#WritersCoffeeClub Apr 12: How would you write a story with a cast of one? Could you? I think it wouldn't be too easy, but I could see myself doing some Proust shit, preferably with a character trapped in a fantastical and threatening situation. It'd all be a metaphor for depression, of course.

#WritersCoffeeClub 4/7: World Health Day! What’s your take on the “suffer for art” argument? There is something compelling about good art coming from suffering, but in my eyes that's mostly Just World Fallacy. Suffering can inform great art like any aspect of humanity can, but it's not a must imo.

I'm now well into Season 3 of my Lost retrospective watch and I gotta say the shine is starting to wear off. The endless main cast threeway never having the decency to just end or resolve into an amicable polycule, overcomplicated plans, the fog of ambiguity, and, of course, time loops.

man on the corner

It's #Thereafter day, and today that means discovering that you've messed up the subject line just as the mail goes out. At least it'll be right in the archive, I suppose. buttondown.com/VictorSDale/...

I LOVE REGULATION. I LOVE THE PEACE OF MIND KNOWING THAT A RESTAURANT IS SAFE TO EAT AND A PRODUCT WONT KILL ME. I WANT MORE REGULATION. I DONT WANT CORPORATIONS TO BREATHE WITHOUT GOVERNMENT PERMISSION.

#WritersCoffeeClub 3/31. Happy International Transgender Day of Visibility! What trans author has inspired you the most? My favorite is Hailey Piper, the queen of neolovecraftian horror, but there also is no denying the deep groove that the Wachowski sisters have dug in my storytelling psyche.

If you can't find the book you want to read the solution is simple, but not easy. ✨Write it yourself✨

Boop

Still eagerly awaiting news of Arkasha Stevenson’s next project. After The First Omen she should be booked and busy with offers.

#WritersCoffeeClub March 30: Do you label your works as LGBTQIA+? I'm queer and I write queer books. They usually aren't ABOUT being queer (maybe except my horror novel) but there's clear and present queerness in them... or should I say queer and present?

Co-Signed An author who's just amused that option's there. Who would possibly be interested in watching me scriven?

Finishing up a new chapter, so it's time for some #Thereafter spoilers without context

I don’t know how to fall asleep. It’s something I’ve managed to do almost every night of my life, but I always forget what I did that worked so well the night before.

"the author's barely-disguised longing for a better world" is not a joke to me it's literally the reason i do this 😭

#WritersCoffeeClub 10 March. How do you handle the physical strain of writing? At least decent ergonomics, and one of those smart watches that nags me to get up and shake the rust outta my bones once in a while. I also stay vigilant against nascent migraines and try not to push myself too much.

#WritersCoffeeClub March 9 - Does caffeine intake influence your writing? It can get me going, and I generally like writing the most at about 1.5 cups of coffee. It's not a requirement or anything, but I do enjoy a cup of Go Faster Juice while I write.

Join us in the ever-expanding fractal labyrinth of writing! Do it! Join ussssssss!

great news buckaroos NOT POUNDED BY STRESS BECAUSE I TOOK SOME TIME FOR MYSELF WHICH IS PERFECTLY REASONABLE AND YOUR JOB SHOULD HECK OFF IF THEY GIVE YOU A HARD TIME ABOUT IT is out now as audiobook. get it here www.audible.com/pd/B0DYPM787...

#WritersCoffeeClub 5 March: What writing-related tools or resources have you found the most effective? I find myself using dictionary.com and wikipedia a lot, as well as the OneLook Thesaurus which is great for those moments when you know there is a word but can't remember it for the life of you.

#WritersCoffeeClub 4 Feb: Do your projects start with a sense of new life or new beginnings? There is a brief period of creative frenzy when I lock in a project, but it's a bit hard to get precise about it since starting a new project is more of a gradient from "I might write that" to "WRITING IT"

Seasonal depression is such a bad joke of a condition. The weather and length of the days is changing like it does every year, and this makes the brain really really sad for some reason.

It's the first of the month, which means it's a Thereafter Day. In this chapter, a three-chapter heist begins, new alliances are forged, and Michael does something scary. buttondown.com/VictorSDale/...

