Why I Write Things that Disturb Me

Episode summaryJohn talks about the craft behind writing disturbing fiction and why the darkest material is almost never invented. It comes from the locked drawer. The 2 a.m. thought you didn’t share. The moment you handled it badly and filed it away. He traces the line between shock and dread, explains why the scariest thing in horror fiction is usually the writer, and uses his own Substack story “Mile Marker 47” to illustrate how grounded, specific detail does more damage than any monster ever could.What’s coveredComing to fiction late, after years of writing that had to be true. Why disturbing fiction requires going somewhere you’d rather not. The difference between gore and dread, and why one of them actually works. How “Mile Marker 47” was built from the real experience of driving a dark Florida two-lane alone at night. Why the most unsettling moment in that story isn’t the figure at the tree line. It’s the realization that Mara never looked before.Referenced in this episode“Mile Marker 47” is available now on The Proud Boomer Substack. Paid subscribers get the full archive and one exclusive piece per month.Subscribe / FollowSubstack:Medium: https://medium.com/@theProudBoomer Email: [email protected] subscriptions: $5/month or $50/year. No sponsors. No algorithm. Get full access to The Proud Boomer Dispatch at johnsproudboomer.substack.com/subscribe