Get To Know Me A Wee Bit Better

Subscriber questions answered

When I finally started on Substack for real back in mid-October, I had zero idea that things would move so quickly. As I close in on 1K subs, I feel like this is the time to actually answer some questions to allow you all to get to know me a wee bit better. I posted a thread in my chat, and these are the questions I received:

Mathew C. Bryant asked, “What is your writing process for flash fic, and when do you feel it’s ready to ship?”

My process here is really quite simple. I’ll get a basic idea, start writing, perform a cursory scan for errors, and then post it. I like the idea of them all being a little raw and almost stream of consciousness in style.

Jessica Gasbarro asked, “Where do you get your ideas from? Are they purely from your own creativity or do you look for writing prompts? Or a bit of both.”

A lot of my ideas come from dreams, as they tend to be very vivid, and pretty much have been that way since I was a kid. Things I see or overhear also deliver ideas, but I do also enjoy looking at images and text prompts to see there they go in my head.

Eliseo F.G. McCarthy asked, “Favorite Stephen King book? (If you read him)”

I do read King, although he is not my favorite horror author. The Green Mile is my favorite, with 11/22/63 running a pretty close second.

Damon Blankenship asked, “What drew you to Substack in the first place and what have your goals been in your writing?”

Substack has been on my radar for a minute, and while I opened an account a while back, I never did anything with it. I had a spell of 2-3 years where writing went out the window, and I struggled with my mental health. That blew up what little career I had going, so I looked at Substack as a way to reach new readers and hopefully get my work seen again.

Alicia asked, “Have you ever tried to see Nessie in real life?”

I have never been to Loch Ness. If you ask me whether or not I believe in her, I will maintain my Scottish card by saying, of course she is.

Andrea 🌄 asked, “How do you work with the more difficult themes in your writing without allowing it to impact your emotional state? Or do you allow it to and how do you work with those emotions?”

It works the opposite way for me in that I tend to tap into my emotions to write. Given my struggles with anxiety and depression, it is not that difficult for me to find the darker details in even the simplest of stories. I find that getting those words out is very cathartic.

Monica A Leyva asked, “Do you ever have nightmares after writing your stories?”

I don’t get them from my stories, but they come at a rather alarming rate. Many of my stories were plucked straight out of my dreams. Sleep is not always easy to come by or pleasant for me.

Kimberly B🌴👻🌴 had a pair of questions. #1 - “You’ve always got many creative ideas buzzing in addition to your writing and your design of your story art and new novel covers. Then there’s what must be endless Substack notifications, plus your other socials. I have a hard time switching tasks and transitioning, and I’d love to hear how you structure your days to work with all these different projects.”

I am lucky enough to get to write on a full-time basis, but I do need to try and rein in some ideas and stick to a schedule without burning out. I am getting better at taking chill days where I do very little at all, but the gears are always turning.

#2 - Oh I’ve got another. Do you consider yourself a believer (skeptical believer) in the paranormal at all or is horror pure fiction for you?

I have had some experiences that are very hard to explain away, and while I love the idea of the paranormal and all it entails, I am still slightly on the skeptical side of things.

That is all the questions I have for now, but if there is anything else you would like to know about me or my work, please do feel free to ask.