I've just put up my latest short story "The Unfortunate Tale of Talid Farrowheart," and have a few observations I'd like to share.
    First, if you haven't read the story yet, I advise doing so as not to spoil anything. If you haven't read it and proceed to read this post, then may God have mercy on your flippant soul.


In "The Unfortunate Tale of Talid Farrowheart" I decided to keep with my running theme of depression, isolation, and suffering. With this story I think I've reached the pinnacle in terms of dark fantasy. I mentioned it in my last post that this story was the darkest thing I've ever written (or at least put out to date. I'm still finishing up "The Dark Arm of God").
    A few things stood out to me while writing.
    Note: Spoilers ahead.
    One interesting tidbit that I'll share right off. With a plot running along the lines of: Man tricked into murdering his wife and infant to have sex with a princess, I found myself struggling over what word I should use for a woman's vagina. I did not want to use "vagina" as that sounds far too clinical. I didn't want to use "pussy" as I thought it might offend some people's sensibilities. After struggling over this issue for a couple of days, I finally had to say to myself, "Look at the plot for fuck's sake. This man killed his wife and child to fuck a princess and you're worrying over the language for a vagina." I was aghast at myself. Wasn't this the essence of Indie publishing? To write what you want, how you want to write it? I am not frivolously spouting profanity here, or actively seeking to write a disturbing tale that raises eyebrows and hackles. That would dilute the heart of any story. My intentions were to create something consistent and touching and real. Life is hardly all pleasantries and happy-endings. This jaded worldview appears numerous times within my stories, but always with a tone of hopefulness and remorse layered underneath. Characters act according to character profiles. They might do dastardly deeds, and they might smell like evil, and they might trap a bunny rabbit just to chop its ears off, but in the end their actions follow their personalities. All people are capable of violence; and all people are capable of love. But not all people are the same. We live in a world of criminals and people with bad intentions. These are real things, and hopefully things that few people ever encounter in their lives. My stories portray these realities, often as a method of understanding them.
    Still, I know that some of what I write will be considered offensive. That's fine. I'll just have to remind people that what I write about is only real as a product of life. News reports can be offensive depending on the story covered. A coworker could say something offensive depending on your slant toward whatever issue they're broaching. I'm not scared of being offensive, what I'm most frightened of is being untrue to myself. My hesitation in regards to selecting a word to describe a woman's private area proves that I might have momentarily fallen into the trap of writing for everyone else. I write for me, and I share my writings with others. I love my stories more than anyone ever will, and I have to make sure it stays that way. I don't want to read something of mine in the future and feel as though it were written by someone else. I want my stories to be authentic to me. I love them and care about them and write them in such a way that they are clearly are mine.
    With that out of the way, be jolly and spread cheer. It is the holiday season after all.