I know some people follow me to follow my writing journey. I still have NO idea how to show that progress outside of the weekly Horror Writers Chat, though #Authors, how do you do the social media presence? Because right now I am just stumbling into it XD

"C'mon," Evan pleaded, "I've got *minutes* to get a hug in." Simon stepped backward and oh-so-slowly smiled. "So I heard." Evan tensed. "OK, fine, what do you want in return? Money? A debt of honor? What?" "To watch," Simon replied. "I've always wondered how The Enforcers do it." #HorrorWritersChat

#HorrorWritersChat Arms folded, Sophie scowled. "Maybe a hug?" the creature suggested. "A real one." "I would rather die." Maybe she would, maybe Vincent would bring her back. Maybe her soul would dissolve into nothing. It was better than giving this little demon child what they wanted.

Not trying to hug someone was a misdemeanor. Refusing a hug a felony. The punishment: three hours to three weeks inside a space the size of a phone booth. They called it “The Hugger.” #HorrorWritersChat

"Awww, come on, Robley - a little hug never hurt anyone." The Empress of Slime cooed as she crossed the floor before him. Petey glanced at the skull slowly dissolving behind the flesh of her belly, "I don't know, I think it just might."

Currently writing a non-horror story where the protagonist/narrator is a cat. It's about as far from a horror story as I have ever written. Anyway, I'm pretty sure he would have no love in his heart for Squirrel day. #HorrorWritersChat

#HorrorWritersChat well, Crow King Mike hates granola, it attracts hippies, you know. Squirrels, though. He sees them as kindred spirits. Acquisitive, fond of jumping, fond of secrets. Squirrels and tengu could be friends, until someone gets caught sticky fingering, that is.

My WIP's protagonist owns zero pairs sweatpants. He has not worn anything other than cotton slacks or denim jeans since childhood. Oh, wait, does this mean I need to insert a scene of him going skinnydipping? I feel like that could be a good, tense way to emphasize the rurality. #HorrorWritersChat

#HorrorWritersChat Vincent, the ancient Seraph of my series, would hate Sweatpants day. He loves dressing up in elaborate outfits, not all of them time period appropriate. Sophie, the human stuck with him, though he's also helping. Probably Granola day, but mostly because she'd find it pointless.

#HorrorWritersChat National Granola Bar Day. All innocent fun at first, until supplies run out but demand is still high. So manufacturers turn to "other" ingredients to ensure sufficient stock levels next year. Bone? No, that's just a lump of oat of course...

They've hoarded in the hollow places. Waiting. Watching. Preparing. They'll have all when we have none, and how they will laugh and laugh when we are desperate and they are full and fat and chattering at us from their high branches. Not enough buckshot in the world to save us. #HorrorWritersChat

#HorrorWritersChat He ran his fingers along the squirrel’s taxidermied spine, and a rush came over him. It was his newest addition to the collection and was his finest work yet. He admired the creature’s puffy tail, its realistic eyes. “No. 1000,” he said. “Happy Squirrel Appreciation Day.”

#HorrorWritersChat He wouldn't let go. His grip locked tight around my body. That plastic smile never leaving his face. He wouldn't let go, eyes tight with rage, arms clamping around me. I couldn't breathe and he just wouldn't let go. So my ribs gave way first. Hugs can be REALLY scary sometimes!

Hi, #Horrorwriterschat! I'm J.L. DuRona, and I write spooky books for kids! My favorite International Day is Mar10 (Mario Day!)

I'm Michael, I write queer cosmic and supernatural horror (and SF). International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (May 17), because of its explicit inclusion of work by activists outside the US/"West"/etc. and of the entire spectrum of queer identities. #HorrorWritersChat

#horrorwriterschat International men's day, The 19th of November. Because I enjoy reminding certain folks that they have a day too and to stop hating.

#HorrorWritersChat I am Coyote Wallace and I write all manner of horror ranging from Weird Westerns and Fantasy to Appalachian folk horror and dark tales from the labor wars. My 'favorite' International Day would be May 1st - International Workers Day.

#HorrorWritersChat Gerald winced as the alarms sounded. The end of the day was coming, & he was going to fail again. He couldn't help last year, his arms were both in casts! As he sat there hopeless, he couldn't help but wonder: They took his arms for failing last year. What would they take now?

#HorrorWritersChat Only one I can think of that would throw off Brent would be the Squirrel day as squirrels in Illusoria are... Kinda nasty. But he's pretty fond of wildlife. Perhaps international hugging day as it may remind him of how he's been ripped from home and may never see his family again

#horrorwriterschat The chittering was getting worse. Them tree rats just wouldn't shut up. Neighbour wouldn't stop feeding the pests! CRASH! I rush to the kitchen. Damn fuckers broke a window!? Wait, why was the kid there? "Shoulda 'preciated th' squirrel, Mr. Tom." Them squirrels swarmed me...

#horrorwriterschat I am Vee, I write Eldritch Horror, and my favourite international day? I... Don't really pay attention to those, so no idea

Who has two thumbs and a headache? THIS squook!

