Will Ludwigsen
@will-ludwigsen.com
Writer of weird mystery. Twice nominated for a Shirley Jackson Award. Appearances in Asimov's, Weird Tales, Strange Horizons, and many others. Runs a site for writers called https://mightaswellwrite.com/.
This thread of insights from Simon about short story writing describes my experiences EXACTLY. My only addendum is you're working against the human limbic system, turned on disproportionally by novelty...both yours and the reader's.
Here’s the thing about being a short story writer: there are a lot of you. A lot who started writing before you, and a lot who will start after. And depending on when you begin to send your work out, there may be a plethora of places to publish, or a paucity. (1/8)
September 26, 2025 at 12:34 AM
This thread of insights from Simon about short story writing describes my experiences EXACTLY. My only addendum is you're working against the human limbic system, turned on disproportionally by novelty...both yours and the reader's.
Battle doomscrolling by posting 5 small pleasures in life:
1. A hot shower
2. Having a cat lie on its back on you
3. Looking at the clock in the middle of the night and realizing there's still a few hours to sleep
4. Walking at night
6. Shiver of recognition when you nail the end of a story
1. A hot shower
2. Having a cat lie on its back on you
3. Looking at the clock in the middle of the night and realizing there's still a few hours to sleep
4. Walking at night
6. Shiver of recognition when you nail the end of a story
Battle doomscrolling by posting 5 small pleasures in life:
1. Hitting the platform moments before the train arrives
2. Conversations with tiny children
3. Any holiday!
4. When a pro wrestling reference is dropped on a hip-hop track
5. First sip of cola from cold can on hot day
1. Hitting the platform moments before the train arrives
2. Conversations with tiny children
3. Any holiday!
4. When a pro wrestling reference is dropped on a hip-hop track
5. First sip of cola from cold can on hot day
Battle doomscrolling by posting 5 small pleasures in life:
1. Cold side of a pillow
2. Autumn in New York City, sweater-weather temperature
3. Crocs (the shoe, not the reptile)
4. Finding stuff after thinking you lost it
5. Cats
1. Cold side of a pillow
2. Autumn in New York City, sweater-weather temperature
3. Crocs (the shoe, not the reptile)
4. Finding stuff after thinking you lost it
5. Cats
September 17, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Battle doomscrolling by posting 5 small pleasures in life:
1. A hot shower
2. Having a cat lie on its back on you
3. Looking at the clock in the middle of the night and realizing there's still a few hours to sleep
4. Walking at night
6. Shiver of recognition when you nail the end of a story
1. A hot shower
2. Having a cat lie on its back on you
3. Looking at the clock in the middle of the night and realizing there's still a few hours to sleep
4. Walking at night
6. Shiver of recognition when you nail the end of a story
Wouldn’t it be crazy if THIS was the zombie apocalypse, and it just turns out that the zombies are a lot more verbal than we expected?
September 12, 2025 at 1:16 AM
Wouldn’t it be crazy if THIS was the zombie apocalypse, and it just turns out that the zombies are a lot more verbal than we expected?
Keep watching the skies! My story "The Imaginative Youngster's Handbook to UFOs" is slated to appear in the January/February 2026 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine!
You may know I have a thing for handbooks, so when I came upon this British one, I had to create the one I needed instead.
You may know I have a thing for handbooks, so when I came upon this British one, I had to create the one I needed instead.
August 20, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Keep watching the skies! My story "The Imaginative Youngster's Handbook to UFOs" is slated to appear in the January/February 2026 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine!
You may know I have a thing for handbooks, so when I came upon this British one, I had to create the one I needed instead.
You may know I have a thing for handbooks, so when I came upon this British one, I had to create the one I needed instead.
Some ghouls at Microsoft have written a paper with a very convenient list of professionals who should probably just turn themselves in at the Soylent Green factory.
The fifth on the list is a real inspiration to me and most of the people on my friends list.
The fifth on the list is a real inspiration to me and most of the people on my friends list.
July 31, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Some ghouls at Microsoft have written a paper with a very convenient list of professionals who should probably just turn themselves in at the Soylent Green factory.
The fifth on the list is a real inspiration to me and most of the people on my friends list.
The fifth on the list is a real inspiration to me and most of the people on my friends list.
This is one of the most true and transparent expressions of the experience of “success” as a writer in the current publishing landscape. Read it and then go buy Cherie’s book.
So...I wrote a release day blog post (finally) and uh, it might not be what you were expecting but I'm kind of Going Through It over here right now, so here goes nothing. www.cheriepriest.com/blog/getting...
