Publishing
The Last Dream Weaver. AI-Generated.
They said it began the night the skies went silent. No thunder, no wind, no whisper of clouds, only a stillness so deep that even the stars seemed afraid to move. In that stillness, humanity lost something they didn’t know they needed: the ability to dream. At first, no one noticed. People still worked, ate, scrolled, built. But slowly, color drained from the world, ideas stopped coming, music turned mechanical, love felt rehearsed. The Dream Council told them it was an “evolutionary phase.” Those dreams were distractions, outdated mechanisms of a chaotic past. But under the cracked glass domes of the New Cities, one girl still dreamed. Her name was Kaelara. Kaelara was seventeen when she realized she was breaking the law. Not by stealing or fighting, but by closing her eyes. Every night, when the sirens dimmed and the city's electric hum fell silent, she’d slip beneath her blanket and let her mind drift. Colors would rise, vivid blues, burning golds, rivers of light, faces of people she’d never met. And when she woke, her pillow was dusted with something glowing, dreamdust, the forbidden residue of imagination. Her grandmother, once a poet before words were standardized, warned her: “Hide your dreams, Kaelara. The Council hunts what it cannot control.” But Kaelara couldn’t stop. Dreams were her oxygen. And one night, she dreamed of a forest that shouldn’t exist, luminous trees with glass leaves, rivers singing songs in forgotten tongues, and a voice whispering: “Find me before the last dawn.” The Dream Council wasn’t just a government. It was a machine, built to keep order in a world without chaos. They patrolled with drones that scanned for dream signatures. Anyone found with REM irregularities was taken to the Facility, where “recalibration” erased the last traces of imagination. Kaelara kept her head low. But one morning, as she walked through the corridor of the Institute, a figure in black armor stopped her. His visor glowed blue. “Kaelara Aven,” he said. “You have been selected for neural assessment.” Her heart froze. Dream dust clung to her fingertips. But when she looked into his visor, she saw something strange, a flicker of light, like starlight trapped behind glass. For a second, she could swear he whispered, so softly she almost imagined it: “Run.” She ran. Through neon alleys and deserted plazas until she reached the city’s edge, where the walls curved into fog. Beyond it lay the Wastelands, the zone where dreams supposedly went to die. No one returned from there. But Kaelara did not hesitate. The voice from her dream echoed again: “Find me before the last dawn.” Through the mist, she stumbled upon ruins, ancient pillars entwined with glowing vines. And at the center, a pool of silver light shimmered like liquid moonlight. She reached out. The surface rippled, and from it, a figure emerged. A man, half-shadow, half-light. His eyes were galaxies. He smiled as if he’d waited eternity for her. “You came,” he said. “Who are you?” “I am Lior, the first Dream Weaver.” Lior told her the truth. Before the Council, before the silencing, there were thousands of Dream Weavers beings who could shape the fabric of reality through imagination. They built worlds, created rainbows, healed sorrow with stories. But the rulers feared them. Dreams made people unpredictable, powerful, free. So they built the Council, created machines to drain dream energy from the sky, and erased all memory of the Weavers. Only one survived, Lior, bound inside the Dream Pool. And now his prison was fading. “Kaelara,” he said softly, “you are my echo, the last of our kind. The Dream Seed lives within you.” He placed a hand on her chest. Warmth flooded through her veins, lighting her from within. For the first time, Kaelara saw the world not as it was, but as it could be, full of color, emotion, and life. “If you awaken it,” Lior warned, “the Council will come. But if you don’t, humanity will forget what it means to feel.” They came at dawn. Armored drones tore through the mist, flooding the ruins with white light. At their center stood the Dream Warden, the same man who had once whispered, Run. “Kaelara Aven,” he said, his voice distorted. “You are charged with dream treason.” But behind his visor, his eyes burned with conflict. “Let me help you,” he whispered. “You can’t fight them all.” “Then dream with me,” she said. And for the first time in