This piece is part of Trevor Cohen’s “Day of the ___ Writer”, an open collab on the daily experiences behind our writing. You’re welcome to join by posting about your day on your pub. Check out our growing mosaic of many lives.

When I was asked to reveal “a day in the life of me,” my first instinct was to laugh.

Mystery writers are not meant to peel back curtains. We are meant to stand behind them, quietly rearranging the furniture.

From a distance, I imagine my days look dramatic. Words produced. Posts scheduled. Stories drafted. A well-oiled machine humming away at all hours.

Machines, however, overheat.

Mine is currently resting on my knees, ten years old, running hot and temperamental. Some keys double their letters. Others refuse to space at all. If it’s not plugged in, it drains from 100% to 20% in under half an hour — a dramatic exit worthy of a final act.

This is where most of it happens. In bed. After 7 p.m. The house dim. One headphone in. Classical music drifting from 105.9 WQXR out of New York through iHeart Radio — a station I’ve listened to for so long it feels less like sound and more like atmosphere.

My wife watches Gardener’s World beside me. Monty Don tends roses. I tend fictional corpses.

Eighty percent of my writing lives on that aging laptop. Scrivener open. Worlds under construction. Drafts blinking patiently. Sometimes I’m building a mystery series I’ve promised myself I’ll finally write — the one that sits somewhere between Agatha Christie, Alfred Hitchcock, and The Twilight Zone. That strange, beautiful intersection is home.

Other nights I wander through drafts at Top in Fiction or Ink After Dark, finishing, scheduling, polishing. If the words won’t cooperate, I retreat into design work or website maintenance. BlueHost. Adobe Express. Unseen scaffolding.

It is not glamorous work. It is maintenance of a world that mostly exists in my head.

The remaining twenty percent?

That happens at 4 a.m.

When the house is asleep and the air feels thinner, I write on my iPhone. The Notes app is my first line of defense against both brilliance and nonsense. Every idea begins there. If it survives the morning light, it graduates to Scrivener or Substack. If not, it remains buried in digital obscurity.

Lately, though, something has shifted.

I’ve gone all in on Christie this year — one novel a month, one short story a week, audiobooks whenever possible. Not nostalgia. Research. Apprenticeship across time.

After completing 1,000 consecutive days of 100-word stories this past January, I made myself a promise: when I returned to longer fiction, it would be on my terms. Not the market’s. Not the trend’s. Mine.

That means mystery.

Some days I have no ideas at all. Some days I’m simply scheduling what past-me wrote. Some days I’m too unwell to think clearly. The mythology of the “writing machine” collapses quickly under real life.

But even on the worst days, I can read.

I can listen.

I can study the architecture of a perfect reveal and ask myself how the trick was done.

The truth is this: a day in the life of a mysterious writer is mostly quiet. Mostly ordinary. Mostly invisible.

The mystery isn’t in the schedule.

It’s in what survives it.

f you’d like to support Ink After Dark (my newsletter/blog/sounding board) then you can do so by being a Paid Subscriber or donating here:

BUY ME A COFFEE

I also have a “Free-to-Read” Library where you can find some of my longer fiction and the best of my 100 word stories as well.

FREE-TO-READ

(I meant to send this weeks ago because I realize I already started using this feature)

This is a conversation space exclusively for paid subscribers—kind of like a group chat or live hangout. I’ll post questions and updates that come my way, and you can jump into the discussion.

Join chat

What you can expect

This is not a new feature to Substack (the newsletter/blog tool I use to communicate with my subscribers), but it is something new for me to use. And because of this I’m going to be throwing many things at the wall to see what sticks and works.

It helps that this year I’m laser focused on writing my first murder mystery book of novelette/novella length. That’s somewhere between 25k - 45k words in length.

A lot goes into writing a mystery and I plan on sharing my process in THREE key locations:

1. My email newsletter, of which you should already be subscribed, especially if you’re reading this. To gain access to these specific posts you’ll need to be a PAID subscriber. These emails will be more in-depth and eventually be where I share the chapters when I start to serialize the first book. The Murder Pen Society is where I’m collecting all of my research and work. [PAID SUBSCRIBERS]

2. Substack Notes, like X or Instagram but 1,000% better. No ads. Less drama (depending on who you’re following) and just a really cool place to share, be heard, and interact with fellow writers and readers who are interested in what you’re interested in. This is the best place to find my day-to-day musings and what I’m working on. [FREE TO FOLLOWERS]

3. Substack Chat, the new addition is a bit like a forum and text chatting in one. It’s honestly not something I’m used to using but I’m excited because unlike the previous two places, this one gives me a direct line to my subscribers separate from my emails that I spend much more time curating and making sure are neat and organized with headers and bold text. Chat is nothing like that at all. In many ways it invites conversation more than Notes and emails. It’s your opportunity to ask me questions and I promise, for me to answer them! [PAID SUBSCRIBERS]

For emails specifically, once you become a paid subscriber you’ll need to make sure that you turn ON receiving emails from my section: The Murder Pen Society, which is presently where I’m working on all things mystery.

How to get started

1. Get the Substack app by clicking this link or the button below. New chat threads won’t be sent sent via email, so turn on push notifications so you don’t miss conversation as it happens. You can also access chat on the web.

Get app

2. Open the app and tap the Chat icon. It looks like two bubbles in the bottom bar, and you’ll see a row for my chat inside.

3. That’s it! Jump into my thread to say hi, and if you have any issues, check out Substack’s FAQ.

tl;dr I am proud to be able to afford to support some of my favorite writers in the fiction community and I’m doing what we all wish people would do when it comes to supporting creatives and the arts, I’m putting my heard earned money where my mouth is. The fact that Substack has made it that much easier for me to show that support is not a bad thing. If you don’t like it, don’t look. Period.

