This Unholy Place: author's commentary

This Unholy Place

These author commentaries will accompany each piece of micro-fiction I post to Xeroverse: Missing Pieces. They are not intended to explain the story, that would defeat the point. That would seem a failing if I thought the story needed more information than just what was self-contained.

I might expand a little, but that would only be for the sake of interest. At the risk of repeating myself... the story should stand on its own.

So this being the first, there's a lot I want to say.

I don't think it's my strongest story, that I've written, that I've thought of, or that I have ready to post. So why open a new fiction blog with a piece that isn't my strongest?

Well, until recently I hadn't written for a while. I wouldn't say I had writer's block. The ideas were there, I scribbled notes, but I was afflicted with that other common writer's malady. Procrastination. I was busy doing Other Stuff.

Then, spurred on by a couple of events, I decided it was time to get myself back in gear. Time to put some validity behind my claims to be a writer. So I decided I would write a piece of micro-fiction each day. I would force a story out, because I wanted to get back into the habit. And, if you plan to carry on reading, this is what you will be subjected to; initially at least. They live in a folder on my laptop called 'sketches', which is as apt a metaphor as any.

As a series it is called This Micro-fiction. Imaginative, I know. But the theme continues into the titles and it gives me something to work with. There will be thirty. This is the goal I have set. I am already behind, but catch-up days are allowed. So long as there are thirty pieces in thirty days.

So This Unholy Place is the first piece I wrote. The more astute among you might surmise that I have been reading a little Lovecraft recently, others just that the piece is a little melodramatic and over-written.

I don't always know or remember what it was that inspired a particular piece, though it is often art. As I would hope my micro-fiction would inspire universes in your mind, artwork often inspires the same in me. Before I began writing this I flicked through an old Spectrum collection, and certainly elements came from there. Spectrum produce wonderful yearly collections, subtitled the best in contemporary fantastic art, which they are. I definitely recommend checking them out.

This writing is not my 'usual' style, one of the joys of micro-fiction is flirting with varying styles. Having said that, there are certain styles and tones I use regularly; that are perhaps more recognisably 'me' (at least if you have read more of my old writing). Hopefully you'll see what I mean in the coming weeks, and hopefully you'll like what you see.

-Xero