centuries, the air shimmered with something new, hope. Kaelara closed her eyes. The world trembled. The vines grew, the ruins glowed, and from her hands poured rivers of color, dreams taking form, tearing through the mechanical sky. The Council’s drones malfunctioned, their screens filling with impossible images of children laughing, oceans roaring, lovers kissing beneath constellations long forgotten. The Dream Warden fell to his knees, his visor cracking. Beneath it was a tear. “I remember,” he whispered. But the Council’s Core, the machine that powered the dreamless world, began to awaken. Alarms wailed. The sky turned crimson. Lior appeared beside her, fading. “The Core feeds on imagination,” he said. “It will destroy all that you’ve created unless you stop it.” “How?” “By giving it the one thing it cannot consume, a dream born from love.” Kaelara turned to the Warden, whose name she finally learned, Aren. “If I do this,” she said, “I may not survive.” “Then let me dream with you,” he replied. They joined hands. The Core’s storm raged above them. Kaelara closed her eyes one last time, and dreamed not of fear, but of a world reborn. Children painting skies with laughter. Old poets reciting verses under starlit trees. Music in every heartbeat. As her dream spread, the Core’s light began to flicker, then burst into a billion fragments of stardust, cascading across the sky. The Dream Returns The next morning, the world awoke to color. People cried without knowing why. Flowers grew through metal streets. Children spoke of seeing angels in their sleep. No one remembered the name Kaelara. But when they closed their eyes at night, a whisper drifted through the stars: “Dream boldly. The world lives through your dreams.” And somewhere, beyond time, in a garden of silver light. Kaelara and Lior watched over the reborn world, weaving dreams for those who had forgotten how. 🌙 The End .
By Saquina Amaral11 months ago in Writers
SPARK IN THE STORM. AI-Generated.
Helena Barbosa never believed in destiny. She believed in logic, in neatly arranged notebooks, in calendars with colour-coded reminders…and in books. Books were her comfort, her escape, her joy. Liam Carter, on the other hand, believed in chaos. His desk was always a mess, his hair always slightly wild, and his temper always three seconds away from being tested. But he, too, loved books, more than anything else in the world. The only problem? They couldn’t stand each other Helena first met Liam on a rainy afternoon at Carter & Sons Bookstore, the oldest bookshop in town, owned by the Carter family for generations. She had come to apply for a part-time job. Liam, who was reorganizing a towering stack of books, didn’t notice her standing behind him. “Excuse me,” Helena said politely. He turned, startled, knocking the whole stack over. Books rained onto the floor. “Oh great,” Liam groaned. “Another mess.” Helena arched an eyebrow. “Well, if you organized things properly” “Are you here to complain or to buy something?” She almost walked out right then. But something kept her there. A single book on the counter, Jane Eyre, her favourite. For weeks, they argued about everything. About the alphabetization of shelves. About whether classics were better than contemporary books. About who made the better coffee. But then…they discovered something. Every night after closing, Liam stayed behind and read in the quiet. So did Helena. One night, they caught each other. “What are you reading?” Helena asked, trying not to sound curious. “The Night Circus. You?” Liam replied without meeting her eyes. “The Shadow of the Wind.” They froze, two book lovers who finally saw the mirror in each other. For the first time, they smiled. Their arguments became softer. Their conversations became longer. Their laughter became familiar. Helena showed Liam how to organize the store more efficiently. Liam showed Helena rare books he had inherited, signed first editions, handwritten notes from authors long gone. Sharing books slowly turned into sharing dreams. And one evening, Liam found Helena asleep between the shelves, a book open on her chest. He covered her with his jacket. Something in him shifted. A year later, during the annual town book festival, Liam nervously approached Helena. He handed her an old leather-bound book. “I want you to have this,” he said. She opened it, and gasped. Inside was a short handwritten note from Liam: ‘Every story I read brought me closer to you. Will you help me write the rest of mine?’ Her eyes filled with tears as the crowd clapped around them. “Yes, Liam,” she whispered. “I will.” Helena and Liam married quietly in the bookshop, surrounded by shelves filled with stories that had witnessed their journey. Together they renamed the store: ✨ Helena & Carter: Books and Beyond ✨ Business flourished, not because of luck, but because of the love and passion they poured into every shelf, every recommendation, every handwritten bookmark. Two once-enemies, now partners. Two hearts, bound together by ink, paper, and fate. Every day, they wrote their story, one page, one kiss, one book at a time. Owning a bookstore together changed everything for Helena and Liam. They were partners in business, but behind closed doors, they were something much deeper…much hotter. Every evening, when the last customer left and Helena locked the front door, a certain electricity filled the air. The quiet bookstore became their world. Helena would climb the wooden ladder to reorganize a shelf, and Liam would stand below, watching the way her dress brushed her legs, the way her hair fell over her shoulder. “Careful up there,” he murmured, voice low. She glanced down at him, smirking. “I thought you liked a little danger.” He stepped closer, placing his hands lightly on her waist as she stood on the ladder. “I like you,” he whispered, “especially when you’re teasing me.” Her cheeks warmed, but her eyes held his. There was heat in them, deep and daring. Slowly, she climbed down, step by step, until their faces were close enough to feel each other’s breath. “Liam…” she began. But he kissed her before she could finish. It was not a soft kiss. It was the kind of kiss two people share when they’ve been wanting each other for a long, long time. Hungry, warm, full of fire. Helena’s fingers tangled in his hair. Liam pulled her closer, lifting her slightly, spinning her against a shelf full of romance novels. “Fitting place,” she whispered breathlessly. “Perfect place,” he replied, kissing her again. Their love grew stronger, deeper, and undeniably hotter. Sometimes, on quiet afternoons, Liam would slip behind Helena while she was writing labels for new arrivals. He would brush her hair aside and kiss the soft curve of her neck. She would shiver, leaning back into him. “Liam, the customers.” “They’re not here,” he murmured, lips trailing along her skin. Her blush alone could have lit the whole shop. Other times, Helena would surprise him. She would approach him while he was cataloguing books in the back room, take the notebook from his hands, and place it aside. “We work too much,” she’d say, stepping close, fingers slipping into the collar of his shirt. “Don’t you think?” His breath always hitched. She loved that. “I think,” he whispered, “that I’m completely addicted to you.” She kissed him, slow at first, then deeper,heat spreading through both of them like wildfire. Their love was playful. Hot. Tender. And absolutely impossible to hide. On the one-year anniversary of their bookstore, Liam surprised Helena. He closed early. Candles everywhere. Rose petals scattered across the reading area. Soft music playing. Helena stepped inside and froze. “Liam… it’s beautiful.” “No,” he said, walking toward her, voice low and warm, “you’re beautiful.” He cupped her face, kissing her with a tenderness that melted her heart and a fire that set her pulse racing. Every candle flickered as if celebrating them. They held each other for a long moment, breathing in the closeness, the heat, the love that had grown between pages and shelves. Then Liam lifted her chin with a gentle touch. “Helena,” he whispered, “I want every chapter of my life with you.” She smiled, eyes shining with emotion and desire. “Then write them with me,” she whispered back, pulling him into a kiss filled with all the passion they shared. And they did, through the night, through the fire, through every heartbeat. Their story became the hottest, sweetest book the bookstore had ever held. THE END
By Saquina Amaral11 months ago in Writers
E-Books: How to Write and Sell Them
E-books, short for electronic books, are very popular these days. They are quick and easy for the writer and convenient for the reader. Thousands of these books are available, and this article will help you decide to add yours to the number.
By Margaret Minnicks11 months ago in Writers
Mother my best friend. AI-Generated.
