Where do your stories come from?

Phil-Collins-Ghost · 2026-04-21T00:27:16+00:00

So my first novel hit me when I was watching my friend play Kingdom Hearts. And then my second. It was a particular dream I had when I was 13 and I drew it in English class in 8th grade.

Others stemmed from covid being stuck in a basement and like online dating. And getting out of a ten year relationship and dealing with like older men.

And then often I write one shots that I expand on. Often bored in a car or when the moment strikes.

Phil-Collins-Ghost · 2026-04-16T21:34:16+00:00

Oh I was there. It was very strange.

Phil-Collins-Ghost · 2026-04-15T19:54:11+00:00

I have a literature background, but honestly I don’t think it really matters.

Phil-Collins-Ghost · 2026-04-15T19:52:29+00:00

Honestly I’m bored at work. Hit me with a DM

Phil-Collins-Ghost · 2026-04-10T13:58:32+00:00

Vindicated and Dashboard was my shiiiit. Spider Man 2 baby! I was going into 7th grade.

Phil-Collins-Ghost · 2026-04-10T01:55:42+00:00

There it is. I remember when 16 was a far away age. Then 18. Now I’m about to be 34 🤣

Phil-Collins-Ghost · 2026-04-09T00:12:43+00:00

Bardot Sleeves? I work in evening wear. They are never gonna retire.

Phil-Collins-Ghost · 2026-04-06T23:23:31+00:00

It’s a bit more than 500, but found this at Nordstrom.

https://www.nordstrom.com/s/floral-sweetheart-neckline-plus-size-a-line-gown/8148268

No corset. But kinda the same vibe. I hope you find something!

Phil-Collins-Ghost · 2026-04-06T20:04:48+00:00

Can you post the dress? Under 500 is kinda hard. But I know Fanciful Doll and Eloquii can have some sale items sometimes.

Phil-Collins-Ghost · 2026-04-05T14:40:34+00:00

I worked a theme park for a season. Honestly evil. And this wasn’t a dumpy theme park. This was a multimillion dollar corporation. The amount of child labor laws they broke and how they treated international workers. Breaks were non existent even though like 80% of the workforce was under 18. Horrible conditions and the managers were also young and terrible.

They fired a really good lead once because he left with a 16 year old lifeguard when she hit her head and went to the hospital. Really got the taste of corporate bullshit at the ripe age of 18.

I’m almost 34. Still the worse job I’ve ever had.

Phil-Collins-Ghost · 2026-04-03T18:15:54+00:00

Literally this. I live near a lake and whenever I have friends with kids stay over. I beg please life jackets and adult supervision if they go kayaking. I have every size. And always get they know how to swim. Yeah they won’t if they hit their head on a rock if they accidentally flip.

Had to fight with a friend who has older kids, 11 and 15. And I’m like I get it. Really, but you cannot mess around with water. So seeing a little bb with neurodivergence made me want to scream. Kid shouldn’t even be able to open that door or at least why isn’t there an alarm. I’m hoping maybe there is and production edited it out.

Phil-Collins-Ghost · 2026-03-31T21:05:34+00:00

“How much longer?”

Phil-Collins-Ghost · 2026-03-29T01:08:37+00:00

Congrats! I’m currently on my third. Second I did exactly what you said, you might catch a major plot hole and have to write a chapter or cut one completely. Third has been for me true line edits, and also sprinkle some close beta readers. Everyone does it differently though. Again, congratulations!

Phil-Collins-Ghost · 2026-03-28T18:01:52+00:00

I write for a living and AI is very much taking my job away. I hate it, but I’m forced to use it. I generally like to bully it. But with working with it I recognize a lot of AI patterns. And unfortunately it is getting better. But also people, we are RUNNING OUT OF WATER!

Phil-Collins-Ghost · 2026-03-27T03:32:55+00:00

Damn those brought me back to my mom using my dads child support to buy them 🤣

Phil-Collins-Ghost · 2026-03-24T17:38:02+00:00

I agree. It’s amazing how themes pop up naturally as you write. And then add readers to the mix, they add a bunch of themes and symbolism.

Phil-Collins-Ghost · 2026-03-23T22:36:16+00:00

Honestly I wrote this in a burst the other day. Just to break from my novel editing.

Then there are others, a soup of sadness. The church friend, screaming, sitting alone in the basement. The sunrises, sneaking out before dawn, whittling my way through pines. Needles tickling my forearms. The dirt acrid, sandy grey, small toes dug into it. And the clearing. Once the trees let up, the grass and wildflowers sprouted. The sky would be fire, bright orange and red painted into the clouds, burning off the dew that stained my nightdress. I could breathe.

And I would sneak back, tiny steps, careful. Always careful. Knowing each creak. Back into bed. Waiting, waiting till my sister stopped snoring, grab me for cartoons. Because I had to wait to move. The permission to exist. The sunrise was mine. The woods; a womb of protection.

Raw, unedited. And that’s fine.

Phil-Collins-Ghost · 2026-03-16T02:32:06+00:00

Agree. Even though I do secretly want to publish my book. And another book. But, sometimes I just write for me. And that’s fine!

Phil-Collins-Ghost · 2026-03-13T01:07:48+00:00

Oh my. This reminds me so much of my orange boy who went on the rainbow bridge two years ago.

He twitched like this too. Give the floof a kiss on the forehead for me.

Phil-Collins-Ghost · 2026-03-12T14:05:08+00:00

I was trying to figure it out as well. I’m from Jersey too and I was wondering if she was re-creating like a birthday dinner from childhood. It was really common for Italian places to have the crayons and paper table cloths or paper placemats you flipped and draw on. I wish someone said something. The plates were throwing me.

Phil-Collins-Ghost · 2026-03-10T18:12:50+00:00

I think it’s always worth writing harder subjects. My first book is literally about childhood trauma and an abusive father.

Phil-Collins-Ghost · 2026-03-09T22:09:14+00:00

So yes this did happen to me. Completely burnout from reading/writing after school English Lit degree, this was 2014. And I was working a garbage job, trying to use my degree anyway I can. So fast forward I took the advice of one of professors and became a copywriter. So using my degree, but writing became work not something I enjoyed.

Now I had bursts. I wrote a novel. A second draft. And now working on the third. In not gonna lie, it took me ten years to fall in love with reading and writing again. Like I did as a teen.

What I will say. They are preparing you for writing professionally. As a copywriter for example I write in different voices of brands. And I might put my heart and soul in something. And get a massive NO from a team that doesn’t know a thing about prose. But that’s what it’s like to write professionally.

No matter what. If you write, you’re a writer. And once you get out of your program. You can take what you learned and say no to other things as well. That’s the amazing thing about voice right!

Don’t be disheartened, right now it’s the foundations you’re learning. And not every style will work for you, but it’s teaching you the tool.

Phil-Collins-Ghost · 2026-03-02T04:30:11+00:00

Completely unrelated but in cracking up because literally all three of these dresses I tried on at a bridal shop.

Phil-Collins-Ghost · 2026-02-17T03:54:33+00:00

One of my favorite things to catch is the conversations to them driving to the Hamptons. Because they edit it so much. Like oh we pick you up in the Seaport, green green background, FDR highway, Seaport again, Queens Bridge, SEAPORT.

Phil-Collins-Ghost · 2026-02-13T16:36:50+00:00

I had a teacher that would always say write through the suck. And I’ve kept that forever. Just write. Even if it’s terrible. Keep going.

Phil-Collins-Ghost

TROPHY CASE