I’ve stayed quiet about this recent change on Substack. In fact, I’ve stayed quiet and out of it with most of the changes. In the early days, and because Notes has always given me a sense of freedom to speak my mind (sorta like Twitter back when we were limited to 140 characters…ah the good old days), I would complain about the changes. Not what they were but because they were happening so frequently. But I realized it wasn’t a fault or a negative. I was just spending too much damn time here and so, yeah, I noticed every tiny change that was made.

The latest, and the cause for so much discourse is the dreaded “flower” beside our names.

Now, we don’t all have it. And it seems, much like the checkmark, you’re either against it or you’re “part of the problem.” It seems there is no option to be for it or at the very least not so against it.

And I’ll admit when the checkmark first became a thing, again back to the early days of Twitter, I was firmly planted on team against. Joining the herd was something I felt pressured into doing when I was younger and less experienced. But I’m older now. Not wiser. Just older.

The checkmark could’ve, and should’ve, been a great idea. Especially, today with so much disinformation and misinformation. The idea behind verifying a real person makes sense. That is, until money is involved. But I’m not here to debate or defend the issues of a once beloved platform and now very much dead to me, place.

But I do feel a sense of defense when it comes to the choices I make. And I think it’s because my choices are the only thing I have any control over. And when I choose to put my money where my mouth is, an argument we in the fiction community especially will say (and I guess not actually mean), I’m not about to back down or be made to feel like my choice was wrong.

Now, did I choose to make the Substack’s that I am a paid subscriber to a little more public than they were before? No. That was a choice Substack made with their flower. Do I think it’s so terrible that I’d pay $1 or hide those Substacks I’m subscribed to just to make a point? Hell no!

I believe in paying for good work and giving my money to support great people and because I believe that I’m not about to suddenly hide them away like I’m ashamed of them. It’s not their fault.

I’m also proud that in my current station in life financially, I am able to show such support and extend it as much as possible. That may not be true a year from now, but today, and for as long as I am able, I want to, for lack of a less corny way of putting it, “lead by example.”

I’m ashamed, quite honestly, not in myself but in my community, for making me feel like hiding away my support is the only solution to this latest change. Finally, I’m able to show my support in another way and I didn’t have to do anything, Substack did it for me and I have no problem with it.

Now, there might be some who feel ostracized much in the same way those without checkmarks felt left out from those with. One could argue that’s why it’s become such a pointless and irrelevant thing. If everyone can’t have it then no one should or everyone should pay to have it and dilute its original intent.

For every person, and this is aimed at the fiction community that I am a part of specifically, who will say they hate self promotion but wish people would buy their book, this should not be the problem. This is the least of our worries.

Don’t have a flower cause you can’t afford to be a paid subscriber to someone? That’s not the way this change should be seen in the first place. But it seems all things begin and end with money.

What I hoped this change would invoke was the following statement: ah, Erica is a paid subscriber to these 3 people, maybe I should check them out.

Does it make them stand out more than the others I’m not a paid subscriber to? Maybe. But that could be because the others don’t have paid subscriptions turned on. Or they don’t need my money.

The other thing that really grinds my gears about this before I climb down off my soapbox: before this change it was just as simple and easy to see who any one of us was a paid subscriber to. All Substack did was make that readily available information just a little easier to discover. And since I’m in the business of discoverability by any means necessary and possible, I see no problem with it.

I am sorry to those who are unable to find pride in sharing who they are paid subscribers to. But I’m even more sorry to those who have paid subscribers that are now adamantly hiding that fact.

I cannot, in good faith and conscience, be grateful and honored to those who are paid subscribers to my own newsletter while simultaneously advocating to hide those sentiments. It just doesn’t make sense to me.

I appreciate all my subscribers but I am proud and grateful for my paid subscribers and I shouldn’t be made to feel any shame in that. Nor should I feel ashamed for those whose work I can afford to pay for either through subscriptions or buying their books.

I’m doing what is asked of me from the community I love and hold dear: I’m putting my money where my mouth is. And if you don’t like it, tough!

I give you a peak behind the curtain at how exactly I manage to write my 100 word stories every single day. This process works for me because it allows me to just focus on writing the story and not all the extra bits that you see before and after my story.

Having these all ready in my Drafts also means I can write from my phone anywhere. Which is another amazing thing. I wish I could write a post with all the bells and whistles directly from the app. And while I know that is possible, it doesn’t allow me to assign it to a specific Section and I can’t access my Drafts, which would be, at the very least, major updates I would need to the mobile app in order to get me to use it.

As it stands now, I create the Drafts on a computer and then I use a combination of Scrivener and Arc (my web browser of choice) to then post my 100 word stories every single day.

If you’re struggling with how to keep up any sort of pace with writing and especially posting regularly on your own blog, some or all of my process might be helpful to you.

But remember, this is my process that I’ve tweaked and tweaked over many years, even decades, so it works best for me. That means it might not work for you. And that’s okay too. The reason I shared this is really for the curious among you. Enjoy!

Thank you to everyone who tuned into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

Get more from Erica Drayton in the Substack app

Available for iOS and Android

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Anyhow, I realized that it might be interesting to share with you the various channels I’m subscribed to and see if that can help my subscribers get a sense of who I am, at least on my creative side of life. And if this is received well, I may do more of these by sharing my favorite movies, music, artists, actors, etc.

