31 Days of Spoooktacular: The Little Things

During the Halloween season, people reach for the big scares: movies, haunted theme park rides, horror conventions, creepy costumes. And, I think, they neglect the little details that permeate our lives that are truly unsettling. Take the following spam comment I got on one of my older entries: "How should I tell him the bad … Continue reading 31 Days of Spoooktacular: The Little Things →

31 Days of Spoooktacular: The Gauntlet

Way back in the beginning, you may recall that I said that 31 Days of Spoooktacular was part of how I planned to force writing to become a habit for me. Writing has always been something I do sporadically, intermittently and with no true pattern. Even over the course of this year, where I've given myself … Continue reading 31 Days of Spoooktacular: The Gauntlet →

31 Days of Spoooktacular: A Repeat

I'm copping out tonight. Not for any real reason, except that maybe I don't want to put you through some half-assed attempt at something. Instead I'll just pull something out of the long ago for you to read. There are two reasons why this entry might seem familiar: A) You've been reading my blog for … Continue reading 31 Days of Spoooktacular: A Repeat →

31 Days of Spoooktacular: The Halfway Point

It is now the 16th of October and the halfway point, or a little over the halfway point. 31 doesn't really split equally very well. I'm torn with how this is turning out. It's really hard to write non-stop about one subject for 31 days and keep it interesting for both myself and the people … Continue reading 31 Days of Spoooktacular: The Halfway Point →

31 Days of Spoooktacular: Reflection

I'm still reeling a bit from the convention yesterday. I'm not a person that really likes big crowds of people and I don't like big crowds of exuberant people. So yesterday was a bit overwhelming. But, as I mentioned briefly in my last blog entry yesterday, there is something invigorating about being surrounded by a bunch of … Continue reading 31 Days of Spoooktacular: Reflection →

31 Days of Spoooktacular: Rock and Shock (The Prequel)

I know I've already talked about this once already, but I cannot stress enough how excited I am about Rock and Shock. Pinhead and Michael Myers and Jason and Candyman are all going to be in the same room together at the same time. And I will do my best not to call them that … Continue reading 31 Days of Spoooktacular: Rock and Shock (The Prequel) →

Entry X

So! For the second time this year, I've forced myself to write ten entries in a single day. I'd feel bad about making this last entry a cop-out, wrap-up entry, but I don't. So there. In the future, I'd like to avoid this little bit of tom foolery. Shouldn't be too hard. All I have … Continue reading Entry X →

Paring It Down

For most people, editing is about excising. You trim out all of those unnecessary words and details and phrases and commas. You said too much. You described too much. You gave him too much to say. Stephen King even comes up with a basic formula for editing your story that goes as follows: First Draft … Continue reading Paring It Down →

An Analysis of Fear

Over the years, I've made Horror my thing. I've watched countless horror movies. I've read countless horror stories. I've viewed the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch. I've worked out the formulas for the non-Euclidian shapes of Lovecraftian geometry. I've sampled the wares of multiple cultures; the giallo films of Dario Argento, the existentialist nightmares of French cinema, and … Continue reading An Analysis of Fear →

A Little of This, a Little of That

A lot of the books I read end up adding to what I write. Characters, words, worlds, even just that mix of tones (a little darkness, a dash of magic and a small smidge of humor); it all affects how I write. There are authors who energize; who help me get off of my ass … Continue reading A Little of This, a Little of That →