12 Comments
User's avatar
Rabbit Hole 360's avatar

Liking the lighthouse vibe in your visual.

JAE Cole's avatar

I would rather read a unique voice than a perfect one any day.

Siddhartha Mukherjee's avatar

"Write whatever you want."

"Trends be damned."

"Stay the course."

Every writer eventually discovers that the only process worth defending...

is the one that gets the words written.

Honest. Encouraging. Grounded! I'M SUBSCRIBING!

I write at The Reflective State, where one of my ongoing series is Mountain Mysteries—atmospheric tales of mystery, folklore and the unexplained set in the mountains of India. If curiosity ever brings you my way, I'd genuinely love to know what you think.

T. McFarlane (she/her)'s avatar

With the pressures of being told there's a certain way you need to write, a certain way you need to market yourself, and other such formulas, I appreciate your honesty. I've had my own struggles when coming to terms with what works for me, and creating something that I know I can do long-term. I've taken one bit of negative comment or one bit of self-doubt, and backed out of doing things in the past. I'm not doing that anymore. I hope you just keep being you because like they say, everyone else is taken.

John Watson - Horror Author's avatar

Excellent. I’m too old and stubborn to change now.

Antonio Castellaneta's avatar

I really appreciated the honesty in this. There is a lot of pressure to follow formulas, trends, and endless advice, but every creative path is different. What stood out to me most was your reminder that consistency matters more than imitation. When we stop measuring our journey against everyone else's, writing becomes something we can actually enjoy again. Thank you for the encouragement to trust our own process.

DW Davis's avatar

I'm trying to get my writing rhythm back after 6 weeks of hell following my son's death. I despair of ever finding a way back.

John Watson - Horror Author's avatar

Slow and steady, my friend. I am so sorry for your loss.

Gregory Blair's avatar

Yes! You do YOU. Nobody else will, and what you have to offer will be valuable to someone, somewhere at some point--even if you never know it.

Alicia's avatar

For what it's worth, I never thought you used AI to write and I love seeing your publication name appear in my inbox. And I thank you for being so open about your challenges because it helps others (like myself, who has also had long-standing and difficult mental health issues) know we are not alone and not weirdos. Love you, Mr Watson!!!