timwburke

…and I’m 48% of the way through. I didn’t know if I would do it as a straight narrative read or use character voices, but my comic actor reflexes took over. Now I gotta keep track: was it John Houseman as Mehzadapt? Angela Bassett as Respiration? My women’s voices are mighty generic. Warren is Niles Crane, though. The process has been intimidating, but it’s been fun and challenging.

My writers’ group Noble Fusion East had a look at a few short stories of mine. I felt I needed a more horror-experienced perspective, so I sent them to Wendy Wagner of Nightmare Magazine, who offers editorial advice at reasonable rates. I sent her two stories presently titled “Blood In The Splash Pool” and “Whale Song”, totaling just under 5K words.

Well reader! She loved the stories! And gave me advice that helped me develop character motivation and world-building. Now “Whale Song” is at Pseudopod.org and I’m looking for a market for the more experimental “Blood”.

This reinforced Noble Fusion’s takes, as they were enthused about the stories as well. The group isn’t really a fan of horror, but I think over the years their critiques have steered me away from indulging in gross-o cool ideas into better characters and settings.