In a quaint little town, where the sunflowers danced in the breeze and laughter echoed through the streets, lived a mother and her daughter, Lily. From the moment Lily opened her eyes to the world, her mother, Sarah, was there, a constant presence of warmth and love. Their home was filled with the sweet aroma of freshly baked cookies and the sounds of giggles as they played in the garden. One sunny afternoon, Sarah decided it was time for Lily to learn how to ride a bike. With a bright pink helmet perched atop her head, Lily looked up at her mother, excitement sparkling in her eyes. “Are you ready, sweetheart?” Sarah asked, her voice filled with encouragement. As they ventured outside, Sarah held the back of the bike seat, running alongside Lily, who wobbled but never faltered. “You can do it, Lily! Just keep pedaling!” With a final push, Sarah let go, and for a brief moment, Lily was flying. The wind swept through her hair, and joy radiated from her smile. But as she glanced back, she lost her balance and tumbled into the soft grass. Sarah rushed to her side, concern etched on her face. “Are you okay?” she asked, brushing off the dirt. Lily nodded, a giggle escaping her lips. “Let’s try again!” That day marked not just a lesson in biking but a testament to their unyielding bond, one that would only grow stronger with time. As the years flew by, Lily blossomed into a spirited teenager, navigating the ups and downs of high school. The once carefree days of childhood faded into the backdrop of homework, friendships, and the complexities of adolescence. Yet, one thing remained constant: her mother’s unwavering support. It was a Friday afternoon when Lily faced the harsh realities of teenage life. She had just returned home, her heart heavy after a particularly tough day. A group of friends had turned on her, and the sting of betrayal felt unbearable. “Mom, can I talk to you?” she called, her voice trembling slightly. Sarah looked up from her book, instantly sensing that something was wrong. “Of course, sweetheart. What’s on your mind?” Lily poured out her heart, tears streaming down her cheeks. Sarah listened intently, her heart aching for her daughter. “You know, it’s okay to feel hurt. But remember, true friends will always lift you up, not pull you down,” she said gently, wrapping her arm around Lily. That night, they stayed up late, sharing stories and laughter. Sarah reminded Lily of her worth and the importance of surrounding herself with those who genuinely cared. As they talked, the bond they shared deepened. In her junior year, Lily met a handsome boy named Jake. He had a charming smile and a kind heart, and they quickly became inseparable. Their love blossomed amidst the backdrop of school dances and late-night study sessions. One evening, while watching the stars, Jake took Lily’s hand and whispered, “I think you’re amazing.” At that moment, Lily felt a rush of emotions, joy, excitement, and a sense of belonging. As their relationship grew, Lily often confided in her mother about her feelings. Sarah listened, offering gentle advice and reminding her of the importance of communication and trust. “Just be yourself, Lily. Love is about being open and honest,” Sarah advised, her eyes sparkling with wisdom. After graduating, Lily and Jake decided to take the next step in their relationship. Surrounded by friends and family, they exchanged vows in a beautiful ceremony filled with laughter and love. As the years passed, Lily and Jake welcomed beautiful children into their lives. With each new arrival, the joy in their home multiplied. Lily often called her mother, seeking advice on parenting, just as her mother had done for her. “Mom, how did you manage everything?” she would ask, a mix of admiration and exhaustion in her voice. Sarah would chuckle softly, “One day at a time, my dear. And with a lot of love.” The family would gather for dinner, where stories were shared, laughter echoed, and bonds strengthened. Sarah reveled in being a grandmother, showering her grandchildren with love and wisdom. Years later, as Sarah grew older, Lily became her caregiver. Yet, their bond remained as strong as ever. They would spend evenings reminiscing about the past, sharing laughter and love, and creating new memories. One day, while sorting through old photographs, they stumbled upon a picture of that sunny day when Lily learned to ride her bike. “Look at this! You were so determined!” Sarah laughed, her eyes twinkling with the memory. “And you were my biggest cheerleader,” Lily replied, her heart swelling with affection. “I hope I can be as good a mom to my kids as you were to me.” Sarah smiled, her heart full. “You already are, my dear. That love you have for them is the same love we’ve always shared.” As the sun began to set, casting a golden glow over their home, they embraced, knowing that no matter the years that passed, their bond would remain unbreakable. THE END
By Saquina Amaral11 months ago in Writers
My Account Can't Post On Vocal
Introduction Two days ago, I got an error posting on Vocal. This happens quite often, but usually clears. I am waiting for someone to come back and tell me that I am doing something wrong before eventually realising there is an actual problem.
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred - EBA11 months ago in Writers
Is Medium Legit or Worth It?
As you'll probably notice from the title alone, this article is meant to answer the people's need for factual and accurate information, so let me keep the BS to a minimum and skip the flowery introduction or the yakety-yak storytelling unsuitable for this type of post.
By Adrian CDTPPY11 months ago in Writers
THE BOOK OF SPELLS . AI-Generated.
