I have heard from other writers that sometimes magic happens. So I know I'm not the only to have experienced this. "Tattoo", being released in September, is one of those stories. After I wrote and produced "Canvas" (next week's tale), one of my listeners told me a story over Twitter that gave me an idea for a Fiend. However, when I tried to tell the original story I had in mind, it didn't go anywhere. So I wrote and rewrote the same 1k words over and over again, and every time, it got worse. I finally threw it away completely and started with a clean slate. Rather than attempting to make the visceral side of the tale the focus, I went back and started from a different angle. What happened was a crazed caffeine, alcohol induced marathon that occurred over 7 days. About 22k words in that space of time, several thousand of which are in data heaven due to their lack of importance to the story. The story took off like a rocket. I really enjoyed the moments I spent researching different aspects of scars and tattoos and medical procedures. Every time I was lost for an idea, I let wikipedia tease ideas out of my strained brain. The last 4k words of Tattoo streamed out like an angry river. A flash flood of tactile visions that made me squirm in my chair. The main character brought me to a place I'd never even thought of. And. It. Just. Happened. No planning on my part. Just a tsunami of words, thoughts, and visions that tortured my fingers in a non-stop rampage of keystrokes. This is when writing is its most fun. When a story grabs me this way, it usually means it's going to end up being tight and good. Something at least I'll be proud of, even if people don't like it. So I look forward to recording it for you and putting out the pdf versions of the chapters (followed by the epub once it's complete). I believe it will take all of September and the begining of October to finish telling the tale. After that, "Necroshine" will drop on Halloween (at least that's the plan). I'll be putting out a promo for Tattoo this evening in the feed and begin making the email rounds. Please share. Please talk. And get excited. This is the best story yet. Cheers. Share