Woo I may be finished part 2 of my book, depending on what my editor says. Part 3 should go a lot faster as there is a lot more meat there for me to rework. Part 4 will be a bit of a struggle as I need to do full rewrites. And Part 5 is the Paladin section so

I'll definitely need to throw my book to a sensitivity reader at some point, to ensure I didn't do anything off putting by accident. Namely the part where Katherine shows up - Black woman with some southernisms who is an explicitly good witch still can... Very easily be written wrong

The fun part of #writing - Dealing with search engines and cursing their enshittification when all you want is some detail to ensure a part of your book is accurate *why is it this hard to find out what SPECIFIC remedies were used in medieval Europe and ancient China to treat necrosis & gangrene?*

Goals this year: -Finish Book -Hopefully get book published -Get fit -Survive the End Days, for they art coming -Go to the movies more

Whelp, another phrase off my list of insults. Doormat As a combo of two comments on YouTube put it: >sounds like he needs support and not conflict and to not be blamed for being a victim but idk >yes, that's why the doormat rhetoric bothers me. Didn't think of it before, but... 1/2

Illusions of comfort and safety. Refusing to move from something because you believe it's the easier outcome/easier way to live, even if it's hurting you.

I've found the same thing crop up in a few stories I have written, and that is the false assumption that 'good' is an ethical standard maintained by the majority of people. In my fiction such as in the world right now, it often isn't. #HorrorWritersChat

My story violates the notion that your body is yours, that your perception and experiences are uniquely your own. #horrorwriterschat

Hello, I'm Timothy Crowe and I currently write gothic and speculative horror :] This is a tricky one, Ghoulish has a lot of inspirations, but: Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier The Spirit Bares it's Teeth by AJ White The Lamb by Lucy Rose

I'm Conrad Whittler, the horror story I have written is a bit of a genre blend, I'd call it a family cosmic horror story. It wasn't influenced by a particular book, rather by a specific Scottish folktale and a few local stories I remember from growing up. #HorrorWritersChat

Bro idk I think somewhere between body horror but make it existential. My 3 influences are not horror based: black mirror, severence, avatar (but I actually hate that movie)

Hi, I'm Rye and I'm trying to clean up my long drafts and turn them into a multi-book Science-Fiction Horror novel titled Resonance. Its horror subgenres are: 🌌Cosmic Horror 🧠Psychological Horror 🧬Biological Horror I love Solaris, The End of Evangelion, and 2001: Space Odyssey. #HorrorWritersChat

#HorrorWritersChat The wildlife, the people, and the situation all antagonize. The wildlife is magical by nature so it requires different approaches to deal with, and being isekai'd into this world throws off everything the MC finds familiars. Finally, the people, ranging from monsters to humans

#HorrorWritersChat I like to use imagery and beings that are somewhat... Off. Describing the things that are normal, & the things that are just slightly so off. An example from my current WIP where I contrast the poses, the misplaced parts, etc. with the normal to help further exaggerate the wrong:

#HorrorWritersChat My current piece is a lot of deconstruction, actually - High fantasy, Monster capture, etc. So it looks at the reality of the horrors spells being widely available can allow, the horrors of if magical animals people can capture actually existed, etc.

#HorrorWritersChat I am Vee, I specialize in Eldritch horror, and three works that have inspired me are The Mist (Stephen King), The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (that game is basically a bleak horror tha somehow ends well), and pretty much anything by Junji Ito

You ever just Bahm BArumbum barumbumbum and then just Wii Shop Theme?

I have now removed myself from the gene pool (vasectomy)

If you are looking to replace Idiot/Stupid/etc. in your insult dictionary, may I suggest Jackass? The others are terms that used to be medical & made being disabled an insult. Jackass however means a person is stubbornly refusing to learn, like how a donkey is stubborn, & is very satisfying to say.

And I got an even worse AI Chat Ad. The pitch? Sexy scenarios to have pleasure to. The "sexy character" and scenario? You are a *dad asking your clearly preteen daughter to put on sexy clothes for you* Like wtaf???

So seems they are shoving Chat AI ads at me because the first few ads required clicking through to close them, opening them in Google Play

Me: "These AI Chat ads can't possibly get any more annoying" Unskippable ad using the most grating voice possible: "Oh Nyoh! You're new here! Oh nyoh!" Me: "...I need to stop challenging the universe"

#HorrorWritersChat Let's ignore Brent for now as that's spoilers, and focus more on the Glitch. Oh boy, oh boy have they gone through changes. Each Glitch represents decay in some way. Their bodies and minds decay due to their trauma - Appearances of Viral, Mutation, Corruption, Dry & Wet Rot, etc.

#HorrorWritersChat Brent is gong to sacrifice a lot - Some of his ideals, his comfort, his sense of security, his body and soul. It is going to be... Quite significant, but I can't really say til I get those parts written. I have a skeleton, & it will take many years of writing & books to flesh out

#HorrorWritersChat Plans for my book and hopeful series is that Brent slowly grows into a better person, into the kind of hero that he idolizes in his games

#HorrorWritersChat I am Vee, I specialize in Eldritch horror, and my core identity. It's part of what keeps me desperately clinging to the hope of some sort of afterlife/reincarnation

My burps taste like sausage Truly, this is the wurst

A waiter approached a time eating monster as they finished their two meals. "Do you need a moment?" "No thanks, I already had seconds" #puns #wordplay