Writing Updates for September 2026

Good evening! I finally have more writing updates for you guys. It’s taking quite a while to get through this collection of horror stories. I apologize for having very sparse information up to this point, but it’s still a work in progress and things keep changing. So, here we go!

I’m planning to write a series of folk horror creature features. A trilogy or three volumes is the current plan. I’m only publishing one volume at a time. We’ll start with the first volume and go from there. I want to showcase various monsters, spirits, and supernatural entities from classic folklore. Some of the monsters in my stories are widely recognizable in pop culture while others are far more obscure. Overall, the collection will function as modern American folk tales that reimagine classic monster lore. That means my version of these creatures will have recognizable elements, but they will be unique with many elements that are different than the original tales. If you’re not familiar with a lot of monster folklore, that’s fine too. You can have a perfectly good time reading my stories without having knowledge about specific folklore. 

How many stories am I having in each volume? I planned ten stories per volume until recently. On paper, ten sounds like a good number. However, I had more ideas, felt interested in additional lore, and the word count didn’t feel excessive. So, I might change the number of stories to twelve. Basically, I need to keep writing and figure out if this plan works. Stay tuned for more information at a later time. 

Where is my progress now? I actually drafted ten stories. It took a long time to get there. Keep in mind, these stories are just rough drafts. I need to spend a lot more time revising each story before I’m ready to submit anything to a professional editor and book cover designer. It might sound like I’m almost done, but I know that’s not the case. There’s a lot of work to get done. Like I said in the previous paragraph, I would like to add two more stories and see how well they fit in the volume. 

There is also a connected universe in the overall collection. Each story is a standalone entry, but I do include recurring characters and references to previous events. It’s also a good way to establish a consistent and recurring folklore throughout the series. It’s not a linear series like Supernatural or The X-Files with a specific cast of characters. Instead, think about anthologies like Tales from the Crypt, Creepshow, or Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Readers do need a decent threshold for blood, violence, gore, and various gruesome elements. It’s not extreme horror by any means, but it’s definitely not a collection for kids. The amount of violence, death, and gore varies for each story. I want to make sure the violence serves the story and not the other way around. Some of my stories are highly bloody and violent while others are more about the mystery, folklore, etc. Lately, I’ve been frustrated with cheap shock value in modern horror, so I don’t want to make the same mistake. 

At this point, I’m feeling really burned out. It’s time for a legitimate break from my anthology. I want to start digging into my backlog of games. That’s a good thing because I can give you more game reviews in the future. I’m behind in my gaming and a lot of games are coming out this month and October. So, I will probably resume writing around Thanksgiving time. That’s not a hard date or plan, but it’s the general direction I’m imagining right now. 

I want to give you more updates at the end of the year, so you can get a sneak peak at 2027. Currently, I’m hoping to publish the first volume some time next year. Don’t get too excited because that could change. I’m not quite sure about my timeline for publication yet. 

That was a pretty beefy update. I will give you more updates and info at some point. In terms of upcoming blog posts, I do want to review Lanterns after it’s done. I’m curious about the Lizzie Borden miniseries on Netflix. Other topics are up in the air, but I will probably discuss The Game Awards in December. Usually, I also discuss my favorite and least favorite video games of the year. The end of 2026 will come a lot sooner than you think. By the way, those of you who enjoy Halloween should get excited. I see a lot of costumes, decorations, and candy in various stores. The streaming services are adding a lot of horror films and some horror games are coming out in October, such as Halloween: The Game and Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival. Yeah, the spooky season is almost here. Thank you very much for supporting my work, take care of yourselves, be safe, and have a good week.