Writing in the Dark: 2026

NOTE: I’ve turned off comments on this entry to prevent MAGA trolls and bots from flooding the comment section with their poison.

Having a hard time writing in the Dystopian States of America? You’re far from alone. Difficult times produce difficult emotions, and it’s okay to take however much time you need to process them. And if writing is more a passion than an income for you, and you only have so much spare time, you might decide it’s better spent taking care of yourself, your friends, and your family. Or you may devote it to directly opposing fascism through protests, social media posts, engaging with your least brainwashed MAGA relatives to open their minds, etc. As I tell my daughters and my students, it doesn’t matter what you choose to do because it all needs to be done. All that matters is that you contribute somehow.

But if your income does depend on your writing, in whole or in part – or if, like me, you need to write to stay sane – then here are some ideas that might help keep the words coming.

(And if you’re a reader who doesn’t normally write, consider what writing – just for yourself if not for publication – might do for you.)

Write for your mental health.

Like I said above, writing keeps me sane. Whenever I get irritable and out of sorts, my wife asks if I’ve been writing lately, and if I say no, she says, “Get started.” Keeping yourself sane isn’t only a benefit for you, but it has a positive impact on your family, coworkers, and anyone else you come in contact with. Existence is resistance.

Pour your feelings into your writing.

If your emotions are currently a turbulent maelstrom of what-the-fuck and this-is-horrible (mine sure are), then writing can be a way to untangle them. This can help you process them, but it could also help you express them to others, whether in person or online.

Reading fiction strengthens empathy.

I’ve read about studies that suggest one of the main reasons for MAGA is a lack of empathy on their part. Other studies have shown that reading fiction increases a person’s empathy. So if, like me, you primarily write fiction, you’re contributing to building empathy in others. Sure, maybe only a small number of people read our work, but every little bit helps. I’ve focused on empathy in my stories for years, and especially in my media tie-in work, most recently in the Terrifier novelizations and my Conan fiction. I know I'll reach a broader audience with those books, so there’s a greater chance they’ll impact the empathy-challenged.

Write articles – or blog posts – with practical tips for people who feel the same way you do.

Like I’m doing right now. They don’t have to be about writing, of course. Maybe you can provide tips on meal preparation for the stressed and depressed. Or exercise tips. Whatever. Remember, everything needs to be done.

Poetry is great for distilling and concentrating emotion.

I don’t write poetry (although I love to read it), but poetry is an excellent vehicle for expressing emotion, whether directly or through imagery and metaphor. And if it’s something you don’t usually write, it could make a nice break from your usual writing. And speaking of poetry…

Tell it slant.

This is Emily Dickinson’s famous advice to poets (and it works for all writers). It means that some things are too big, too complicated, or too difficult to write (or read) about directly, so we write about them indirectly. That’s why a poem that on the surface seems to be about a spider continually rebuilding its web after wind, rain, or birds knock it down is really about finding the strength to persist in the face of repeated setbacks. Pick one aspect of how you’re feeling right now, and try to write about it slant, whether as fiction, poetry, or nonfiction.

Write protest sign slogans.

Literally write slogans that people can use on signs and post them on social media or your blog for anyone to use. If you can’t get out to protests for one reason or another, your words still can.

Write a speech to give before Congress.

What would you say to Congress if you were given the chance to address them? (I’d probably just scream “Fuck you!” at the top of my lungs over and over, but hopefully you can come up with something better.)

Write a letter that you would send to your representatives.

And then send it. Yeah, it may be a drop in the bucket, and it may be ignored, but you’ll have written it, and you can post it in various places. If nothing else, maybe you’ll feel a little better afterward.

Write a future historian’s article.

How would a future historian write about what’s happening in America now? You can write one version that has a positive outcome, one that has a negative one, or one that’s mixed. Or try all three.

Write about your worst fears.

As a horror writer, I wholeheartedly endorse this. There’s a reason why non-horror folks often remark that horror writers are the nicest, kindest, gentlest people they meet. We constantly process and come to terms with our negative emotions via our writing. It’s more than art; it’s an important survival skill for us. If you’re not a horror writer, give it a try.

