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ruby stevenson

@rubystevensonwriter

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sci-fi writer & chronically ill gal
trying to be hopecore in a doom scroll world
rep: morgan wilson @ belcastro

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Considering there's like 1500 new people here (whaaaaat?!?!?!) I thought I should re-introduce myself!

I'm an agented SFF writer and lover of all things found family trope. I have a comically long list of chronic illnesses and an italian greyhound who extorts me everytime he hears me touch the shredded cheese packet. I love making hopecore content for writers, because publishing is hard enough without being reminded of how hard it is every time you open an app.

My main project is called THE LOWFLYERS, which is a YA sci-fi about a social media influencer on a space station, who must use her internet fame to fight an otherworldly threat. I'm also drafting a dystopian and I dabble in contemporary romance when my soul requires it.

Introduce yourself in the comments! I'd love to meet you.

#writer #aboutme #introduction #writingcommunity #publishing by @rubystevensonwriter

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3 months ago

"I'm trying... I'm trying!" I say over and over as I write the worst opening chapters known to man. #hopecore #motivation #writer #writingmotivation #writingcommunity by @rubystevensonwriter

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10 hours ago

It's October, which means it's Dysautonomia Awareness Month once again!

This year marks four years since I first posted about it - on my personal FB page, where I was invited to go on the radio to talk about it and then chickened out... (that wouldn't happen now!!! I swear!!!!)

This year is a weird one for me. I still want to talk about it but for all the reasons in the post above, it feels a little scarier to do so. It's so frustrating how these incorrect ableist takes weasel their way into my head! If Katie Ledecky, the greatest swimmer of all time, can have POTS, so can I, and it's NOT MY FAULT!

Any fellow POTsies out there? How are you feeling? DMs are always open 🫂

#dysautonomiaawarenessmonth #POTS #chronicillness #dysautonomia #awareness by @rubystevensonwriter

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4 days ago

I had so much fun picking books for my besties last Christmas that I just might do it again this year!

I sort of want to challenge myself and find books for some of my less-book-obsessed loved ones too. With the right book I could turn them into readers 😈

Do you give books as gifts? What's your strategy? I know some people prefer to give book vouchers because it's safer than accidentally buying something the reciever already has... but I don't know! There's something so nice about getting to wrap a physical book up for a friend!

Plus, I (to my shock and horror) had my opinion changed by a MAN about writing inside of books. Specifically, Cillian Murphy's interview with Jack Edwards. His point about books being living items converted me, and now I write messages inside covers for my loved ones. My former self would be horrified.

#bookrecommendations #christmasgifts #christmas #bookgift #bestie by @rubystevensonwriter

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6 days ago

I absolutely totally planned this post for #loveyourbookstore day. This DEFINITELY was not a cute coincidence at alll.....

I never feel more like a country bumpkin than when I go to a big city and remember what the real world is like. Sometimes it's easy to feel like the sphere is limited to what comes up on my Instagram feed, but places like this remind me of how vast the publishing industry really is!

It was extra exciting to see books like mine actually on shelves! (Like I said, only one local bookstore, and they can only stock so much!)

I can't wait to get to Love Galaxy, An Ocean Apart, and If The Stars Go Dark! I also picked up Hell Followed With Us, Growing Up Disabled in Australia, The Thief and the Traitor Bride, and The Ashfire King!

#bookstore #bookhaul #sydney #bookstagram not spon but thank you @kinokuniya_sydney and @dymockssydney for blowing our minds! by @rubystevensonwriter

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8 days ago

I had to treat myself to a spoonie club sticker to commemorate my forthcoming publication in @flarelitmag! Isn't it the cutest?

If you didn't know, FLARE have a range of chronic illness/disability themed merch items available, designed by @cabbagebutterflies!

If you're a spoonie, maybe consider purchasing something to support a lit mag carving out space for disabled and chronically ill writers and artists.

#chronicallyill #spoonie #litmag #bookstagram #invisibledisability by @rubystevensonwriter

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16 days ago

I don't exactly know when I stopped treating writing as a hobby and started treating it as a career ambition, but I know all of these things contributed to where I am now (and will continue to be things I'll draw on into the future!)