First, I want to say that the Youtube algorithm is impeccable. I have yet to find another platform that comes close to it. And it’s because of their amazing algorithm that I actually hop back and forth between three separate Youtube accounts. This helps me to know what kind of content I’m looking for based on what I want to watch. You’ll see what I mean in a minute but this is how I’m going to divide my list. Into my three main Youtube accounts. Oh, and another reason I do it this way is so I don’t get cross contamination. You’ll see what I mean.

And before you ask, YES, I watch every single video they come out with that’s new (even going so far as to watch some of their past videos on ones I really enjoy like Mark Crilley & James Julier). And YES, I realize that’s a lot of hours each week. I try not to add any new channels if I can help it! Nicole Byer & Amy Poehler are the two new podcasts I’ve added recently.

ERICA DRAYTON

This is a mix of personalities, tech reviewers, and celebrities/comedians with podcasts. Oh, and illustrators. I love watching illustrators illustrate.

BRAVEBIRD

This is my “gamer tag” as the young kids say. For the Pokemon fans out there, brave bird is the name of a move unique to the Flying Pokemon and specifically my favorite Pokemon, Talonflame. Anyway, you guessed it, this is where I go to find out what I need to know going on in a specific realm of the gaming community.

ERICA DRAYTON WRITES

This is where I watch writerly stuff (well some cause there is at least one channel I can think of that is on another of my accounts) like fellow indie authors who are sharing their journey using video. I come here whenever I need that bit of motivation to possibly start my own Youtube channel career. Unfortunately, I have yet to do it.

What Youtube channels, if any, do you subscribe to?

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Why do I own so many decks? Well, about 85% of the decks I own have been used as “themes” for my 100 word stories. The more unique they are, the better they are suited for storytelling.

What Tarot Decks do you have? Any of the one’s you’ve seen that I have? If and when I have time I will create a page that lists all of the decks with links to those that can be purchased.

Some of these decks are Kickstarters and may not be purchasable.

Thank you , , and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

Get more from Erica Drayton in the Substack app

Available for iOS and Android

Get the app

But lately, and this might be a getting older thing, I’ve had a shorter fuse when it comes to certain things I see and hear and read in my life and so, I have some things I’d like to say. Prepare now for MY rant…

Whenever I hear someone try to tell me I’m an idiot, cause let’s face it, that’s what they’re all saying without outright saying it (though some are “ballsy” enough to actually say it), because my marketing tactics will never work because we’re all fiction writers trying to sell to each other, it assumes two things about writers that, for lack of a better word, I think, are pure fiction:

1. All writers are NOT readers as well.

2. All writers are ALWAYS and ONLY ever broke.

Now, I’m gonna say something here but before I do I realize there is this badge of honor many within the fiction community, including myself, feel the need to say about ourselves because if we don’t we feel that people won’t buy our books. And that is that I’m not broke. Well, actually, I probably am broke since, as I’m writing this my family has -$0.03 in our bank account and were notified a few days ago that our $6k credit card is “near the limit” with just under $200 left on it. Not to mention the mountain of hospital and student loan debt. But, forgetting all that for a moment, my wife and I combined earn six figures from our paying jobs. I work for one of the top three marketing agencies in the world (it was number one but recently toppled to third) and my wife is self-employed, on her seventh season running a very popular horror screenplay and short story contest as well as other things. We own a house, have a son who goes to one of the most sought after schools for children with autism (though we are one of the few who gets it paid for by the county while other families are clearly living a filthy rich lifestyle). Why am I telling you all this? Because while I have money to buy whatever I want whenever I want, my current lack of it is purely due to poor life choices and decision making that my wife and I make.

However, as a lifelong writer and storyteller I can honestly and proudly tell you that I have purchased, so far, enough books to fill at least a dozen bookcases, and guess what, I’ve actually read a majority of the books I own. Some I inherited when my grandmother and mother passed away and those books are still in boxes, hence why they haven’t been read. But yeah, funny how that is. A writer who reads fiction. I must be an endangered species considering how often I hear people assume I don’t exist.

And I’m buying books ALL THE TIME! I’m literally going broke buying them!

And again, I realize saying these things, as a fellow writer who also wants to sell my work and also finds it equally frustrating that I simply haven’t and also understands the dichotomy that I am promoting my work to fellow writers who most of them might not be as well off as I am, is probably a bad move/take.

But then I think about the writers who I look up to. You know the ones. We secretly (or publicly) want to be them and envy their success.

Let’s take an easy example: Brandon Sanderson (I like to use him as an example a lot whenever I need a swift kick in the backside about myself)

Brandon is not out here hiding his wealth. He’s also not out here trying to pretend to be someone he isn’t or self-promoting to “other writers.” But guess what? A large part of his fanbase and audience are also fiction writers. Turns out many of them were writers before they encountered his work or they found themselves influenced by it and started to write a story. Good or bad. For better or worse. And it turns out when his work is promoted it’s never assumed who his audience is. Or at least, it’s never assumed his audience are broke ass writers who don’t read. I wonder if it was, how many sales he’d make.

Now, I already know what you’re saying: But Erica, he’s Brandon “Fucking” Sanderson! His sales figures can’t be compared to that of an indie fiction writer because he had millions of followers and “true fans” straight out the womb! He never struggled to find his audience. He and Mistborn were created at exactly the same time, readers (none of whom also happen to be writers) found the book and voila, an instant (and obvious) success was made.

Isn’t that how we believe all “popular” authors (not writers) became who they are? It just happened for them and they have no idea what it’s like to really struggle like we do/are.

So, where am I going with this? Because another key thing I find whenever I read these rants complaining that there are no readers here!

Where are the damn readers?! THE VOID! BLAH BLAH BLAH!

