iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 13h

I love Bloodroot! Congratulations!

J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

#HorrorWritersChat I don't use music in my stories, but music influences my writing. I'll listen to music to get into a certain mood or focus on a theme. Music is very evocative for me. If I'm stuck with writer's block, I'll spend time vibing with music.

072

J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

My friend and I used to exchange soundtracks for our stories. We'd use scene or chapter titles as the song track names (with the song name and artist listed somewhere). The modern version is emailing each other the track list, but it's not the same as the physical "concept album."

111

J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I'm very much a mood listener. Just to be in a mood and use it to write in a certain vibe.

020

J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I couldn't get to #HorrorWritersChat today, but I do want to share a bit about music! I write psychological horror. My favorite music varies based on mood, but my top genres are alternative and R&B. Some of my favorite artists are Weezer, The Living End, Queen, and Janelle Monáe.

042

J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

It helps me "get out of my head." When I'm fixated on something, writing (whether it's fiction, my blog, or my personal journal) shows me how I actually feel about it or what it means to me. I also just really like playing with language.

120

Reposted by J. D. Hellen

Cursed Morsels @cursedmorsels.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I was talking to my friend Mae today about how I wish more people cared about and read short stories. A great short story will take only twenty minutes to read but stick with you for twenty years. Wildly powerful artform! What's a short story that fits that description for y'all?

5412034

J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Maybe the author will find this because I've wanted to look back at this story. I apologize if I remember it wrong. It takes place in a mall, and the souls of people who died (in the mall?) are trapped there, forced to reenact their deaths. I think about it often.

132

J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

In case you're low on nightmare fuel

Cat toy - small, hot pink, furry mouse missing eyes, a nose, and patches of fur

000

Reposted by J. D. Hellen

Linda M. Bayley @lmbayley.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

A story about a potato has no right to be this sad. Or this human. Amazing #FlashInTheFeed by @rachelmhollis.bsky.social in @fictivedream.bsky.social today.

271

Reposted by J. D. Hellen

Electric Literature @electricliterature.com · 14/09/2026

A mysterious phone caller, an old flame, and the possibility of an escape into an alternate reality. Story by Chris Vanjonack, recommended by Weston Morrow. buff.ly/aHFOGWC

042

J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

So good! "'You can hide anything you want in plain sight,' Jack said to me once as he added the words 'a fucking lie' to his self-portrait, . . . . 'You’ve just got to give people somewhere else to focus. Something they want to see.'”

010

J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Really enjoyed this. There's so much here.

110

J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

"I’m not sure how the skunk got in. But as soon as it saw me, it charged, scuttling across the ground like a furry crab. I let out a yelp . . . ; then . . . , retreated to the one room in the house that doesn’t have windows." www.unchartedmag.com/stories/live...

unchartedmag.com

Live Trap - Uncharted

The skunk will not leave my home. This has created a situation similar to the siege of Carthage, where I am barricaded in my bathroom, unable to slip past my assaulting foe. Except, instead of shelter...

000

J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

This weather calls for finally bringing out the good socks. 🌧️💨

Magenta crew socks with yellow stripes and toe tips that say I LIKE BOOKS MORE THAN PEOPLE

000

Reposted by J. D. Hellen

Darker Times @darkertimes.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

One of the best Disney Channel Original Movies to ever air, Don't Look Under the Bed means a lot to us here at Darker Times. Aigner Loren Wilson writes about her experience viewing the film, reflecting on its impact, the idea of disbelief, and more. Read it here: www.darkertimes.com/dont-look-un...

darkertimes.com

Don’t Look Under the Bed (1999) & The Monster of Disbelief

How a Disney Channel original movie kept my weirdness alive.

074

Reposted by J. D. Hellen

Darker Times @darkertimes.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Backrooms, Walter Benjamin, AND Freud?! @emilyhughes.bsky.social covers the magic of liminality, memory, and capitalism in her latest piece, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Hallucination: www.darkertimes.com/walter-benja...

darkertimes.com

The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Hallucination

Or, why I stopped worrying and learned to love Walter Benjamin in the Backrooms.

0218

Reposted by J. D. Hellen

Electric Literature @electricliterature.com · 25/09/2026

Next week is #LitMagWeek and Electric Lit has a lineup of exciting content to share. Check back here daily September 28–October 2 and celebrate lit mags with us!

093

J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Great tips! This is why I love flash.

