Erika Tracy
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erikatracy.bsky.social
Erika Tracy
@erikatracy.bsky.social
I write fantasy, occasional sci fi, and now and again how-to. I have a free-access (with subscription appreciated) Patreon account to house tales of elves, tricksters, and tricksy elves at https://www.patreon.com/cw/ErikasScribbles
(running a day late)
Disease was what persuaded my colonists to ask the Elves for help; it turned out Elves didn't know what a fever was. They're good on injuries, though. The colonists are muddling along on herbs that might help, and lots of blankets, for a nasty illness they don't understand.
Good day, #DecemberWorldbuilders. Does your fictional world have any notable or unique diseases, medicine, or vaccination processes? What is healthcare like in your setting? Have your characters had to deal with a disease?
December 7, 2025 at 4:05 AM
Reposted by Erika Tracy
Yes, I recommend that people read Dr. Olsavsky's book: lsupress.org/978080717730... - I learned so much from it.
December 7, 2025 at 2:46 AM
A practical question for #WritingCommunity

If you have a Patreon account or other self-publishing site, how often do you badger your parasocials about its existence? I'm sure there's some sort of etiquette here but don't know what it is.
December 6, 2025 at 3:32 AM
Reposted by Erika Tracy
Visited some old friends in the forest today. They’ve grown a bit since last time and showed up in new outfits. Good-looking bunch, and always a joy to photograph.

#Photography #NaturePhotography #Fungi #FungiFriends #FungiFriday #Texas #EastTexas #BigThicket #ForestFriday #MacroPhotography
December 5, 2025 at 11:04 PM
I'm currently working on how Jarek and Hogarth think about the future. Both want their people to have a future; Jarek is too busy doing all the things to guarantee a near future to think much about a distant one or the ethics of it. Hogarth has lost a child and his ethics are now questionable...
Tell me more about your #AwesomeCharacters

How much does your character think about the future?

Do they have plans for retirement and a pension set up? A distant dream but no real plans? Do they live each day as it comes and never think about it?

#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
December 6, 2025 at 3:15 AM
The level of tech in my world depends somewhat on where you're standing. On the Old World continent, they're teetering on Early Modern. There are machines and guns (not especially good ones), somewhat effective medicine, mills that run on water power, and the like.

The continent with the colonists?
#DecemberWorldbuilders! What is the "level" of technology in your fictional world? Is it a low-tech fantasy? A high-tech sci-fi? Or something in-between? Maybe something outside the tech progression of human history. Did they invent anything ahead of us in time? Any inventions suspiciously absent?
December 5, 2025 at 4:56 PM
You do not have to pay anything to see my Patreon posts! Subscribing just means you enjoyed them enough to drop a few bucks on me.

This week, a tale of the Feline Distribution System. Please share with your cat lovers. #WriteSky #CatSky #Fae

www.patreon.com/posts/pocket...
A Pocket of Minnows | Erika's Scribbles
Get more from Erika's Scribbles on Patreon
www.patreon.com
December 5, 2025 at 3:47 PM
There are several of The People who make healing potions of varying efficacy. The blacksmith is probably going to have to figure out how to make gunpowder and explosives, since the connection to the supply on the mainland is tenuous.

The Dwarves, when they make it into the story, are developing...
Yap at me, #DecemberWorldbuilders! Does your world have any chemists or alchemists? Are they living at the time of your characters' journey or are they ancient history? What did they discover? What *is* chemistry or alchemy in your setting?
December 4, 2025 at 3:31 AM
Taking a break from traumatizing my characters. How's everyone else doing?
December 4, 2025 at 2:46 AM
Reposted by Erika Tracy
Delighted to have my poem featured on the Front Page of Open Arts Forum

openartsforum.com/toad-flax-le...
Open Arts Forum | Toad Flax Leaf Beetle: The Life
Poetry by Paul Brookes
openartsforum.com
December 3, 2025 at 3:00 PM
In this world I'm writing, it's not so much that scientific research is reserved for elites as that research requires time and materials. For most of my characters, the observations and hypotheses are in the vein of "Can we eat that? If yes, how can we get more of it? If no, what's it good for?"
Welcome to the first week of #DecemberWorldbuilders! This week is about SCIENCE (broadly speaking) (you can play along even if you're writing pre-industrial fantasy!)
Today's Q: Can anyone in your world participate in scientific research? Or is it reserved for elites?
December 2, 2025 at 5:13 AM
Sugarplum, the Christmas Pit Bull.

She really wants something other than the humdrum warm-fuzzy lost-dog-found schmaltz. I'm not sure what, yet.
Monday #WritingQ!

"Orphan" characters!

Tell me about a character you've dreamed up but haven't put in a story yet!

Who are they? What's the obstacles you've run into finding their story?

(Unless you have literal orphans in your story you want to talk about.)

#WritingCommunity #WritingPrompt
a cartoon of a woman with the words i feel so out of place here
Alt: a cartoon of a woman with the words i feel so out of place here
media.tenor.com
December 2, 2025 at 4:35 AM
“He is a child of four parents. He is mine, for my wife could not have a baby without her husband and he is hers. And he is yours, for clearly you made some of his body, and so he is your wife’s son because you are married to her, and because she cared for him....
Welcome to December and a new week of #WIPSnips!

The word for December 1st is "belong"

#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
December 2, 2025 at 4:22 AM
My characters are in a world that just figured out gunpowder, so this is a fun question.

Jarek is absolutely going to look up medicinal potions and how-to videos for support. Everyone in town assumes she knows every practical thing, and she'd love the help.

Hogarth would probably end up on X.
Tell me more about your #AwesomeCharacters

We've talked about social media but now your character has inexplicably (unless they had it already) gained access to the whole internet!

How do they feel about it? What are they using it for? Is it beneficial?

#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
December 1, 2025 at 1:14 AM
Reposted by Erika Tracy
November 30, 2025 at 2:22 AM
I put in dog-headed Kobolds for no reason other than wanting some small potential spies and they seemed neglected. And then I decided that someone in my set of beings needed to be strongly in favor of recreational sex. My husband, when I told him about this, promptly dubbed them "the leg-humpers."
#NovemberWorldbuilders friends! We're at the end of the month so you know what that means: broad questions with no particular theme! Tell me about something you put into your world for no reason other than that it brought you joy. Did you learn about something cool and want to add it? Talk about it!
November 29, 2025 at 7:56 AM
The first post is posted! I will try to have a new short story every week. As I get used to Patreon, things like newsletters might happen, too, but it looks as though I may have to give it a dish of milk now and then for full cooperation.

www.patreon.com/posts/turtle...
A Turtle Among The Foxes | Erika's Scribbles
Get more from Erika's Scribbles on Patreon
www.patreon.com
November 28, 2025 at 3:00 AM
Hello! I'm getting back to writing and, I hope, publishing. It has been a wee little while for all sorts of reasons.

I have a Lulu page with a freebie here:

www.lulu.com/shop/erika-t...
The Bat and the Blitz
In a world where magic isn't always accepted, Britain has welcomed magic-users and put them to work. Now, it needs their help to survive the Blitz, even if their service isn't altogether legal.
www.lulu.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:31 AM