Is that there are never any answers to what always sounds like a pretty serious epidemic we are all in! Clearly, if you know the problem, you must have a solution? You cracked the code and now that you’ve pulled the wool (or rose colored glasses) over your own eyes you’re here to help your fellow writer, right? Wrong. 1,000% of the time there is no solution. Just constant and continuous complaining. Or the solution is vague. Or even worse than that, it’s hidden behind a paywall! Fancy that! You complain that “we’re all starving artists” and “all in the same boat” but the only way you’ll promise safety and salvation from the virus we can’t seem to be rid of is if we, the starving writer, pay you for it?! Makes perfect and logical sense to me! Doesn’t it make sense to you?!

Well, I know the problem, have known for ages it turns, out so I don’t need you or anyone else pointing out the obvious to me (“no shit Sherlock”) and it turns out I have the answer. The antidote. The cure!

We need to stop labeling each other!

If you’re here (and by here, I mean “on Substack or X or YouTube or TikTok or the local bookstore or the 7/11 or Walmart or the mall”) with the intent of finding a community of fellow writers, then do it! Be thankful that you’ve “found your people” and quit pointing out the bloody obvious! We know already! Skip over that part and say “Hello!” Participate in the latest writing activity or collaboration. Offer up a funny story or joke! But for heavens sake quit it with the rest. We get it!

But, and here’s the clincher, if you’re here to sell something to readers, stop fucking complaining that we (fellow writers) aren’t readers! It’s insulting! And stupid! And not how you make a sale it turns out.

Turns out, doing simultaneous selling and complaining is bad salesmanship! HA! Who knew!

It also is a great way to get zero traction in terms of subscribers or followers.

Cause that seems to be one thing many of these writers who complain or gurus who offer answers for money have in common: lack of audience.

Another thing they have in common is lack of a portfolio. Why should I listen to the rantings and ravings of someone who doesn’t have any fiction to speak of? Nor do I see your published book? Where’s your proof that the system isn’t working? That the platform you’re on is filled with poor writers who don’t read and that’s why you have made no sales and have no followers or subscribers? Hard to make that case when you just got here two minutes ago and in that time you’ve written one piece of fiction then wasted no time writing a dozen or so complaints! 🙄

I get it. You’re frustrated. I am too. But the problem is not for lack of an audience or people with money to maybe buy what we’re selling. The real problem is that we’re shitting in the same place where we’re trying to also sell our fiction and customers are pinching their noses on their way out the door and never coming back!

Who would buy something from a person who spends half the time complaining and the other half saying “buy my book” with little else to say? Would you? I sure as hell wouldn’t!

So, take a deep breath. Look around at the wondrous opportunity before you. We are living in a time when gatekeepers are a thing of the past. People, total strangers, are everywhere! When I hear someone ask the question, “where are the readers?” I wanna scream at them, “WE’RE RIGHT HERE!”

Readers, dear friend (Do you mind if I call you friend? You’ve made it this far through my rant so I figure we must be friends now.), are everywhere! Otherwise, why on earth would they be on a platform that is 98% reading?! They’re not here to watch a movie or listen to music or take a nap!

Prepare to have your mind blown by my next statement: Most, if not all, of the people here are readers! 🤯

I know! The revelations I’m dropping. And I’ve got a few more! Hold on to your socks for this next one!

Most of the readers here have money! 🧦💨

One more. One more.

Most of the readers with money who are here don’t wanna hear your complaints about how they don’t exist, but they do want to read your work, so stop complaining and put your damn work out there! 🩲💨

Oh, and one more thing, cause it’s another doozy of a complaint that often accompanies the one about the lack of readers or sales. 101% of the readers with money who are tired of your complaints likely won’t leave a comment or click the Like button or interact with the work (or complaints) you put out and that is a GOOD THING! Because it means there’s still hope for you weary traveler who still has work to do to reset your mind/focus on the task at hand. In short, stop worrying about where the reader with money is and worry more about the lack of stuff you have to show them (besides your complaints) when they do show up.

I leave you with a challenge: Every time you complain publicly, whether in a post or on Substack Notes or X or TikTok or to your mom even, I want you to create THREE pieces of (________). This way you can spend more time creating and less time complaining and hopefully find yourself with more content worth sharing to those elusive readers with money someday…

Let the comments commence… Or not… Up to you…

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Turns out it involves a lot of me talking out loud to myself but nowadays I just let you guys be tiny flies on the wall while I’m doing it.

How do you come up with ideas and then pick the one you want to write the most?

Thank you , , and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

Get more from Erica Drayton in the Substack app

Available for iOS and Android

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And let’s face it, writing for many of us is a very solitary thing. We boot up our computers and open up whatever program we like to use to write our prolific work. We might be in a room by ourselves, sitting on the toilet, driving into work, standing on a crowded bus, or wearing noise-canceling headphones in a cafe somewhere. However we choose to write it typically isn’t with someone reading over our shoulder. At least, not intentionally.

Writing in this way is actually very intentional. I want you to see the mess and the madness. Because, as we all know, somewhere hidden beneath it all is where we find that thing we spend hours upon hours searching for; the story.

Thank you , , and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

Get more from Erica Drayton in the Substack app

Available for iOS and Android

Get the app

The first time I used Scrivener was to begin cataloguing the rather lengthy “Series Bible” for my fantasy universe; Stonehaven. I was a novice at the time and didn’t really know (yet) how to use it to actually write my manuscript. In the early days I was just using it for research purposes.

After years of fighting with it I finally taught myself the finer points of using its Compose capabilities. If you’ve never used it before, trust me, it’s not for the faint of heart.