Thereafter arose from me thinking a lot about portal fantasy stuff and what a bittersweet thing it is to grow up. The Clockwork Boy and His Impossible Brushstrokes came from me realizing I couldn't find sufficiently bisexual genre fiction in the genres I liked to read.

it's only doomscrolling if it's from the mount doom area of mordor, otherwise it's just sparkling panic

Post a great sci-fi villain 🎥📺 He's wonderfully played by Oscar Isaac but man, fuck this guy.

#WritersCoffeeClub Feb 28: Has a Writer’s Club prompt/prompt response affected how you write or inspired you? A bit I think? Just talking about writing does wonders to keep me writing, so there is that. It also has me thinking about it more, so that's good as well.

That sounds like an Editing Stage-You problem imo. Forge ever forward! Once more into the pants, and so on and so on.

#WritersCoffeeClub 26 Feb: Did your childhood affect the way/what you write? Well I have to assume these themes of alienation and characters with a tendency to ruminate and self-isolate comes from SOMEWHERE.

Trying to make up my mind if I should give Avowed a try. Pros: - Playing as a part-mushroom weirdo - Setting seems cool & trippy Cons: - First Person - I will not lift a single solitary finger to save no empire (though knowing Obsidian this is probably not mandatory)

CUCKOO: great creature design and concept, solid mystery in the plot, banger soundtrack. Hunter Schafer puts on an amazing, emotional performance, outshining everyone else in the movie by far. My only wish (not even really a complaint) is I'd have liked a little more blood and gore, but otherwise A+

This is Porkchop. He's got better dance moves than we ever did or ever will, let's be honest. 14/10

You say this is a tragedy. I say this is an opportunity! Watch Lord Of The Rings with your friend! Load up on Trivia! Tell them about that time Viggo Mortensen broke his toe! Let them know Gandalf, The Balrog and Sauron technically are the same type of celestial being! Share in the wonder!

#WritersCoffeeClub Feb 25. Do you read outside your era, country or language? I try to vary on era with mixed luck. As for Country and Language, let's just say, without doxing myself, that I am quite consistently reading books not in my mother tongue.

Welcome to the Scrivener club. For me it was how unbearably slow google doc documents get when you tip 20-30k that prompted the switch.

#WritersCoffeeClub Feb 24. Do you avoid specific genres or styles? I don't write High Fantasy or pure Romance, but I will include elements of them. As for style things, I don't do phonetic dialects. It just seems like such a source for unforced errors re: seeming like an asshole.

happy birthday to the visionary Jordan Peele 🎬 #filmsky

I find myself asking this very same question.

#WritersCoffeeClub Feb 21. Did you grow up with creative people? Very much so. My parents are both musicians, and there's a fair bit of music elsewhere in my immediate family as well. No writers though.

Balatro launched one year ago today I often say I made this game for myself and friends, but seeing so many people connect with Balatro has filled this past year with joy. Thank you players, your love and support have kept Balatro thriving! I appreciate you all naneinf! 🍌

Somehow, I found myself vicariously eviscerated on the internet. Also Palpatine had returned I think?

What I’m thinking, when I think “I wish I could be a full-time writer,” is really, “I wish everyone read so much that all writers could write full-time.”

I think it's quite ok to stop reading a book that does not give you enjoyment, or at least a style of misery you vibe with. Our hours on this earth are limited, and it's a crime towards all the books you might like better that you could be reading instead to keep reading "just because"

Soup frog fills out his Soup Guild application 🐸

The Martian is such a comforting movie.

My Lost rewatch continues into S02, and I'm starting to realize how people got hooked on this show. Season 1 has good mysteries and some good episodes, but S2 really daisy-chains the mystery and tensions really well. If I expected this show to have any good As to its many Qs I'd be enamored.

#WritersCoffeeClub 20 Feb: How commercially minded are you? Would you object to selling a hundred thousand books? I certainly would not object to selling 100k books. It's not a goal per se, but I would like to make a career out of writing some how some way.

Post a female character you love. Couldn't find any good gifs of my girl Angela from REC (2007) so have my runner up instead

Tell me what’s going on in your WIP right now using only a gif.