Stephanie Hoogstad
Bio
With a BA in English and MSc in Creative Writing, writing is my life. I have edited and ghost written for years with some published stories and poems of my own.
Learn more about me: thewritersscrapbin.com
Support my writing: Patreon
Stories (322)
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How Roleplaying Improved My Writing. Top Story - May 2023.
Let me clear this up right now: I’m not talking about Dungeons & Dragons or cosplay. I mean, I’m sure that there are ways in which those kinds of roleplay can help with your writing, but since I’ve never participated in either—I know, bad geek, bad geek—then I wouldn’t know from personal experience. What I am talking about is online text-based roleplaying games, specifically ones played through internet forums.
By Stephanie Hoogstad3 years ago in Geeks
Writers on Writing: Jack Black as R.L. Stine
I'll come out and say it: I love the movie Goosebumps. Jack Black, R.L. Stine, books coming to life, the creepy as heck ventriloquist dummy Slappy, what's not to love? It won't top the books or R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour, but it's hilarious. It also has some great lessons on writing and life. My personal favorite comes from a quote given by Jack Black in his role as R.L. Stine.
By Stephanie Hoogstad3 years ago in Journal
The Shoemaker's Elves
He leaves us cream. We make him shoes. It is a simple relationship—harmonious and symbiotic. He has left us cream since his wife died. We followed her here as a little girl, but we’ve taken a liking to him. He honors her homeland’s traditions.
By Stephanie Hoogstad3 years ago in Fiction
The 5 Worst Things A Professional Beta Reader Can Do For Themselves
I know what you’re thinking: How can someone be a professional beta reader? After all, can’t a writer just get their friends, family members, or fellow writers to be their beta reader? That is true, and the beta reading niche is a budding one. However, there is a growing demand for professional beta readers. Professional beta readers are the ones that you can count on to give you an impartial critique of your manuscript—and to actually return the feedback to you, whether it takes a couple weeks or a couple months. I would know; I freelance as a professional beta reader through Fiverr and have for about six years now.
By Stephanie Hoogstad3 years ago in Journal
Why the Microfiction Challenge is My Favorite Challenge. Top Story - May 2023.
Since joining Vocal in January 2022, I’ve entered many challenges. I even won runner-up in the “After the Parade” challenge. Each challenge has had its merits. The timing of “After the Parade” complemented my coming out as omnisexual, “The Fantasy Prologue” gave me an excuse to write in my favorite genre, and “Christopher Paolini’s Fantasy Fiction” had the best prize I’ve seen so far. Others, such as “The Mystery Box,” “The Runaway Train,” and “Under Purple Clouds” have allowed me to experiment with style, genre, or both. However, there’s something about “Microfiction Magic” that has caused it to stand out from all the others as my favorite challenge thus far.
By Stephanie Hoogstad3 years ago in Journal
The Best Intentions
Almost a year ago, I promoted a short story of mine, “Patient Zero”, on Twitter. Unfortunately, the description I included with it drew the ire of another user, who took offense to the fact that the imaginary disease used in the story, Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Aggresiva, was modeled after but did not completely align with the real condition Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva. The person, who claimed to have Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva, called the story ableist. It is not clear whether they actually read the story beyond the warning I included at the beginning about depictions of hate crimes for the purpose of critiquing racism in the United States (which they used to say that the story was also racist). I naturally tried to defend my story while keeping an open mind, but in the end, they blocked me—and the encounter has slipped in and out of mind ever since.
By Stephanie Hoogstad3 years ago in Confessions
After the Honeymoon Phase
He wanted to paint her. He wanted to paint her in her wedding dress, but his hand shook before the brush touched canvas. He wanted to paint her at the altar, a halo of light arching behind her face. He wanted to paint her at the reception, twirling around shoeless. He wanted to paint her naked form hiding under the blankets of their hotel room—but he could only see her lifeless eyes staring back at him from the passenger’s seat of their car, blue and red lights dancing on her face as he struggled to maintain consciousness.
By Stephanie Hoogstad3 years ago in Fiction
The Grand Experiment
The others blame me for the experiment’s failure, but it wasn’t my fault. Everything ran smoothly at first. Then I was told to introduce a new element, something that would accelerate the subjects’ mental growth. I just did as commanded. How was I to know that it would end like this—in the world’s end? I told Him we should have focused on the Neanderthals, but Adam and Eve will always be his favorites.
By Stephanie Hoogstad3 years ago in Fiction
Isolation
Seventy-two hours alone. A new record. Perfect silence, stillness. The perfect environment in which to work, to reflect. She finished that new short story she had been working on. She organized her DVDs. Anything to escape the dark thoughts—but they came anyway. And she cried. And cried. She hated herself, hated herself for the life that had led to these thoughts, hated herself for having these thoughts in the first place. They brought her to the edge. Then they stopped. Ready to rejoin the world, she turned her phone back on. No one had texted to check on her.
By Stephanie Hoogstad3 years ago in Fiction
The Hunter
Rifle gripped firmly in his hands, he crouched behind the bushes and took a moment to admire his prey. Long, silky manes; pure white bodies; powerful hooves; and spiral horns to top it all off. It almost felt cowardly to kill such a peaceful mother and colt—but ten thousand dollars did not. He raised his rifle and took aim. Suddenly, something sharp pierced his chest. He looked down and saw the bloody tip of a spiral horn. Then his vision faded to blackness.
By Stephanie Hoogstad3 years ago in Fiction
Never Ever Land
My name is Stephanie Hoogstad, and I am a Disney adult. Now, I know that sounds like a bad introduction at a Disney-holics Anonymous meeting, but that would imply that I’m trying to recover from some sort of addiction. I’m not. Is Disney an addiction? That’s debatable. As of right now, I don’t spend so much money and time on Disney for it to be considered a problem—yet. And I don’t view my love of Disney as an adult to be a problem. The problem is that there are people who think it’s a problem and will go out of their way to shame Disney Adults, especially online.
By Stephanie Hoogstad3 years ago in Geeks
