Member-only story
Chiller Fiction for Halloween
Commentary on the Writing of ‘A Glimmer In The Night’
From ‘Contribution to Mankind and Other Stories of the Dark’
As it is the time of year when tales of the not-quite-natural seep into our communal consciousness, I’ve shared a historical chiller here:
This commentary is for those readers and writers who are inquisitive as to the how and why of bringing to fruition individual pieces of fiction. It also deals in spoilers, so if you’ve landed here first I suggest you follow the above link to the story. There’s a link at its end to jump back here.
A Glimmer In The Night was a long time in gestation because the initial spark that came to me was a scene close to its denouement, where Achen is beating back the ragged child who holds a hidden artefact the lead character has been seeking. It finished with the words… I was looking, I knew, at a living soul. And who would change that sort of punchline?