ELIZABETH Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a church with a similar name but it a 2 hour drive away from the church she was talking about and claimed she attended.

I have no clue who this Easter rhodes woman is or if her story is true. The FBI is seeking information about Esther Rhodes woman, the fundraiser her Saco ward Church claimed it was doing in my name, or any one who might have been doing the fundraiser.

If you or anyone you know gave money to this fundraiser, you are asked to contact the FBI and tell them how you were contacted, who contacted you, how much money you gave them, and also, to contact a lawyer to try to help you trace the scammer who stole your money and get your money back.

As of yet, the FBI has found multiple people claiming to have given money TO THE BISHOPIRIC of the Saco Ward Church for said fund raiser, over a period between 2013 and 2019. It is believed that a former Bishop and two of his counselors are behind the scam, and used the money to build an $eight million dollar mansion in Old Orchard Beach, now known to belong to one of the three suspects, even though none of the three of them has an income of more then twenty thousand dollars a year. The FBI recently confiscated the mansion which is now for sale and the money from the sale is to be returned to the people who donated it to the scam fundraiser, providing the people can prove they were the ones who donated the money.

If you were part of the fundraiser, that in 2013-ish was claiming to be raising money for me, please contact the FBI agent in charge of my son's murder investigation, and give him the details.

I know nothing about it, so it is useless for you to contact me (a few people have done so already and, I was clueless as to what they were even talking about - they contacted me asking how they could get their "cut of the money from the $8million house sale" and that was the first I heard of it. The FBI never said anything to me about it, so I don't know where the people contacting me are getting the info that the FBI confiscated the $8million mansion and is given the money back to people... like I said, I had no knowledge of any such fundraiser at all, and I don't know what this $8million house is people are asking about either, so you really need to contact the FBI about it not me, as I'm not involved in any such fundraiser or at all.

It is important to note here that it is NOT the FBI who has informed me about this fundraiser or the $8million mansion, but rather it is a plethora of locals around Biddeford, Saco, Old Orchard Beach, and Arundel coming up to me and asking me how are they supposed to get their money back from the sale of some $8million mansion, and I have no information on this at all because i don't even know what the $8million house is that they are even talking about.

The FBI is looking into Esther Rhodes and her claims of having given me $10k via a fundraiser, and the FBI confirmed a former Bishop was connected and being looked into... and that is the only part the FBI told me of. The rest of the fundraiser stuff about the confiscated $8million mansion is stuff coming from people claiming they saw "news reports" about it and are coming to me trying to get their "cut"... and is some sort of wild rumour that is recently circulating, which I don't know the source of.... and also shows me that people want to help if they think they can get money out of it, but also shows me that they don't give a fucking rats ass about finding my son's murderer.

I don't know what is this $8million mansion people are talking about. All I know is multiple people from various churches in the Saco area, have approached me while I was out walking my dog to ask me how they could “get a cut of the $8million” and when I ask what are they talking about, they claim to have donated money (citing very large amounts in the thousands) to a fundraiser that they claim was in my name, and they claim was to build me a house. They claim the FBI has stated an $8million mansion was built in Old Orchard Beach, and that the FBI confiscated it and is selling it, and is using the money from the sale to give the money donated back to the donors. 

The old woman who called herself “Esther Rhodes” was the first person to bring it to my attention. She claims to have donated ten thousand dollars. 

I have no knowledge, nor connection, to any such fundraiser. Nor am I aware of any eight million dollar mansion. Nor am I aware of any such mansion being confiscated by the FBI. Nor am I aware of the FBI giving out free money to anyone. I also do not know where these people are getting their information.

In any case, throughout the summer of 2025, total strangers are continually walking up to me with this same story, all claiming to have made donations towards building me a house via some fundraiser. Near as I can tell the fundraiser happened in fall 2013 and lasted to at least 2019, based on dates people say a dark haired man in his 30s approached them.