There here Scrivener VOD is about as extensive as I am willing to go with sharing how I use Scrivener. I realize people may tout it as the gold standard for fiction writers, or any writer wishing to be a “pro” to use. But I’m here to say, whatever helps you get words on the page and stay organized is all that counts and that might not be Scrivener. In short, it’s not for everyone and yes, it can be intimidating. It still intimidates me over a decade later!

Thank you to everyone who tuned into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

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Recently, put out a call for writers of horror and dark fantasy to write a story. On the surface seems simple enough but what makes this one so freaking unique is the theme you get is based on your subscriber size! I almost wish I had come up with that one myself…

So, if you’ve got under 200 subscribers your theme is “Small & Scary” but, if you’ve got over 200 subscribers then your theme is “Big & Beastly.”

That left me with loads of ideas that involve big beasties and finally someplace to possibly use those stories.

If you watch the VOD above, you’ll get to see me in the most raw and true way, share my story ideas and walk you through my process for selecting the story I ultimately will end up writing.

I gave myself 5 to choose from (and between you and me, I came up with another one several hours later) where I talk it out with myself, and those who were present with me. In the end I think I made the best decision.

Next step is to work on writing the damn thing now that it’s fully outlined. This weekend is pretty busy for me so I don’t think I’ll start writing it till next week where I hope you’ll join me while I host a few writing sprints.

Till then, are you participating in this writing collaboration? What story would you write? Share in the comments if you want. My story, should I write it in time, will be released here on May 27th!

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Thank you to everyone who tuned into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

Get more from Erica Drayton in the Substack app

Available for iOS and Android

Get the app

I may not have millions of followers, but I wanted to share my office space anyway. Up until this moment I had shared some bookshelves, or in my case, entire bookcases. I still owe you all a brand new “Share a Shelf” tour that will show off all of my bookcases now they are finally organized the way I want them!

In the meantime, here is a short walk through of my office that is in the basement of my home. It’s a finished room that we had to do as I’ve been permanently working from home since just before the pandemic. My job requires me to have quite an elaborate set-up, plus I like having all the tech I can cram into a small space.

I also always imagined if I were to own a home that I would have an office and a space for all of my books, of which I have hundreds and inherited hundreds from my mother and grandmother. This space allows me to incorporate both into one room, with room to grow.

Some things of note are the toy chest that I still own. My grandmother purchased it for me, with her own money, which was a big deal back then as my grandmother never worked a day in her life. She’s from the generation that got married young, had seven children, and was a housewife her whole life. But she got an allowance and she used that money have a toy chest made for me, with my name in it, when I was just around three years old. It is the oldest thing I own and my wife had it restored since it was looked a bit worn after it had traveled from the Bronx to Sepulveda in California, to West Hollywood, then back cross country to upstate New York.

Another piece of note is a crystal ship in a case that once belonged to my grandmother. It was a gift her son, my uncle, bought her back when I was maybe younger than five. As the story goes, when it was unveiled I declared it was my ship and ever since then everyone knew that it would be mine when my grandmother passed. Hence why it is now in my office with a few trinkets and things that remind me of the family I lost surrounding it.

Thank you for taking a tour with me and I hope you enjoy my full walk through of my books in a future Live!

Join me for my next live video in the app:

Get more from Erica Drayton in the Substack app

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This, I think, will now incorporate yet another place I used to use into my Substack basket, which is Twitch. A platform primarily for Gamers that just so happens to have attempted reaching creatives as well to their platform. But pretty soon they realized the real money was with Gamers, so while creatives still use the platform (like myself) it doesn’t feel as welcoming anymore.

Having Substack as a place for me to place my desire to be creative on camera and just share my process in a more real-time way, and log that work alongside the stories I put out is really amazing and special. I look forward to seeing what everyone does with this newfound ability.

This is just a test so it’s a short video. So far I found the process of goign Live seamless, if it was a bit confusing as well. Will be interesting to see how it works each time I go Live. But now that I know it basically works the same as going Live on Twitch, the time has come for me to revisit the list I made a while ago when Substack Live via the mobile app rolled out to everyone. The list I made there may not translate well to this time of horizontal, screen sharing, type of streaming and visa versa so I’ll need to update and add to. But don’t worry, I’ll share my thoughts soon.

Thank you to everyone who tuned into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

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Not sure why my brain went to an Amelia Bedelia reference since this rebrand couldn’t be more far removed from some children’s books! Though, I will say, I loved old school Amelia Bedelia that I read where she was older and usually a maid and always getting things mixed up. Like that time she used white-out to erase a mistake on a computer screen! HAHAHA! But I digress…

In all seriousness, I never really took to the name, Erica Drayton Writes. It seemed rather silly. Of course I write. Of course my name is Erica Drayton.

Then I’d see other publications out there with far cooler names than mine. The kind that make you wonder, “hmm, what are they writing over there?” And then you go over there to check it out and you’re anything but disappointed.

Perhaps I didn’t change my name because I was afraid of the inevitable disappointment. No one is more critical of my writing than me and so I’m always living in self-doubt.

But lately, I’ve been inhabiting a different space in my mind. One that thinks less of self-doubt and more about the kinds of stories I want to continue to write and the mood I want visitors to be in when they arrive here.

I want to give my readers (old and new) a sense of unease and uncertainty. Especially, as I live in a constant state of unease and uncertainty. Why not bring all of you along for that ride?!

But there is always a method to my madness. I’m not just picking a name out of the air and running with it. No. I definitely sat with this one for a really long time. I would say the better part of last year and all of this year. It stayed with me mostly because I’ve been on this personal (and public) mission to write a collection of short stories that pay homage to The Twilight Zone. You may have heard me talk about this from time to time. And in doing all of my research into The Twilight Zone and all the OG episodes, I’m also reading about the fascinating life of Rod Serling.

