Check out the Contributors' Curio: buff.ly/yytUFIm! The curio houses info on our contributors' creative projects. Today our #spotlight is on Sumitra Singam @pleomorphic2.bsky.social ! #writingcommunity #poetrycommunity #writers #authors #artists #writerslife

#horrorwriterschat I mean... as far as chips in our brains go... there's so many ways it could go wrong... I think worst case scenario would be that the implant rejects and starts eroding in your brain, changing your personality and ability to function.

#horrorwriterschat "Minor side effects." That's what the consent form had mentioned before the trial last week. The doctor said it was to "help with anxiety." Whose anxiety, exactly? Couldn't be theirs. Tainted blood crawled like bugs inside their body, and they could feel their organs sliding

#horrorwriterschat I think the answer to this lies in how marginalized people are treated by the medical system. Doctors can remove your autonomy and dismiss your concerns for various reasons. "Doctor, I think something is writhing inside of me." "You're just fat/menopausal/looking for pills."

#horrorwriterschat My name's Cordy! I write speculative, erotic, and weird horror. And by that I mean I don't really know. My answer is: I wouldn't volunteer for any, but I *have* signed up for clinical trials... for money... I would do a lot for 20 dollars. Except get a chip in my brain.

I completely forgot to post this sooner but!!! @literarymama.bsky.social 's Amanda Fields and I are in @the-engine-idling.bsky.social 9th Issue! We worked on a poem together called "Honey and Hormone"! Thank you Engine for accepting us, and Amanda Fields for being an amazing collab partner!

#horrorwriterschat The swirling outline of the woman staining the wall stared back at me, the awkward slant of her posture exuding immense disappointment. "Listen—" I tried. "Are you fucking stupid? You're back in the fucking building again? How many times do you need to almost die to fuck off?"

#horrorwriterschat I like all of that. Put a goo on it. Make nature eat the house. Put it in New Jersey. Now blend it together and make the lawn out of fingers as a treat. The neighbor helps mow the lawn because the woman down the street gets violent when the fingers get too long and point at her

I'm not sure if I focus on locations as much as I do the characters. I am writing a fake late 1800s series of books (just the plot, not an actual full story) for a ttrpg game I'm in. And that takes place mostly in a haunted house that turns you into ugly wallpaper. Amy house that is bigger on—>

Hello, I'm Cordy! I write anything I can make weird, and my favorite abandoned location in horror is wherever the hell House of Leaves took place. #horrorwriterschat

"Hokum is an incredibly fun time, as long as you’re the type of person that loves writhing in fear." Everything is Scary reviews the new nightmare from Damian McCarthy. #horror www.everythingisscary.com/screen/hokum...

#SFFChat A1: I think character perspective and voice are strongly tied together when it comes to both writing and reading. The same event can seem totally different depending on from whose perspective it's told. Only you can write your book because only you have your unique perspective.

#SFFChat 2 I find that embodying antagonistic characters is pretty easy for me. It's about finding the things you don't like about yourself and really exploring what that means beyond your own comfort zone. If you aren't changed after writing this character, no-one reading will change either

#SFFChat Q4 Jokes on you, I have a snippet about bears from Sweet & Wild! 😅 In this part, Micah is explaining to a neighbor why he's not scared of Terran, even if he's wild.

Read and listen Forums and whatnot can be hotbeds of horridness but you can find earnest discussions on beliefs Watching essays by people with a different POV is a big help Exposure in general, but cutting out the bad faith actors Just be curious, I suppose #SFFChat

#SFFChat With imaginative empathy. Think of the way Tom Hiddleston talks about Loki, if you're familiar. It's one of the fun parts of writing.

#SFFChat Q2: Honesty and empathy. If I write from the POV of a villain, I want the reader to see their perspective, because we are all heroes in our own minds (even if misguided). For different backgrounds, I try to be careful, respectful, and be sure that I am not perpetuating harmful stereotypes.

#SFFChat Q2. Depending on the background/topic, research is always good. Talking to people who come from that background can really help as well if given the chance. Besides that, being respectful and/or not judging. This is especially good to keep in mind as I write morally grey characters (1/2)

#SSFChat "What, Helen? What is so important in your little world, right now, that you need to be so far up my ass that you're practically peaking out through my eyes?" Helen opens her mouth again to answer, but Ronnie cuts her off. It felt good to go off on this kid, for once. "What!?"

#SSFChat All My Colors's main character, Todd Milstead. Fuck that guy, but also, I get it. You're a white, mediocre man who thinks greatness is owed to you, and you don't do the work required to achieve it. I am also a lazy fuck, but at least I'm not named Todd.

#SFFChat I make a character profile of how each character views another, themselves, and the world, even if some of it doesn't make it into the story. I like having their opinions and backgrounds fleshed out before I make them do anything. Does it take longer and make me angry— YEAH. A BIT.

#SFFChat In reading, I think first person will either endear me to a character really quickly, or make me want to stop reading. And I don't mean it's because of morally repugnant protagonists. I mean, I can tell when the author doesn't know what demographic their character is supposed to be.

#SFFChat Hello, I am Cordyyyy, and I write not enough. Also, I think I may already be a Polar Bear because I, too, would travel great lengths across the arctic to beat the shit out of someone I held a grudge against. And my liver is poisonous.

New keyrings! We've been wanting to make these for a while, and I'm so happy with how they turned out. You can choose up to 6 different charms, and we'll be adding more critters in the future if these do well. Full charm menu in replies ✨️ #wildlifeart #isopods #frogs #snakes #geckos #SciArt

You know the best way to kill AI? Don't use it. Don't buy it. Don't share it. Don't give the people who use it your labour or your money.

Absolute Poison Ivy STOP I can only get so bisexual 😭💕😭💕😭💕

I feel like the last couple decades of "is representation good or not?" discourse missed more important questions of "how fragile is representation?", "what do we do when multiple industries eliminate it as an intentional move against us?" and "how can we sustain queer artists when shit goes south?"