Write a survival story.

Write a survival story that doesn’t directly have anything to do with current events. Writing about a struggle for survival can prove very cathartic – and you might end with something you can submit to an editor.

Write a justice story.

Same thing here, only with justice. You could combine this with survival if you want.

Make the big small.

The current situation is way too big to write about all of it, but you could pick one small part to write about, whether you do so directly or indirectly. For example, today I saw video of high school students – different ages and genders – beating up a MAGA dude who stopped to harass them during a protest. If I wrote that scene or a slant version of it, I’d be writing about how young people are fighting for their future, and by extension, everyone’s. The big made small. (And fuck that MAGA dude!)

Write a story about empathy, for adults or kids.

Write a story or poem that demonstrates the importance and strength of empathy without being obvious about it. Write it for adults or kids or both.

Write about an invented religion taking over a society.

Write about a version of the current Christofascists trying to take over our society or an imaginary one. Write from the perspective of a follower who’s beginning to have some doubts. Write from the perspective of someone trying to stop a loved one from joining the movement.

Work on your dream project.

If there’s a project you’ve been putting off until the “right time,” start working on it now. Not only will it feed you emotionally, but it’s also a powerful statement to yourself that there will be a future and you’re helping to create it for yourself.

Try something you’ve never tried before.

Write something you’ve never attempted before. A topic you’ve never written about, a form you’ve never tried before. The old phrase “A change is as good as a rest” comes in here. (This is also a good technique to bust through writer’s block.)

Make something, anything.

If you really can’t bring yourself to write, then draw, paint, or sculpt. Build a new set of bookshelves. Attend to the home repair you’ve been putting off. Buy a cool Lego set. Making is a deep human need. It’s one of the main things that defines us as human. And, like working on your dream project, making something reinforces that there will be a future and you can have at least some small measure of impact on it.

Help others.

I’m more of a builder than a fighter. Not just creating stories but building connections between people and giving people tools to build things for themselves. (Like presenting all these ideas in a blog post.) It’s one of the main reasons I became a teacher. Help other writers by giving them feedback on their work or by listening to their writing and publishing-related woes and commiserating. Conduct workshops online or in your community. Help others however you can. It builds and strengthens community bonds, and it reminds us that we can still have a positive impact on the world even in the face of what seems like an overwhelming tide of darkness that we don’t know how to fight. Remember, every bit of positive energy we put into the universe adds to the sum total of Light to counter the Darkness, whether you literally believe in those concepts or, like me, believe in them as metaphor. Either way, we’re still helping, so who cares if they’re real or only abstract concepts? They work either way.

And if you don’t have the emotional bandwidth to help anyone else, take care of yourself. You’re important too, you know.

And the reason it’s so important to take care of yourself right now can be boiled down to what flight attendants tell passengers: “Put your oxygen mask on before helping others.” So get that mask on, and let’s ride out the turbulence the best we can – together.

DEPARTMENT OF SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION

Conan: Marked for Death Out Now

Titan publishes an ebook-only series of short stories starring various Robert E. Howard characters called The Heroic Legends Series. Conan: Marked for Death is only $1.99 for 8,000 words of barbarian action!

Synopsis

Wounded, thirsty, and stranded in the desert after a job gone bad, Conan is desperate. To make it out alive, he bands together with his fellow surviving mercenaries.

Conan trusts none of them, and the feeling is mutual. Fine. Everyone knows where they stand. But when a cursed treasure is discovered, distrust turns to suspicion. Conan knows enough about dark magic to leave well enough alone, but will greed get the better of his new “friends”?

You can find all the purchasing links here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/813527/the-heroic-legends-series---conan-marked-for-death-by-tim-waggoner/

The Face of Pain

Synopsis

The doctors said it was cancer, but Tricia knew the thing inside her was something far worse.