If you are a fan, as I am, then I don’t need to tell you the origins of The Happy Place. But if you don’t know what that is, sit back and lend me your ear (or eyes since you’re reading this…):

Serling's original pilot for The Twilight Zone was "The Happy Place", which revolved around a society in which people were executed upon reaching the age of 60, being considered no longer useful. CBS executive William Self rejected the story, feeling it was too dark; Serling eventually relented and wrote "Where is Everybody?" as a more acceptable substitute. - Wikipedia Page

As you can see, The Happy Place was anything but. And a play on words such as The Happy Place was something Rod Serling was good at (see To Serve Man or The Eye of the Beholder as classic examples). He loved to lean in to these sorts of stories and see what society makes of them. In this instance, his work never got filmed, though that doesn’t stop little groups here and there from performing The Happy Place even to this day! Kinda cool.

In my case, The Happy Place reminds me a lot of a story I wrote about 15 years ago, long before I’d even heard about Serling’s story, called The Eternal View.

Now, in my story, a man wakes up after a car accident to find himself in an elevator with three other people and no recollection of what’s about to happen to him. In this world that he lives in, everyone willingly agrees to throw themselves from a really tall building either when they reach a certain age or they are so badly injured that they are no good to society if they were to stay alive. His companions on the elevator are an elderly woman who has lived a good life and is looking forward to when the elevator reaches the top and two “guides” who are there to help those on their way. The guides are most interesting because there is essentially nothing wrong with them. They are young and healthy. But they are willing to jump off the building anyway. They are moral support. Instead of talking you off the ledge, they help you make that first step!

I’ve never shared The Eternal View before and in my story there are actually multiple endings because I couldn’t decide which was the best route to take.

Just like Rod Serling, my story will likely never see the light of day. I only hope it becomes like The Happy Place. A story that decades from now some young whipper snapper is online (will Google still be around in a hundred years?) searching the “The Eternal View” so they can study it and maybe do a Live reading of it. If that’s that sort of thing they’re still doing a hundred years from now…

Anyhow, The Happy Place resonated with me in many ways. While I do want my publication to be a happy place, I also realize the juxtaposition of happiness and horror. There is a sense of unease and ease associated with those terms and it’s right about where I seem to be living these days.

I am standing on the corner of Happiness Lane and Horror Street.

Won’t you join me…

Case in point: Return to Twilight. A kernel of an idea I had to take some Twilight Zone episodes that I’ve always wanted to retell in some unique way, and just do it! But which story should I start with?

In this Live stream I take you through the method to my madness. A peak behind the curtain at my Scrivener set-up and how I think out loud when deciding what project to work on next.

Here is a list of the stories I’m looking to write. A screenshot from my Scrivener doc where I’m keeping my outlines and the eventual short story as well:

The outline is nearly complete for Night Call and with any luck, I’ll share with you what that looks like before I start writing the actual story.

Join me for my next live video in the app when I will have some writing sprint time as well!

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In this third installment of Share a Shelf I show you the books I have on the last two bookcases I have (built) starting with my Presidents Series. From the first all the way to George W. Bush it’s a series by Time Books.

Some other highlights these shelves have include:

• Fiction writing how-to books of all kinds

• Lots of random YA books

• Collection of books by my favorite indie author, Garrett Robinson. Writer of the Underrealm books.

• A Series of Unfortunate Events boxed set.

• Random authors thrown together:

  • Maya Angelou

  • Markus Zusak

  • non-fiction books

  • Kurt Vonnegut

  • Brandon Sanderson

  • Michael J. Sullivan

  • Michael Vey

As you can see from this third installment, my shelves could not be more disorganized.

I am currently working on putting together two more bookcases to unbox several more boxes. I am going to need probably 6 more bookcases after these to be able to unbox nearly all of my books.

If you want to contribute to the “Help Erica buy a bookcase” fund, consider becoming a paid subscriber. All my paid subscriber money currently is going towards funding my bookcase needs.

Join me for my next live video in the app

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My love of mystery and wanting to write one is only eclipsed by my love of 19th century London, Jack the Ripper, Fleet Street, Whitechapel, and all of that cobblestone intrigue. What a time to be alive on the streets of London! Or found brutally murdered on a foggy London night! I get chills just thinking about it!

So, naturally, I had to build either a story in this world or create a world that mimics it almost entirely. I still haven’t decided yet if I’m skilled enough to create my own Whitechapel and city of London. But we’ll come back to this later as well.

Wondermere was a world I created a long time ago when I wanted to learn card magic. I know, I’m jumping around, but this is how I work so try and follow along as best you can. I promise this will all make sense by the time I’m done… I hope…

Wondermere started out as an idea I was really excited about. Except, it was far too fantasy. And I think because it was too fantasy, I found myself losing interest in it. My idea of having a mystery series in this world just didn’t seem to work quite the way I wanted it to. So I abandoned the project last year. Then, as often happens, I find myself reading a newsletter I subscribe to (sometimes it can happen from a YouTube creator I watch as well) and the lightbulb goes off. The “Spark of an Idea!”

The newsletter in question comes from Geoffrey Golden of Equipstory. He was once on Substack but left and continued this newsletter. And am I glad I followed him because the email he sent out on January 31st, 7 Underrated Public Domain Characters, gave me the seed I needed. Now it would be up to me to plant it and water it during these Winter weeks.

Now, if I go by my wife, who has created her own “grow room” in a corner of our basement, it would’ve been ideal for me too start this sowing of seeds process a week or two ago but I’m willing to risk the late sowing in the hopes I’ll see buds form soon.