Getting Naked on Main: It Was Her House First — The Haunt*
I’m not gonna lie: I’ve been putting this off. It’s not like I didn’t know I had a book coming out today, and it’s not that I had better things to do with my time than tell you, the reading public, ab...
www.cheriepriest.com
July 23, 2025 at 1:59 PM
This is one of the most true and transparent expressions of the experience of “success” as a writer in the current publishing landscape. Read it and then go buy Cherie’s book.
July 21, 2025 at 1:07 AM
Congratulations to all of the Shirley Jackson Award winners! Cliché though it is, I’m truly grateful that A Scout is Brave was among the nominees. www.shirleyjacksonawards.org/2025/07/19/2... 2024 Shirley Jackson Awards Winners – The Shirley Jackson Awards
2024 Shirley Jackson Awards Winners – The Shirley Jackson Awards
www.shirleyjacksonawards.org
July 20, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Congratulations to all of the Shirley Jackson Award winners! Cliché though it is, I’m truly grateful that A Scout is Brave was among the nominees. www.shirleyjacksonawards.org/2025/07/19/2... 2024 Shirley Jackson Awards Winners – The Shirley Jackson Awards
Will you be at Readercon and interested in seeing me at a panel or doing a reading? Man, do I have good news for you! Here's my schedule for the weekend. You can also find me at the Shirley Jackson Awards on Saturday evening where my novella A SCOUT IS BRAVE is the darkest of dark horse nominees.
July 18, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Will you be at Readercon and interested in seeing me at a panel or doing a reading? Man, do I have good news for you! Here's my schedule for the weekend. You can also find me at the Shirley Jackson Awards on Saturday evening where my novella A SCOUT IS BRAVE is the darkest of dark horse nominees.
Two bros are talking business next to me here at the cafe, and I'm realizing I don't understand the entrepreneur mindset: most of my ideas involving spending or losing money, not making it.
July 13, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Two bros are talking business next to me here at the cafe, and I'm realizing I don't understand the entrepreneur mindset: most of my ideas involving spending or losing money, not making it.
From the "I'm-Sure-That's-Not-Subconsciously-Significant" Files: last night I dreamt that I was shown my PERMANENT RECORD, a large file filled with quotes about me from teachers, coworkers, and strangers (in several languages), plus a packet of stories I wrote as a child that I thought were lost.
July 4, 2025 at 12:21 AM
From the "I'm-Sure-That's-Not-Subconsciously-Significant" Files: last night I dreamt that I was shown my PERMANENT RECORD, a large file filled with quotes about me from teachers, coworkers, and strangers (in several languages), plus a packet of stories I wrote as a child that I thought were lost.
Where I’ll Be: Readercon, Boston, 7/18 – 7/20 – Will Ludwigsen
will-ludwigsen.com
June 30, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Every so often when the spirit strikes me, I write a Postcard Story for my site:
will-ludwigsen.com/2025/06/21/p...
will-ludwigsen.com/2025/06/21/p...
June 21, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Every so often when the spirit strikes me, I write a Postcard Story for my site:
will-ludwigsen.com/2025/06/21/p...
will-ludwigsen.com/2025/06/21/p...
As a kind of experiment, I've released an oft-requested single story on Amazon: Night Fever, the tale of Charles Manson's rampage in 1970s New York. If you're interested, buy a copy! If you've read it before in Asimov's or Acres of Perhaps, leave a review! www.amazon.com/dp/B0F44Y9CRG
Night Fever
Amazon.com: Night Fever eBook : Ludwigsen, Will: Books
www.amazon.com
June 14, 2025 at 12:02 AM
As a kind of experiment, I've released an oft-requested single story on Amazon: Night Fever, the tale of Charles Manson's rampage in 1970s New York. If you're interested, buy a copy! If you've read it before in Asimov's or Acres of Perhaps, leave a review! www.amazon.com/dp/B0F44Y9CRG
Tomorrow I'm off to scenic Stamford, Connecticut for StokerCon 2025! I'm not on programming, but you'll find me in the dealer's room at the Lethe Press table with @steveberman.bsky.social!
www.stokercon2025.com
www.stokercon2025.com
HOME | StokerCon 2025
www.stokercon2025.com
June 11, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Tomorrow I'm off to scenic Stamford, Connecticut for StokerCon 2025! I'm not on programming, but you'll find me in the dealer's room at the Lethe Press table with @steveberman.bsky.social!
www.stokercon2025.com
www.stokercon2025.com
A Scout is Flabbergasted to discover that his novella A Scout is Brave has been nominated for a Shirley Jackson Award in the novella category! www.shirleyjacksonawards.org/2025/06/09/t...
Nominees Announced for the 2024 Shirley Jackson Awards – The Shirley Jackson Awards
www.shirleyjacksonawards.org
June 9, 2025 at 9:49 PM
A Scout is Flabbergasted to discover that his novella A Scout is Brave has been nominated for a Shirley Jackson Award in the novella category! www.shirleyjacksonawards.org/2025/06/09/t...