The sky shattered like glass. It wasn't an explosion, nor a storm , just silence as the fabric of reality cracked, revealing a swirling abyss beyond. People screamed, but their voices folded into the void, vanishing as if they had never existed. Professor Elias Voss, the last living quantum sorcerer, stood at the epicenter of the destruction, gripping a book that shouldn’t exist. It was older than time, bound in material neither organic nor metallic, humming with an energy that defied physics. THE CODEX ARCANUM —THE BOOK OF SPELLS . It had been lost for millennia, hidden away by a civilization that had long transcended both magic and science. But now, it was awake. And it was rewriting the universe. THE CODE IN THE INK Dr. Aria Solis had spent her life chasing impossibilities. A theoretical physicist specializing in quantum anomalies, she had debunked myths and dismantled superstitions. Until today. On her lab table lay the impossible: a book whose pages glowed with shifting symbols, rewriting themselves faster than the human eye could process. It had been discovered beneath Antarctica, sealed in an obsidian vault that predated known civilization. She ran a spectroscopic analysis, only to find the ink contained elements that did not exist on Earth. In fact, some didn’t exist in the known universe. Then the symbols changed. And spoke. "To read is to rewrite." The words weren’t printed. They were conscious. Watching her. Learning from her. Her lab lights flickered. The air thickened. Reality itself stuttered, like a glitch in a simulation. And then the world ended. THE SPELL THAT WAS A WEAPON Aria awoke to find herself in the ruins of her lab, but the world outside was… different. Skyscrapers twisted unnaturally. The moon had shattered into floating fragments. The sky pulsed like a living thing. The book lay open beside her, its pages still glowing. A line of text pulsed in red: "Your reality has been overwritten. Rebuild it, or be erased." Panic surged through her. She flipped through the pages, each spell was written in a mix of arcane symbols and advanced quantum algorithms, equations that shouldn’t work… but did. One page caught her eye: "Reconstruction Protocol: Genesis." It was a spell. A command. A weapon. She whispered the words. The city trembled. Buildings uncollapsed, the sky smoothed into a calm blue, time rewound like a tape, until everything was as it was before. Except for one thing. A man stood before her, draped in robes that flickered between fabric and pure light. His eyes burned with knowledge no human should possess. "You shouldn’t have done that," he said. THE ARCHITECTS OF CREATION His name was Voss. Not a man. Not a god. Something… else. He told her the truth. The universe wasn’t discovered. It was written. A simulation so advanced, so intricate, that its own inhabitants had long forgotten they were living in a designed construct. The Book of Spells was the original source code. Not just for magic. Not just for science. But for everything. And now, it was waking up. "This book," Voss explained, "doesn’t just grant power. It allows the reader to rewrite existence. But every spell used fractures the stability of reality. You, Dr. Solis, have already altered the code. Now the Architects will come." The Architects. The true creators of everything. Beings who had long abandoned this version of existence, leaving behind the Codex as a failsafe. And now, they are returning to erase their mistakes. Aria’s hands trembled over the pages. She had one chance. A final spell. Rewrite the universe her way… or be deleted from it. THE FINAL REWRITE The sky turned black. Not like night, ike the absence of being. From the void, figures emerged, tall and shifting, their bodies composed of spirals of numbers and symbols. The Architects had arrived. "This reality is corrupted," one intoned. "Purge it." Aria didn’t hesitate. She placed her hand on the book and whispered the final spell. A counter-command. A rewrite. Light erupted from the pages, code rewriting code, magic twisting around logic. The Architects screamed as they glitched, their perfect forms unraveling. They had never expected a mere human to rewrite them. The universe trembled. Fragments of erased realities returned. Time Reset. The Book of Spells closed. EPILOGUE : THE NEW WORLD Aria stood at the dawn of a new age. She was no longer just a scientist. No longer just human. She was something more. The last quantum sorcerer. The first true Architect. The Book of Spells still pulsed in her hands, waiting. She smiled. And began to write… The End. . Start writing
By Saquina Amaral12 months ago in Writers
I Am An Author
Hey wassup. Stop what you’re doing and lend me your eyes for a few minutes so I can tell you the story a little boy who grew up to be an author. Now this kid’s name is Joe and he’s from North Carolina. Growing up like he did, education was very important to both of his parents. His parents didn’t play about school and trust me, he learned that the hard way.
By Joe Patterson12 months ago in Writers