The character mentioned in Geoffrey’s post that sparked the idea was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of course! Now, I do a lot of talking to myself in my head when I work these things out, so if you think everything I’ve said so far has been hard to follow, prepare yourself for what’s about to come:

ERICA’S STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS CONVERSATION IN HER HEAD

What if Dr. Jekyll was a woman? Okay. What’s Dr. Jekyll’s first name? [Ctrl + T to bring up search bar and types question] Dr Henry Jekyll / Mr Edward Hyde. Okay. Let’s change Henry to Henrietta. Done. Dr. Henrietta Jekyll and Eloise Hyde? Love it! But how? I want to remain in London, 19th century. A woman who becomes a doctor? HA!

What about a rich uncle who is a doctor. He pulls some strings to allow his niece to become a doctor. Boom! The uncle has an assistant who helps him organize his studies and she knows of all the “experiments” he’s working on. Oooh! Oooh! And then he dies! Mysteriously? Perhaps…

The assistant is Felicity Finnegan. This is my tie back to Wondermere. Not sure if I’ll keep the world or not. But the character of Flossie Finnegan I love too much. I’ll just need to change it from her being the main character slightly.

Flossie helps Henrietta go through her uncle’s things. She discovers his latest experiments. Oh, let me include this his field of study is with twins and multiple/split personalities. Anyway, she injects herself with his experiment and becomes Eloise Hyde.

[Opens up Wiki windows for The Strange Case, Fleet Street, police in London, 19th Century, Whitechapel] [Finds map of 19th century London]

NOTES WRITTEN DOWN AFTER STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS IDEA

Now that I’ve gotten this far, I feel compelled to start writing some things down. I can’t possibly retain all this in my head. You’ll discover that the way I wrote down my ideas is no different than the way I reason out ideas in my head:

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Re-Imagined

The return of penny dreadful serialized fiction? Most definitely. Each story will be of Novella length:

Dr Henry Jekyll / Mr Edward Hyde

Felicity Finnegan is the doctor’s assistant. She is the only one who knows about the split personality and keeps records of this phenomenon. The purpose? To release her journals only after the death of Dr. Henrietta Jekyll. Her work is written much like that of Dr. Watson writing about Holmes or Hastings about Poirot. She is like a combination of Ms. Lemon (organized), Dr. Watson (an excellent writer) and Archie Goodwin (sociable and resourceful). She is the uncle’s assistant. Her job is to keep records of everything he’s ever said and done. She is an invaluable resource to Henrietta when her uncle dies as she doesn’t know much about his work. He was always very secretive. But Flossy knows all. She should have some agenda of her own for wanting to help Dr. Jekyll that I’ll need to come up with at some point.

Dr. Henrietta Jekyll and Ms. Eloise Hyde - A well-educated woman is strange enough, especially one who has gone about as far as she can go in becoming a doctor. Of course, it was through the help of her wealthy and eccentric uncle whose care she was left in when her parent’s died in a tragic accident when she was a child. Her uncle insisted she be as well educated as possible so that no man would take advantage of her. Her uncle’s field of study was in twins and multiple personality. A disease that many disputed. Upon his death, his niece was left his practice as well as his experiments. One day she happens upon one of this experiments and tests it on herself! Thus revealing Ms. Eloise Hyde.

As for age, I think Henrietta should be about 25 years of age. This will make her a stranger to the aristocracy who cannot understand why she is not yet married. The woman stalk and whisper while the men stalk as well, but only to get her to marry one of them so they can “help her manage her vast fortune.”

Felicity is only slightly older at 28 years of age. Like Henrietta she doesn’t have a man courting her either. She can’t be bothered with such frivolities. She doesn’t enjoy parties or any social gatherings though she cannot deny she is good at it. Her plain face makes it easy for her to blend in in most social settings.

Now, the question is, when solving cases would it be helpful to have a young man making their acquaintance? He can get in where they would not be permitted as women? Or could Eloise Hyde be a cross-dresser and pass as a man in men’s clothing? Hmm… something to think about for sure…

Mr. Poole is the butler. Mrs. Poole is the housekeeper? Do I need them? Not sure yet.

Location, location, location (and time period) - 19th century London before Jack the Ripper was scaring the streets of London around 1888 (late 19th century). I’ll use a map I found that was drawn around this time. Might help to have it blown up for easier reference later. I love that this can all take place in and around Fleet Street along the River Thames and the Whitechapel area. Where they live will come later as I survey the map closely.

Plot of the series: Not unlike Holmes or Poirot or Wolfe, I want to create a mystery series where Flossy is writing about them. She is also helping Henrietta when she transforms into Hyde. Unfortunately, it will become necessity for Henrietta to transform as Hyde will be able to help her solve the crimes. Hyde can embody the mind of a killer and therefore catch one. Flossy is there to help make sure Hyde always changes back and record everything so that Jekyll can read them over later. In the hopes that some day she will no longer need the other side of her to be set free to help her solve cases.

How Dr. Henrietta Jekyll is received by the Metropolitan police force is something I’ll need to figure out. We’ve had too many stories where the woman is disregarded by the man. I think that narrative, while true to the time period, infuriates me. Perhaps I can find some work around. Maybe a Detective who knows of her genius? Someone who is much older and like a father figure to eliminate any sense of romance. Detectives were first introduced in 1842 so I think this should all take place in the mid-19th century, around 1852.

I think Henrietta’s medical field of expertise should be in dissection. Could she be a coroner?

The first book has to be how Henrietta transforms as well as a mystery rolled into one for this to work. Otherwise, it’s just a reimagining and not a mystery series.