Have I missed anything? Drop your advice in the comments ⬇️ or, if not advice, tell me what helps you embody your creative identity!

#writingadvice #writingcommunity #writingmotivation #killyourdarlings #finishthedraft by @rubystevensonwriter

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14 days ago

I am writing this caption in a hotel room, with my besties, waiting for a post-concert uber food delivery. I have had an amazing day.

Noah played Godlight and I lost my shit 🤩

#writingcommunity #noahkahan #thegreatdivide #writer #dystopian by @rubystevensonwriter

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12 days ago

This week I had the pleasure of going back to my old highschool to help out with an incredible program called Write a Book in a Day.

The kids sign up as teams, get given parameters they have to work in, and then get to work brainstorming, writing, revising, and submitting a book all in 10 hours!

I had so much fun helping these bright teens create unique stories. They were so inventive and energetic, and really took this fantastic opportunity seriously. When I was at school, I was a party of one signing up for the creative writing online extension course they offered. This day had forty kids sign up! A dream!

As part of my time there, I was also interviewed by a wonderful teacher for the school newsletter. I felt very honored 🥹

The highlight for me, though, was getting to meet who I'm calling my teen-beta-reading-team, aka the three friends of my little sister, who have read THE LOWFLYERS. They literally RAN at me and demanded I be held accountable for my crimes against the cadets. It was everything to me to have them excited about my book! 😭 (their team wrote a gay romantasy with fox familiars - i might have been biased but it was my favorite)

Thank you to my old stomping grounds for having me, and to the wonderful Mrs Dobson, Mrs Lovegrove, and Mr Bowd for making me feel welcome and for being such incredible supports for these young writers.

I can't wait to read their books one day!

#creativewriting #writer #writing #youngadult #highschool by @rubystevensonwriter

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17 days ago

What's your creative working style? Tell me in the comments!

If anyone needs me, I'll be clawing at the bars of my enclosure, trying to occupy myself for a while!

Max artwork by @gael_me

#writingcommunity #agented #creativity #creativeprocess #writing by @rubystevensonwriter

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21 days ago

It's Migraine & Headache Awareness Week in Australia.

I have migraine and it can be so frustrating when people think that if I'm having a migraine episode, it just means my head hurts. Head pain is only ONE element of migraine. (Not that headache isn't bad! Sending love to the headache folks out there!)

Did you know that they estimate 1 billion people on this planet have migraine? And 6 million people in Australia? Yet this complex neurological condition is still under researched, undertreated, and misunderstood. Access to neurological care is difficult, treatment can be expensive, and despite the wide prevalence of the condition, lots of people don't really understand what it is.

If you're like me and migraine derails your life, I'm so sorry you're going through it, but know that there are so many people who understand what you're experiencing, and that your symptoms are real. I hope you recieve the best care and have many migraine free days to come.

Some places you can find resources (I'm not affilated with any of these but it would be cool if I was):

@migraineandheadacheaustralia
@migraineaus
@allianceforheadacheadvocacy
@chronicpainaustralia
@sunflowerlanyardscheme

#migraine #migraineawareness #chronicillness #neurologicaldisorder #invisibledisability by @rubystevensonwriter

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24 days ago

I'm so excited to share that my creative non-fiction piece 'happiness income' has been accepted by @flarelitmag for their sixth issue!

This piece is about having to 'downgrade' my career as a result of chronic illness, and the feelings I've experienced having to justify it to people.

I'm so glad it found a home at FLARE and that it will go live on the 18th October (PST) in time for Invisible Disabilities Week!

Thanks so much to Kelly at FLARE for the acceptance. I've followed FLARE since it's inception (like, I must have been within the first 100 followers on social media I'm sure) so this feels like a long time coming!

Does this mean I can technically say I'm a 'published' writer soon??? 🤭🤭 eek!

#announcement #publication #creativenonfiction #chronicillness #invisibledisability by @rubystevensonwriter

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