020

Reposted by J. D. Hellen

Eric Raglin @ericraglin1992.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

New horror writers: Applications for my Cursed Classroom are open! This affordable, month-long class will meet each Tuesday in November. You'll learn how to write more effective horror and how to submit to short fiction markets. Interested? See details here: ericraglin.com/classes-and-...

ericraglin.com

Classes and Editorial Services

Cursed Classroom: Open for applicants through October 31st, 2026 What is Cursed Classroom? This month-long horror-writing bootcamp is aimed at writers on a budget. The ideal participant for this co…

12015

J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Are you sure you weren't in a horror story?

011

J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

You always take a gamble when you buy a book you haven't read or heard much about. I'm a little over 100 pages in and am not sure I want to finish. I don't like to post about DNF reads, but I keep thinking about how this story needs more editing and revision. It's taking me out of it.

010

J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I occasionally use tarot and oracle cards for self-reflection and guidance, but I haven't used them for story inspiration and planning. Maybe THE SNAIL ORACLE will fix that. 🐌🔮 Shout out to Aleia Murawski and Sam Copeland! I also own SNAIL WORLD, SNAIL WORLD 2, and the "Slime Shop" puzzle.

THE SNAIL ORACLE oracle deck: cover of the deck box (a garden snail looking into a mirror), the deck guidebook (a garden snail at a table with cards, a crystal ball, candles, and tea), and a drawn card (an image of a garden snail on a swan boat, going into a "tunnel of love"—the word DEVOTION at the bottom of the card)

100

J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I cringed so hard through most of this. But don't worry; it's not all cringe. Great read!

031

J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Brought me right into the time. Great micro!

010

J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Don't sleep on this one! I can't wait!

074

J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Looking forward to this one! It was recommended to me by another horror writer, and it just so happens to be this month's horror book club pick at my local independent bookstore. ☺️ I'm ready to get disturbed.

010

J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

I haven't finished the whole piece yet, but I'm really disturbed so far.

110

J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

It's really rough when the animal doesn't make it.

000

Reposted by J. D. Hellen

Carly Bryant Black 🏳️‍🌈🧠 @carlybwrites.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

The safety's in the ordinary stuff, a porch, a news beat, string lights. A man keeping every light on for the people he lost sounds sweet, until you learn why the house never goes dark. #horrorwriterschat

032

J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

So I know Molly was supposed to be cute, but the fact that she never spoke creeped me out.

101

Reposted by J. D. Hellen

Amber Hathaway, Little White Flowers author @amber-hathaway.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

David stares at me with his scratched plastic eyes, his mouthless face a mask of silent reproach. And then I hear the rattle. If you shake him, it's supposed to sound like he's purring. But this is no purr. It's the ball of a rattler. That's when David launches at me. #HorrorWritersChat

1175

J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I open the drawer, & there he is, misshapen plastic eyes peeking through loose packs & ointments. Normally, my old Bear makes me smile, but all I can think of is shutting the drawer. He doesn't belong here. But I still need scissors. I hope I'm wrong about where I'll find them. #HorrorWritersChat

141

J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I don't like to read or write anything where everything goes as planned or remains status quo. Where's a story without conflict? Horror makes anything comfortable suspicious. The more you give a character, the more they can lose. #HorrorWritersChat

030

J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Hey, #HorrorWritersChat, I write horror that draws from childhood fears. This chat is right up my alley! My favorite childhood toy was a teddy bear named Bear. If he became evil, it would devastate me. I had a nightmare as a kid that he exploded slime, and I'm still creeped out remembering it. 🧸

1156

J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

"Something in her eyes catches me off guard. There’s the oak-barrel whiskey of grief and cheddar terror so sharp it cuts the tongue. But there’s a hint of something complex, neither sour nor salty, but oddly bittersweet. "It tastes like relief." www.unchartedmag.com/stories/the-...

unchartedmag.com

The Taste of a Name - Uncharted

Some dreams taste like cotton candy. Nostalgic moments, remembered imperfectly with their spun-sugar veneers. Others are dark chocolate, writhing with intertwined limbs, playing out carnal fantasies. ...

000

J. D. Hellen @jdhellenwrites.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

"While today we think of Toy Story as children’s media, the it-narrative originated as a decidedly adult genre. Because object narrators tend to be things that circulate across layers of society, the it-narrative offered a ready platform for social satire." lithub.com/long-before-...

lithub.com

Long Before Toy Story, It-Narratives Imagined the Inner Lives of Objects

It’s nighttime in the playroom and the toys have gathered for a conference. For modern audiences, this scene likely evokes the imaginative world of Toy Story, the long-running film franchise about …

000

Reposted by J. D. Hellen

Petra Vanfossen @petranova.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

I left the #glove in your office on purpose. Smelling of amber, of warm woods and train rides stood too close together. Of the seconds spent watching the underside of your jaw as the wind blew my hair out like a flag. I hope it strangles you without moving. #vss365

0226