Each novella is written from the POV of Flossie. Should I take the same series title style Doyle and call it The Casebook of Dr. Henrietta Jekyll OR change it up a bit and call it The Dissection of Dr. Henrietta Jekyll? I like the latter because it alludes to the separation or duality somehow. Or is that too complicated to suss out?

I’m also leaning towards wanting to not leave out Flossie from being the author. Unlike Watson who is the author but the titles are with Sherlock only. The reader knows it’s Watson writing. Is that enough? Do I want to break with that tradition and title it The Journals of Flossie Finnegan. Ugh! I just don’t know…

Some synonyms for “dissection” just to confirm for myself that it’s the best word:

Simple cover art I love for my own personal reference later on:

Social art I created cause I like to have some sort of visual representation for social media sharing (which is odd cause I almost never share anything via social media…):

This video is a bit longer and has a bit more back story to some of the books I have. But one thing these two bookcases have in common are that they show you just how disorganized I am!

Some things I showed in my brief tour:

• My Nintendo Switch games collection.

• All the Harry Potter books I have unpacked.

• My Kopp Sisters collection by .

• All the fat Stephen King books I own.

• My complete Christopher Moore books. Without whom I would never have been able to keep on reading after I finished the HP books long ago.

• Ransom Riggs, Rachel Caine, Josiah Bancroft, and Jane Austen. To mention but a few authors on my bookshelves.

• I’ve got two books on my desk at all times. Steal Like An Artist will be unboxed some day…

• All my unboxed Tarot Decks and Deck of Cards that I collect and use in my journey towards learning card magic.

What’s crazy to me, as I discuss these books I’ve collected over the years. Is how these barely scratch the surface of the books I haven’t unboxed yet!

More to come in a couple days. Till then…Happy Reading!

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I still have a majority of my books in boxes but the moment I had bookcases I try to unbox some of my favorites. This is my most organized and neat looking bookcase by far and I think it has a good mix of the kind of person I am:

• Collector of books. When I start collecting a book that has many in its series, I want to make sure I complete the set. And this has plenty of completed sets of my favorite series.

• My love of mystery is shown.

• Also, my past love of Young Adult series is on here.

• Some good books that I received as gifts from my wife are sprinkled throughout as well.

I really enjoyed sharing my shelves and getting to talk about the books I have and why I have them. I will definitely be doing this again real soon!

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1. Going on camera is hard. I know because I still have anxiety and imposter syndrome about it all the time. The camera is never right. My face always looks weird to me. And have I mentioned how much I hate the sound of my own voice? What I’m trying to say is, this Feature, while an amazing tool, it is just a tool and there are so many other tools at your disposal. You may never need to use this tool in order to create all that you want to create here, and that is OK. This list is just my list and I’m sharing it in case you could benefit from my ideas.

2. This Feature is only a mobile feature and while I’d love for it to be similar to streaming on Twitch, that is not what this is. And this point is very relevant for me as streaming Live on Twitch is something I have been doing for nearly the past decade of my life so I’m familiar with that format, which is why going Live on Substack, even though I outlined everything I dislike about myself, is rather easy. But, in order to use it and have others watch or chat or join you, they will need to have the Substack app on their mobile device as well.

3. My first EVER Substack Live is above. You may actually be watching the video right now instead of reading all the crap I have underneath it. They are essentially the same just delivered differently. I’m still trying to figure this all out. Whether or not it’s worth it to regurgitate the same information from the video in the body or have something different? Anyway, if you want to spare yourself having to watch me fumble around with my words as I go over my 11 ideas, you can have a more condensed version by just reading them for yourself below. I definitely go a bit more in-depth (I think) than I do in the Live setting.

Okay, with those three things out of the way, here are my 11 ideas. Read through them. Consider whether or not they might work for you. And at the end, share in the comments what ideas you may have now that you have access to this Feature.

Erica Drayton Writes

Listen with Me - I read my 100 word stories. I might do this once a week. Read 5 stories? Or just pick one fave from the week to read? Because one story would take less than :30 seconds to read, perhaps discussing the thought process for that story could happen after.

Write With Me - A weekly segment where we write micro fiction and then share it with each other. I would provide a random prompt. Maybe people can come join me and read their story or send me their story for me to read and give my thoughts.

Edit with Me - Pre-planned hour long session spent mostly in silence while we all bring something we need to edit.

Chat with Me - A time to ask me questions or discuss a topic. This can happen at any time. Random Chat with Me drops. Might make this a chat for paid subs only but everyone can view? Only paid subs can ask me questions that I’ll answer.

Unbox with Me - A chance for me to share when I receive something of interest in the mail, such as proof copies of my work or Kickstarters that I intend to use for my writing.

Behind the Scenes - Show my work flows and productivity hacks that I use all the time to help me stay on track with my writing projects.

Top in Fiction

The TiF Weekly, Live! - every Monday morning I’ll announce the 15 stories that made the list and then post the email shortly after. Attaching my announcement video to it.

Off the Stack Live - I purchase books from the Off the Stack directory and review them. This could be a space to announce new releases for authors and maybe invite them on for a short and sweet interview.

TiF Disruption Live - A Q&A with the creators of whatever event, collaboration, or contest has just disrupted Top in Fiction.

Two “Maybe” Ideas

Break it Down - quick, on the fly tips I discover while using Substack that other users might find…well…useful. As well as gripes I have about the service. Not sure if this will work unless I can screen record?

Watch with Me - pre-planned movie and tv show reviews after I’ve watching it. A short 5min or less segment with a few minutes for Live questions from the audience.

Thank you , , , and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

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