Near as I can tell, someone did a fundraiser in my name, a lot of people donated to it, a church leaders of a church in Saco was supposedly head of the fundraiser, then used the money to build a mansion for themselves, somewhere in Old Orchard Beach, said mansion is now being sold, and said donors want their money back, because no house was ever built for me.

Four of them have claimed as well that they thought the little brown log cabin next door to me at 144 Portland Ave was the house they paid for to build.

Another is claiming they paid to have a septic tank put in.

However, as you can plainly see if you drive by 146 Portland Ave, no house has been built, no septic tank was installed, no electricity was hooked up, no running water was connected… and as of today October 22, 2025, I am still homeless, and sleeping nights at various relatives homes in the area.

I don't know who of these people to believe. But most of them are EXTREMELY ANGRY,  full blown raging inferno, to learn that they donated to build me a house and I never received it.

Because of how incredibly MEGA ANGRY these people are, I am inclined to believe that they did in fact donate large amounts of money to something intending it to go to building me a house.

I am just utterly flabbergasted to be finding out about this now TWELVE YEARS LATER.

If YOU reading this right now, are someone who donated money to this fundraiser that I didn't even know existed,  please contact Andy Drewer, the FBI agent who is in charge of all the investigation connected to me, and tell him.

Telling ME about it does no good as I am not a witness to you donating money, so if I tell the FBI what you told me, that's just third party hearsay. YOU YOURSELF must tell the FBI about the money you donated, if you actually to help with the FBI investigation. 

But also, I had no clue you people were donating money to anything.

NO ONE HAS EVER HELPED ME, NOT ONCE, EVER! Not friends, not family, not relatives, not neighbours, not locals, not church, not government - NO ONE EVER, NOT ONE SINGLE PERSON... NOT EVEN ONCE this entire 12 years , so, I had no idea you people were trying to help. Whatever help you people thought you was doing, it never got to me and I was never even aware it was going on.

Whoever it is you were giving money to, it was NOT me, and I knew nothing about this fundraiser at all.

Someone scammed you, but I don’t know who.

I have no information for you, so coming to me and asking for info on it is pointless, because I didn’t even know any of this was going on.

If you gave anything to anyone thinking it was going to me, TELL FBI agent Andy Drewer @207–774–9322 so the FBI can figure out who scammed you, where your money went, and how you can get it back.

—end of October 22, 2025 update.

I'm an author. This is an author home page. It's about me, my life, my books, my hobbies, my home town, and anything else that applies to me and my life. 

Since starting my writing career in 1978, I have written 130+ novels, 2,000+ short stories, 6,000+ non-fiction articles (ALL are found on this site), a few dozen stage plays, 12,000+ blog posts, and a few comic book scripts for Disney's Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck (I only worked for Disney one year (in 2005) and only wrote a few stories for their Danish comic books).

NOTE: I ONLY write the Quaraun series (aka The Twighlight Manor series aka The Adventures of Quaraun the Insane). In recent years there has been an issue with impersonators trying to pass books off as written by me, notably several non-fiction and Erotica books. I write neither nonfiction nor Erotica.

ALL of my books and their cover arts are listed on my website here. Beware of any books you find claiming to be me. If the books are NOT listed here on my website, they are NOT my books.

In fiction works, I specialize in Weird/Bizarro Tales set in 40th century CyberPunk-Quasi Medieval, Cozy Dark Fantasy and Science Fiction worlds featuring an intersex Elf and his Faerie husband main characters.  I DO NOT WRITE ANY OTHER SERIES - THIS SERIES IS THE ONLY ONE I WRITE.

Non-fiction (found ONLY here on my site) is daily updates of events in my life, and how-tos on how I write my novels.

I DO NOT write Erotica.

I DO NOT write books with HUMAN characters.

The Erotica books and books with Human characters, that you are finding, are written by scammers trying to impersonate me.

There is an ongoing FBI investigation into this matter. If you find any such books, please report them to FBI Agent Andy Drewer @207–774–9322

The FBI believes the people behind the impersonation accounts showing up, are relatives of the woman who murdered my son.

