If pirate radio plucks the mysterious and conspiratorial strings of your heart, this might be worth your read. #writingcommunity #writersky #authorsky #amateurradio #serialfiction #midwestern #gothic #horror #indiewriters #isanyoneoutthere

My blog photo research for ‘Pirate Radio’ and ‘abandoned stations’ did not disappoint. #writingcommunity #writersky #authorsky #amateurradio #shortwaveradio #pirateradio #thisisactuallyacoastguardstationwhichmaystillbeactive

Good morning, folks. The days to year end are winding down. There is much to do and little time to do it; best of luck to us all! #5amwritersclub

I’ve posted ten installments of a serial fiction in a small Midwestern town, and I’ve just realized I never NAMED THE TOWN. Let’s assume I meant this artistically, to draw you closer to a place that could be your own. Retroactive literary themes for the win. #writingcommunity #writersky #authorsky

A heavy wind storm in early October took down one of my favorite outdoor Halloween decorations. I could have taken the frame to a local shop to get re-welded, but then I wouldn’t have this cool dragon head in my office to inspire me while I write. #writingcommunity #authorsky #writersky

I’ve been very productive today knocking out many of the long-standing items on my to-do list, but I’m running out of ways to avoid the writing I have due by Monday. #writingcommunity #indiewriters #serialfiction #authorsky #writersky

What’s everyone up to this morning? I have a cat, a coffee, and a writing to-do list, so my early activities are set! #5amwritersclub

Time to get at it! #5amwritersclub

Morning, early risers! Big week ahead for me, and I’ve got a decision to make on my next project! Serial fiction has been fun… Do I launch a new limited serial, or pivot to a themed anthology of shorts? Or FLASH FICTION? I have a curious soul and 7 weeks to decide! #5amwritersclub #writingcommunity

Immerse yourself in the surreal Midwest with this slow-burn gothic Rust Belt horror: STATION DARK #1: Signal Bleed. #writingcommunity #writersky #authorsky #indiewriters #gothic #horror #midwest #rustbelt #surreal #signal #amateurradio #pirateradio

Two influences competing for my attention at precisely this moment: 1) The contemplation of liminal spaces in rural industry 2) The incessant armpit farts from my six yr old #writerslife #writingcommunity #authorsky #writersky #indiewriters

I literally drove down this road, or one very nearly like it, to get to my mother’s place. I’d joined the Navy to see the wide world, and coming home again always planted a juxtaposition of rural nostalgia. There are stories to be written here. #writingcommunity #authorsky #writersky

I enjoy writing short stories (new to me), and blogging about them is its own kind of fun, but what I REALLY enjoy is finding incredible stock photos for my blogs. Apparently, I write so I can blog so I can browse stock photos that satisfy my nostalgic desires. #writingcommunity #writersky

Checking in for 5am and checking up on my early writers. How y’all doing? #5amwritersclub

True to form, I’ve gotten a fantastic idea for a new project at precisely the 2/3rds point of my current one. That’s how you know you’re doing it right. #writerslife #writingcommunity #authorsky #writersky #indiewriters

Three cheers to the folks who hit that 5am writing routine even on the weekends! I emailed an early draft to my buddy but immediately regretted it, so I’ll be making hasty edits this morning 😅 #5amwritersclub

Did I cram in a week’s worth of writing on the plane? YOU BET! Was it good writing? PROBABLY NOT! #writingcommunity #authorsky #indiewriters #writewhenyoucan

Morning folks! This has been a weird, wonderful, no good, very bad, absolutely terrible week, in all the best ways. With any luck, I’ll have another week just like it! Today I shall write, and then sleep. #5amwritersclub

Checking in late. Gotta go! *slams three espresso shots* #5amwritersclub

Morning, folks. Few words today, saving them for the page. Let’s go! #5amwritersclub

Good morning folks! Busy day for me, and I’m already late. Time to Gooooo! #5amwritersclub

Morning, my tired friends. Can you hear those words chirping in the dark? Rustling the leaves and trembling in the bushes? Go get them! #5amwritersclub

Oh, Shutterstock, what you must think of me. Writers have weird kinks. #writingcommunity #indiewriters #writersky #authorsky

*** Accountability Update *** My Nov. writing project was a limited serial fiction experiment (18 episodes, 3 acts), to learn the business side of the craft: website, blogs, socials, substack, scheduling posts, building a buffer. I’ve learned a ton. Glad I did this! #writingcommunity #authorsky

