David Parkinson

Don't read THE TALES OF TERROR AND TORMENT. They're too dark, too gut-wrenching, too overwhelming and awe-inspiring for the average reader. Stay away. Stick to bland, by-the-numbers horror. I mean, why would you want to read stuff that rots your soul and breaks your mind?

Today is the 13th. That means it's Dark Veil Society day! The DVS isn't just a bunch of indie writers; it's a community dedicated to creating outstanding horror fiction. If you love scary, gruesome, beautiful horror, then congratulations, you've just found the home of it. 🔗👇

@CHRISDBRAND Cheers 👍 I'm usually reasonably prolific tbf, it was just one of those days where my head got in the way.

@LexLoki 😂 It gets easier over time. Particularly when you teach yourself that you can write good stuff almost at will and don't need to obsess so much over every last line now. Writing sprints can help teach you this. I also did a little daily exercise now with just 2 paragraphs

Something that massively helped me with my writing was learning to just write the thing and move on. You can polish later.

@thewrittensoul @timmckay52 I got you, mate - honest feedback guaranteed.👍

@LexLoki @timmckay52 Cheers, thanks for saying. Oh man, I really hope you love it, but trust me when I say I do also really want to know if you don't. I plan to write for a long time and if I stink now, I don't want to still be smelly when I'm sixty 😅.

Why I am grateful for X in spite of my occasion whining: When I published Tidal Skies almost one year ago I didn't have any beta readers. In fact not a soul had read it in its entirety but me. Dying Daylights will be different. Not only has it been edited by the illustrious @timmckay52, who I met here, but thanks to some awesome mutuals I now have five people early reading the manuscript for holes and snags. Huge thank you to @Mike_Sharpe_ , @JRMontarbo , @LexLoki , and @justcastellon . It really warms my cold dark heart to have allies as bad ass as y'all aiding me in my hour of need, and I eagerly await the opportunity to show you my appreciation. Last but not least is Laura Deere, who although isn't on X, I thank her now all the same. As the wheels of this 'writing thing' begin to turn I realize more and more that the ordeal will not be surpassed alone. And to every one of you that has offered a kind word on my writing, thank you. Sparks such as yours will ever haunt winter in its nightmares. Cheers to the allies and blessed be the cheerers.

It's the 13th of the month. Grab yourself some horror merch, horror books, maybe watch a horror flick. You know the drill. #dvs @DarkVeilSociety

@LexLoki That’s a huge compliment coming from a talent such as you. Cheers mate 🤘💀

Couldn't agree more. A must for horror fans. All three stories in Violent Ends are bloody brilliant! Nothing held back, hard as nails, and full of unforgettable characters and brutal scenes. When I think of badass British horror, I think Steve Stark. 🔥🔥🔥

@lukewestbooks 🤣

@LexLoki Also Confucius: Man who runs in front of car gets tired. Man who runs in back of car gets exhausted. Just to leave you with a laugh!

Planned to knuckle down and get some serious writing done this morning. Managed a mighty 6 low-quality handwritten pages.

@AuthorHMRead I hate typing first drafts, it just doesn't feel right. Doubt it would be any quicker, I'd just piss about fixing typos. Also, I'm old and technology scares me. Mark my words young man, one day machines will start writing stories for us and then we'll all be fuc-- oh, wait!

@LexLoki That's cool. Wish I still wrote by hand, but i'm such a slow procrastinator as it is, I can barely type without getting distracted by a fart.

@lukewestbooks I guess you're right. Cheers 👍 It's like my good mate Confucius always says, "The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones." Or something like that.

@LexLoki That's progress, even when it doesn't feel like it.

@EamonnHBradley True enough. 👍

@LexLoki Good. Can’t edit a blank page mate

@worillessg Nope. Let ideas stand or fall on their evidence and merit. Let people show you who they are.

Is censorship ever justified in literature?

@DarkVeilSociety & @ShaunMJooste

I'm pleased to share the first of the Kingdom Horror Collective's member recommendations. An easy choice for me comes from the wonderful @starkterror88. Violent Ends is a slaughterfest trio of gut-churning horribles that delivers of it's promise across the board. Written with Stark’s masterclass in blending local dialect, punishing violence and gritty, gripping stories, proves, yet again, the incredible talent of 'indie' horror authors. Worth multiple reads, this one. Grab your copy and see how right I am. 🔗👇