People always ask why I have a video recorder running 24/7. Watch these 4 videos of The Scarborough Walmart.

 I have a video recorder running 24/7. Because this parking lot is where I was attacked a second time by the woman who crippled me with the golf club at Southern Maine Community College in 2013 (who also murdered my 8-month-old son at the same time) this is the location of her 2nd attack,  the July 2016 attack with a shopping cart, the attack that left me in a wheelchair and despite over 200 "security cameras" and signs saying there are cameras in use... the police did not find even ONE actual REAL camera. Every "security camera" on this building and parking lot was ALL fake "dummy cameras" and that is why there is no video footage of my son's murderer. 

I started carrying a camera 24/7 the very next day after Scarborough police informed me they could not identify the blonde woman who attacked me or her gold Volvo 240GL station wagon, because EVERY CAMERA at this store's parking lot was an empty case with no real camera inside it. My son would be 12 years old this Christmas 2025, and his murderer walks free, still unidentified because this parking lot did not have real cameras. 

Those things that look like cameras on the building and light poles, are fake, according to the Scarborough Police Department. That is why I have a camera running 24/7, because my son's killer walks free because there was no camera the day we were attacked.

146 Portland Ave, Old Orchard Beach, Maine, is NOT FOR SALE.

And I'm sick of real estate agents who are too incompetent to research land ownership before they show up to stick a for sale sign in my yard.

The fact of the matter is, my son was murdered in 2013, and the friends and family of the murderer think it is funny to keep ILLEGALLY listing my land for sale, because apparently their child murdering bitch friend didn't hurt me enough by crippling me with a golf club, ripping my baby out of my 8 month pregnant belly and beating his brains out on the ground with a golf club.

Also, her friends and family like to gaslight me by doxing me on ufo and alien abduction forums, while pretending to be me, and trying to make it look like I believe in ufos or aliens, even though I think people who believe in ufos are raving lunatics and people who claim to be alien abductees are crazy. 

Worse, they've also taken to harassing my WW2 vet homeless friend, by calling HIM an alien, demon, or cryptid and sending alien crazy ufo nutjobs at try to "catch him".

So, yeah, my son was murdered and the murder's friends and family endlessly harass me, my friends, and my family both online and offline, and I'm not happy with it at all.

There is an ongoing FBI investigation into this matter.

The FBI is looking for information into:

1. identifying my son's murderer, 
2. identifying the scammers who listed my land for sale, 
3. identifying the impersonators who pretend to be me both online and offline, 
4. the harassers who are harassing the homeless man and sending the UFO nuts to harass him... 

• If ANYONE tells you 146 Portland Ave Old Orchard Beach, Maine is for sale:, please report them to FBI Agent Andy Drewer @207–774–9322

• If ANYONE tells you I believe in aliens, demons, or UFOS, please report them to FBI Agent Andy Drewer @207–774–9322

• If ANYONE tells you my homeless friend is an alien, a demon, a cryptid, or named Etiole for sale:, please report them to FBI Agent Andy Drewer @207–774–9322

I'm going to repeat it because I'm tired of people showing up and making offers:

146 Portland Ave, Old Orchard Beach, Maine, is NOT FOR SALE.

There is NO ONE who has authorization to use my land.

NO ONE.

Not my mother.

Not my father.

Not Ben.

Not my mother’s Atwater relatives.

No one.

If ANY ONE hires you to do ANYTHING on my land, know that you are doing it ILLEGALLY and WITHOUT my knowledge or permission.

My mother has ZERO legal right to hire you to do anything at 146 Portland Ave. Old Orchard Beach, Maine.

My father has ZERO legal right to hire you to do anything at 146 Portland Ave. Old Orchard Beach, Maine.

Ben has ZERO legal right to hire you to do anything at 146 Portland Ave. Old Orchard Beach, Maine.

My mother’s Atwater relatives have ZERO legal right to hire you to do anything at 146 Portland Ave. Old Orchard Beach, Maine.

The Space Dock 13 WebRing