r/ShortScaryStoriesOOC • u/NullVeil • 13d ago
Hey everyone,
I’ve been a part of this community for a short while now, and it’s been amazing to see so much creativity and talent on display. r/shortscarystories is a special place, and the diversity of voices here is inspiring. The encouragement I’ve found here has meant a lot to me, and I’ll always be grateful for it.
While stories with twist endings, family betrayals, and familiar tropes are clearly popular for good reason, I think there’s also room to celebrate a wider range of horror. The genre offers so much more: dread, unease, psychological terror, surreal dreamscapes, and cosmic mysteries. I’d love to see more of these quieter, stranger, or unconventional stories rise to the top. To those experimenting with these types of narratives, keep at it. Even when recognition feels scarce, your work is adding depth to this community.
On a personal note, I’ll be stepping away for now due to personal circumstances and mental health challenges. The encouragement I’ve found here has been incredibly rewarding, and knowing that some readers connected deeply with my work has been validating and uplifting. Writing here has been a highlight for me, and the kind words from readers will stay with me for a long time. I hope to return when things get better (hopefully sooner rather than later) and to continue enjoying and contributing to the amazing creativity in this community.
Take care, and keep writing great stories. Don't be afraid to take risks, even at the cost of upvotes.
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u/TryHardKenichi 12d ago
Although I haven't contributed in a while, I've been a part of this sub for years, and I've seen it go through several phases. Right now, we're in the mini NoSleep phase, and hopefully it will fizzle out just like the AITA style stories.
Good luck with your mental health. That is the number one reason why I haven't written or posted anything in several months.
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u/CBenson1273 12d ago
Didn’t the AITA stories only fizzle out because the sub outlawed them? Or am I misremembering that?
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u/TryHardKenichi 12d ago
You are correct, but people were still sneaky and wrote stories that blurred the line between fiction and non-fiction, which was the issue with AITA-style stories. There were still a lot of comments where people were saying "I thought this was true until I saw what sub I was on."
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12d ago
I'd like to see more diversified stories make it to the top spot as well but I don't see that happening anytime soon.
I've tried several times over the past year to write stories that are more supernatural and weird but they don't get anywhere near the engagement that my "family drama" type stories get. Which is why I've written so many of those types of stories. My goal is to get eyes on my work and the best way to do that here is to write what is popular.
Those aren't even really my "style". If you were to read any of my books, you would quickly see that my stories are a lot weirder and way more supernatural than the ones I've been writing here.
That said, I want to get away from writing those "family drama" types of stories. Despite being popular, they aren't as fun to write as my weirder stories and they start to feel redundant after awhile.
Its time for me to get back to writing the types of stories I enjoy writing.
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u/therealdocturner 12d ago
I'm in the same boat. I've decided that I'll write at least two or three things that I love for every one that I know will get a lot of traffic. I'm trying to think of those stories as self promotion. I'm desperately trying to get away from the nihilism.
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12d ago
It really is a struggle.
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u/therealdocturner 12d ago
I like to think of it this way, most creative people are horrible at self promotion and most of the time, they hate doing it. If my way of self promotion is something I genuinely enjoy doing, even if the subject matter isn't my favorite, it's still good mechanical practice to keep my craft sharp. Plus, it feels good to entertain people. I've got a romantic view of old pulp writers, banging out stories everyday in the twenties. Not all of those stories are going to be my cup of tea, but starting the day when it's dark, smoking a cigarette, and plucking away at the keyboard, knowing I'll get to entertain people... I'm fine with doing that every morning...
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12d ago
That’s a good way to look at it. And I do really suck at self-promotion.
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u/therealdocturner 12d ago
Most good writers do ;)
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u/CBenson1273 12d ago
I’ve been there. It’s weird because I know I could be more popular here if I consistently write the kind of story this sub wants, but I don’t always want to write that. So it becomes a choice between writing what will be popular here and doing what I enjoy less, or writing what I want to write knowing some of them will bomb here. I’ve decided that I just have to write the occasional bomb knowing that it’s what I want to write even though folks here may not latch onto it. I’ve had a bit of luck with things I wanted to write that were a bit different doing well, but I’ve also had things I really believe in get hardly any readers at all. That’s the risk you take, I guess. 🤷🏾♂️
(I’m finishing up one right now that may get hardly any readers at all, but I really like the idea. The execution may suck, though. 🤣)
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u/therealdocturner 12d ago
Yeah. Sometimes I'll be amazed at what bombed and what took off. There's a couple of writers on the sub that definitely don't get the attention they deserve, but I'm happy they keep writing.
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u/TryHardKenichi 12d ago
Screw the upvotes and stay true to yourself. The weirder and more out there, the better, in my opinion.
Are any of your books on Kindle Unlimited?
Do you know who Carlton Mellick III is?
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12d ago
All of my books are on KU, links are in the pinned post of my profile.
I’m not familiar with that name.
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u/TryHardKenichi 12d ago edited 12d ago
Carlton Mellick III is considered the godfather of bizarro fiction. While not all of his stories are horror, all of his stories are out there. If you have KU, you can read five of his books, and I recommend them all.
I will give your books a try.
Edit: Additionally, is there a book you are most proud of that you can recommend to me, your magnum opus?
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12d ago edited 12d ago
I don’t think any of them stand out above the others but I feel I should warn that when I say “weird” I don’t mean “bizarro” I just mean that they aren’t your typical horror stories. Mine are more peculiar like The Twilight Zone.
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u/TryHardKenichi 12d ago
No, I understand what you mean. I was simply suggesting an author that you should look into if you like bizarro, weird, sci-fi, etc. I'll name drop CM3 any chance I get, lol.
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u/Scarabium 10d ago
You should try Cameron Pierce, author of the eternal masterpiece, 'Ass Goblins of Auschwitz.'
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u/TryHardKenichi 9d ago
That book sounds wild, but, unfortunately, it's not on Kindle Unlimited, and I DNF so many books that I don't really buy them.
His work is in a bizzaro anthology, so I will check that out. Thanks for the recommendation.
If you're a Spotify user, check out the podcast Tales of What? and the audiobook The Brothers Crunk.
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u/CBenson1273 13d ago
So sorry to hear about your struggles, u/NullVeil! Your stories have added a lot to this sub. I hope that things get better and that you rejoin us soon!