I can’t believe that I live in a state that’s about to ban fluoride in its water.
Actually, yes I can. If there's one thing the bill's sponsor Kaylee Tuck has learned from representing the people of Glades, Hardee, Highlands, and Okeechobee counties, it’s that teeth are optional.
Actually, yes I can. If there's one thing the bill's sponsor Kaylee Tuck has learned from representing the people of Glades, Hardee, Highlands, and Okeechobee counties, it’s that teeth are optional.
Florida is poised to become 2nd state to ban fluoride from public water systems
Florida is poised to become the second state to ban fluoride in public drinking water, over the concerns of dentists and public health advocates who say the mineral is a safe, effective way to protect...
apnews.com
April 30, 2025 at 12:21 AM
I can’t believe that I live in a state that’s about to ban fluoride in its water.
Actually, yes I can. If there's one thing the bill's sponsor Kaylee Tuck has learned from representing the people of Glades, Hardee, Highlands, and Okeechobee counties, it’s that teeth are optional.
Actually, yes I can. If there's one thing the bill's sponsor Kaylee Tuck has learned from representing the people of Glades, Hardee, Highlands, and Okeechobee counties, it’s that teeth are optional.
Tonight we bade farewell to Truman Cat-pote: will-ludwigsen.com/2025/02/12/t...
February 13, 2025 at 2:56 AM
Tonight we bade farewell to Truman Cat-pote: will-ludwigsen.com/2025/02/12/t...
Like every other gloomy writer of the mysterious fantastic, I too have thoughts about the loss of David Lynch. Sorry!
will-ludwigsen.com/2025/01/16/b...
will-ludwigsen.com/2025/01/16/b...
January 16, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Like every other gloomy writer of the mysterious fantastic, I too have thoughts about the loss of David Lynch. Sorry!
will-ludwigsen.com/2025/01/16/b...
will-ludwigsen.com/2025/01/16/b...
"You'll be visited by three spirits."
The three spirits:
The three spirits:
December 24, 2024 at 4:03 PM
"You'll be visited by three spirits."
The three spirits:
The three spirits:
Like most people, my thoughts turn at Thanksgiving to air piracy, including a particular instance from November of 1971.
As a thanks to you all for your support throughout the year, here's a story I wrote about it a few years ago.
will-ludwigsen.com/2020/11/28/p...
As a thanks to you all for your support throughout the year, here's a story I wrote about it a few years ago.
will-ludwigsen.com/2020/11/28/p...
Postcard Story: Getting Away – Will Ludwigsen
will-ludwigsen.com
November 28, 2024 at 3:07 PM
Like most people, my thoughts turn at Thanksgiving to air piracy, including a particular instance from November of 1971.
As a thanks to you all for your support throughout the year, here's a story I wrote about it a few years ago.
will-ludwigsen.com/2020/11/28/p...
As a thanks to you all for your support throughout the year, here's a story I wrote about it a few years ago.
will-ludwigsen.com/2020/11/28/p...
The good news about Matt Gaetz's likely vindictive appointment as Attorney General is that Trump was talked off the ledge for some of his other appointments...once he learned they were dead.
November 13, 2024 at 10:09 PM
The good news about Matt Gaetz's likely vindictive appointment as Attorney General is that Trump was talked off the ledge for some of his other appointments...once he learned they were dead.
Finally some simple writing advice with clear applicability to your work: will-ludwigsen.com/2024/10/05/d...
Do Not Engage the Fuzz! – Will Ludwigsen
will-ludwigsen.com
October 5, 2024 at 4:01 PM
Finally some simple writing advice with clear applicability to your work: will-ludwigsen.com/2024/10/05/d...
Ooh, another kind (and thorough!) review of A Scout is Brave! damagedskullwriterandreviewer.com/2024/08/27/i...
IN “A SCOUT IS BRAVE” WILL LUDWIGSEN AND LETHE PRESS TEAM UP TO BRING READERS A FANTASTIC TALE OF FAMILY, FRIENDSHIP, AND FEAR THAT PICKS UP WHERE H.P. LOVECRAFT’S “A SHADOW OVER INNSMOUTH” LEFT OFF
A SCOUT IS BRAVEWill LudwigsenJuly 1, 2024Lethe PressReviewed by Brian “Skull” Lewis Hello horror fiends! It’s your old pal Skull with a most excellent read to help you celebrate the recent birthday o...
damagedskullwriterandreviewer.com
August 28, 2024 at 11:33 AM
Ooh, another kind (and thorough!) review of A Scout is Brave! damagedskullwriterandreviewer.com/2024/08/27/i...