Tricia Everhart is diagnosed with uterine cancer, but despite her test results, she can’t escape the feeling that she’s not sick–she’s pregnant. When a mysterious door appears in the hospital, she steps through and finds herself trapped in a nightmarish facility called the Red Tower. There, a cult of sinister physicians known as the Lineage worship a foul entity called the Face of Pain… and they believe Tricia is its chosen vessel. Her husband, Aaron, follows her into the Tower, desperate to bring her home. But the deeper they go, the more they encounter horrors beyond comprehension. Will they escape the Red Tower before the Face of Pain enters our reality? Or will its birth unravel existence itself?

Praise for The Face of Pain:

Tim Waggoner is a magician. He weaves layers of profound emotionality without losing the thrill and thrust of the story. The Face of Pain is as real as it is fantastical and we are given the gift of reading in both light and dark, passage to passage, as if Tim is in the room with us, controlling all illumination therein.” –Josh Malerman, New York Times-bestselling author of Bird Box and Incidents Around the House

Lefthand Path Press: https://www.lefthandpathpress.com/book/the-face-of-pain/

If you’ve read the book, I’d appreciate it if you could drop a review somewhere, whether you loved it or hated it. All reviews help draw attention to a book.

I Scream, You Scream

My novel I Scream, You Scream is now out in trade paperback and Kindle! Signed hardcovers are also now available for $30 at the Weird House Press site!

Eighth-grader Joel Taylor just moved to Shadow Springs with his mom. He likes his new home well enough – until a sinister being called Mr. Freezee begins driving his creepy ice-cream truck up and down the streets at night, playing “Pop Goes the Weasel.”

Joel heard the music.

He looked out the window.

He saw Mr. Freezee, and what’s worse…

Mr. Freezee saw him.

Now Mr. Freezee wants to take Joel to a very special place where the world is made of every flavor of ice cream you can imagine – all of them deadly. Mr. Freezee brings all his new friends here, and they love it so much that they never leave.

Mr. Freezee makes sure of it.

Welcome to Sweet Land, Joel.

Welcome to a nightmare that never ends.

Amazon Trade Paperback: https://tinyurl.com/2bvwmhaw

Barnes and Noble Trade Paperback: https://tinyurl.com/mpw8k2k7

Kindle: https://tinyurl.com/3t8ntyxa

Hardcover: https://tinyurl.com/y3hxu7ys

Carson Buckingham Reviews I Scream, You Scream for The Horror Review

“In no way is this book just for kids. I blew through it twice and enjoyed it just as much both times…” – Carson Buckingham

Full review: https://tinyurl.com/bddwv728

The Terrifier 3 Novelization

Get ready for some Ho-Ho-Horror as Art the Clown slaughters Christmas!

Synopsis from Bloody Press

The Biggest, Most Brutal Unrated Film Ever is Now a Book!

No more clowning around. The unholy novelization of Terrifier 3 is here… and it’s the horrific splatterpunk event of the holidays!

After surviving Art the Clown's Halloween massacre, Sienna and her brother are struggling to rebuild their shattered lives. As the holiday season approaches, they try to embrace the Christmas spirit and leave the horrors of the past behind. But just when they think they're safe, Art the Clown returns, determined to turn their holiday cheer into a new nightmare. The festive season quickly unravels as Art unleashes his twisted brand of terror, proving that no holiday is safe.

Written by Tim Waggoner, the author of the Terrifier 2 Novelization, the X Trilogy (X, Pearl, and MaXXXine) Novelizations, and the Halloween Kills Novelization.

And remember, boys and girls, blood-drenched stories about demonic clowns make great gifts no matter what season it is!

Amazon Kindle US: https://tinyurl.com/573hwu4u

Amazon Hardback US: https://tinyurl.com/2asknbjh

Amazon Kindle UK: https://tinyurl.com/yrmrd626

Amazon Hardback UK: https://tinyurl.com/mtjne3yx

Amazon Kindle Canada: https://tinyurl.com/yc6pupcn

Amazon Hardback Canada: https://tinyurl.com/4np3ckc7

Amazon Kindle France: https://tinyurl.com/mr6dn4zr

Amazon Hardback France: https://tinyurl.com/4np3ckc7

Amazon Kindle Australia: https://tinyurl.com/mvz3dad9

Amazon Hardback Australia: Not available yet.

SCHEDULED APPEARANCES