Good morning, folks. Best of luck on your writing journey, wherever today’s steps might take you. #5amwritersclub

Transmission lines always give me a lonely, haunted feeling. I think they add an atmospheric element to rust belt horror and Midwestern gothic, if you’re into that sort of thing (which, of late, I am). #writingcommunity #authorsky #indiewriters #gothic #horror #midwestern #rustbelt

I’ve sat here for an hour feeling good about myself, hammering away dozens of words— DOZENS!— before realizing I hadn’t checked in. So heya, folks! And good morning! #5amwritersclub

I have a fascination with Main Street USA. The concept of it, small and idyllic, and the haunting of it when abandoned and forgotten. This scene begs to be written of. #writersky #writingcommunity #authorsky #smalltownUSA #mainstreetusa

It’s been a mad day but I think I got it all done. Including some writing! (a teeny bit) … (like a teeny tiny bit). #writingcommunity #writersky #authorsky

Rust Belt Horror is the perfect mix of aching small towns, abandoned factories, and machinery that still stands even after the people have moved on. #writingcommunity #authorsky #writersky #indiewriters #horror #gothic #midwest #rustbelt

Alright, rise and shine! I think I have a blog entry to write this morning about mimeographs and old-timey ditto machines. Should be fun! #5amwritersclub

Morning, 5am’ers! This year is winding down far too quickly. I hope your projects are in a better state than mine! 😂 #5amwritersclub

Blew past my check-in, but here I am! Let’s get to it. #5amwritersclub

Good morning, fellow writers! I’ve got big plans, today. BIG! I hope y’all are equally motivated to brave the brisk air outside the bedcovers and carve out some words. #5amwritersclub

The lumber boom, then the mining boom, then the decline of both as farms spread, has created a unique atmosphere of haunting gothic that only the Midwest can bring. #writingcommunity #writersky #indiewriters #authorsky #gothic #midwest #michigan

Heya, folks! Look at me, up and at ‘em, and it’s *before* 5am! I hope each of you writers out there is having a blessed morning. #5amwritersclub

Frog and Toad nail it every time

This is the WWJ radio transmitter station in Detroit, opened in 1935 and abandoned in 1995. It hums from a memory in its bones with a song of Midwestern Gothic. #writingcommunity #writersky #authorsky #indiewriters

WHOOOOSH!… The sound of 5am check-in flying past me. But I’m here now, and I’ve got stories to write! #5amwritersclub

“I just need to make this one change to my site…” I say just before a cataclysmic failure that reflects the downfall of man, somehow in miniature form within the now-nonfunctional walls of my digital domain. I’ll just go back to writing now. #writingcommunity #indiewriters #writersky

I climbed out of bed into the chill morning air, coughed once, and strained my back. ‘Tis the season.

Hear me out: I love WIP snips and character spotlights and self-promotions and adverts for services, but what I crave is dialog with writers. There’s so much *noise* out there, and bespoke curation is a lot of work. I guess I crave a personalized playlist. #writingcommunity #writersky #authorsky

morning, folks! How many of y’all are working on November writing projects? #5amwritersclub

I’ve yet to take a decent photo of my vintage lava lamp, but it sends good vibes when I’m in my writing zone. #writingcommunity #authorsky #writersky #retro #vintage

“How deep should stakes be driven for measuring earth resistivity?” is not a question I thought I’d be asking when writing a Midwestern gothic, but here we are. #writingcommunity #authorsky #writersky #indiewriters

Researching shortwave radio was fun. I love it when a story clings to the rough edges of real, tangle details. Transmitters popping as vacuum tubes warm up. Fiddling with antenna tuners. A pirate broadcast from a van in the rural Midwest. Good stuff. #writingcommunity #authorsky

Morning, folks. The week is grinding down to a stub. Let’s make the most of the little bit we have left. #5amwritersclub

I’ve got one follower on Substack. Woot! (It’s me. I’m the follower.) I’ve been told it might take more than 24 hours to gain a following, so I’ll be patient. *stares at screen* *drinks tea* #writingcommunity #serialfiction #indieauthors #substack

I made two coffees this morning and I only spilled one of them all over the counter (the first one). Let’s see what the rest of the day has in store. #5amwritersclub #writingcommunity #coffee

Sometimes my cat says *meow* and, I get it, the writing life is hard. But sometimes he says *meow*, and he’s right, the journey itself is rewarding. Thanks for being in my corner, little buddy. #writingcommunity #writersky #authorsky