User:ChristianWallis

About me
I am a student (mid twenties) who works part time in advertising. I study psychology and neuroscience of mental health post grad. I am a recent addition to this community, but I look forward to contributing as much as I can in my spare time, including any short stories that I write, as well as any edits/advice on the writer's workshop forum. I have always had an interest in creative writing and have been writing since a young age.

I also own two dogs. A husky (6 years male) and an all black German Shepherd (18 months bitch). I'm a big dog person, and my first story plays on the vulnerabilities that I feel pets can sometimes induce in their owners.

Favourite Horror Influences (Books/Comics/Films)
HP Lovecraft. It's a cliche, but there isn't a story or poem or his I haven't read and don't own. I'm currently in the process of buying up comic adaptations of his work. I've also recently expanded my interest into ur-lovecraft lovecraftian horror including the works of Lord Dunsany and the fantastic Arthur Machen.

Comics I highly recommend are those of Junti Ito, anything by Richard Corben, and old school EC horror comics. Also, of course, the work of Mike Mignola.

Not many recent horror movies have interested me, but some films like babadook and 'it follows' have stuck in my mind. Older classics that I enjoy include the shining, the fly (Cronenberg), event horizon and John Carpenter's apocalypse trilogy. I also thought very highly of paranormal activity, even if that's sometimes controversial.

I am currently reading The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Junji Ito's Fragments of Horror, Swamp Thing, and Planet Hulk.

My Interest In Creepypastas
My main interest in joining this community is to pursue my interest in writing and reading horror but in a more time friendly manner (quick and frequent), now that I have a job and other responsibilities. I'm new, and will probably make a lot of mistakes, but I look forward to learning.

I've only recently looked into creepypastas, previously getting my horror fix from books, books, and more books. I love the change that has occurred in recent history because of the internet. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of variation in quality, but I feel as though the change is largely for the good. Stories like abandoned by disney, or the collective efforts of the SCP wikia, simply wouldn't work in the old system of agents and publishers. A story the size of a A4 sheet simply wouldn't qualify for publishing in that system, and nor would something that requires a very strict style or format. I also enjoy the way that fiction and reality can be blurred just a little using these newer methods. I also enjoy the multimedia approach, and will eventually experiment with the use of images, and maybe video too.

What I'll be doing
I will mainly be posting advice on the writer's workshop, and editing out spelling/grammatical mistakes I happen to find. I look forward to making valuable contributions, and am always willing to offer feedback if you're ever interested. On a similar note I will be writing quite a bit too, and am always happy to receive feedback!

My Stories
I have written six stories so far, I hope you read and enjoy them. I'm always happy to receive feedback!

Give It Everything - A man's life is torn apart by the presence of an otherworldly dog. Has also had a good narration you can find

Be Good to Him - Fresh evidence related to the disappearance of a young man brings forth some strange facts about his potential whereabouts.

Mullaghbrack - An unpleasant couple travel to Ireland where they find something worse than themselves.

Ixodida - Ixodida is the Latin name for the order of arachnids known more commonly as 'ticks'.

The Shimmering Tree - Two letters with horrifying implications for the recipient.

The Witch & The Fatso - Two stories that are interconnected and tell the tale of a cruel witch and the monstrous outcome of her behaviour.

My Feedback
Since I give a lot of feedback on the workshop I thought I'd take the time out to add a little section to my profile that detailed my philosophy regarding feedback.

The grammar feedback I offer is a reflection of my experience in academia, and the standards are pretty much identical between academic writing and literature. Grammar is, however, subject to some interpretation, and is not some all powerful rule book that must be obeyed. But, unless your James Joyce or Kurt Vonnegut, I'd put that idea right out of your head. Ultimately, it comes down to this - you stand to lose a lot by not following grammatical convention, and learning to follow it can only add to your knowledge and abilities as a writer. There's simply no need to be so resistant to learning.

Other feedback I offer is personal. I am always entitled to my opinion, and will share it gladly. But it is not informed by anything other than convention and my own tastes. You may disagree with me regarding some of my points, and I would never expect anyone to treat my advice as law. But, if you have a knee jerk reaction to being given feedback, then you need to seriously consider why you're even bothering to write in the first place.

Finally - I am not an admin. I can tell you if a story meets the basic standard of being literate, but I can not say whether it will avoid deletion for other reasons. When I say "yeah, cool, go submit it" that's my way of saying, "let's throw it at the wall and see if it sticks". Not my way of telling you "this will definitely be accepted". As far as I can tell there's nothing wrong with asking an admin for their feedback as well, should you want to take it a step further and avoid going through the submission process.