The Power of Unfiltered Stories: Writing Without Looking Over Your Shoulder

“No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream.” — Shirley Jackson, The Haunting of Hill House
There’s a moment in every creative process when doubt creeps in. When you stop writing, drawing, or planning, and you start wondering, What will people think?
It’s a dangerous moment because it’s when the most honest parts of your story start to get trimmed away. The sharp edges are sanded down, the uncomfortable truths are softened, and what’s left is something safe.
But safe isn’t memorable. Safe isn’t real.
When I wrote Dark Matter, I made a promise to myself: I wouldn’t look over my shoulder. I wouldn’t edit myself for fear of what someone might think. And you know what? It was liberating.
Characters like Joshua Carpenter and Beris came alive because they were allowed to be fully themselves—flawed, raw, and sometimes deeply uncomfortable.
The scenes in Dark Matter that linger in my mind aren’t the “safe” ones. They’re the ones where I felt nervous writing them. The ones where I wondered, Is this too much? But every time I pushed through that fear, I discovered something powerful: the truth.
As Stephen King said in On Writing, “Write with the door closed.” Forget about the audience. Forget about judgement. Just tell the story.
Because the best stories don’t come from fear. They come from freedom.
If you’re ready to step into a story that holds nothing back—where the shadows are alive, the characters are flawed, and the stakes are sky-high—sign up for updates on Dark Matter today. Early access, exclusive content, and discounts await.
👉 Sign up here.