Insecure Writer's Support Group: Episode 16-Where's 15?

IWSG

Greetings and Salutations from New England and welcome to the monthly blog post of the IWSG, where writers from around the world  get together to talk smack about their writing, both good and bad.

A small explanation about the post title. Apparently while I was getting ready to write this nifty little post, I discovered that I wrote two, count 'em, two episode #14's. So yeah, a full pinochle deck I was playing with not.

So instead of using the optional question of how do I get into the zone for writing (haven't done much in the way of writing, but when I did, it was basically, peace; quite; editing note, then write),  I decided instead to talk about a shrot story that I started writing {Yay!}.

Lately whenever I decide to write a short story, I make a really hard-water left turn towards the macabre. I'm not sure why, since I don't really read that much in that genre (and other horror genres), but it seems a little easier to just go off in that direction with no rhyme or reason to speak of.

This particular short story, working title "What A Day..." was directly inspired by the fact that I have been teleworking/telecommuting from home since mid March and much like everyone else who is doing it, I'm beyond over in doing it.

The opening paragraph starts out normal enough:

I open the door to the basement, sigh disgustedly, before tromping down the stairs towards my office. I wasn’t too thrilled about it, since this was now day 31 of my enforced telecommuting and the redundancy of it all left me with a sour cotton mouth and twisted sense of indignation.

But quickly dovetails to internal organs, disembodied voices, psycho animals and other assorted ghoulies. Just like my latest project sitting on the back burner, I found it wickedly easy to explore the dark recesses of my mind. And I also find it wickedly easy to write it like this is simply a normal day-to-day occurrence: no outrage, no OMG, no "run to the hills". Instead, it's more like a, "honey, can you make sure to pick up a gallon of milk while you're out and about?" mentality.

Weirdly macabre is the new normal it seems, at least for me. What's the new normal for you?

{c} 2020 by G.B. Miller. All Rights Reserved