Introduce Yourself : Welcome to My Keep, Dark and Deep by David J. Rank

One moonless night I could not sleep and decided to take a walk that led me, oddly enough, to Stage 32. That sounds way better than actuality: I entered my unpublished SF novel into the 2019 Screencraft Cinematic Book Competition, made it to the semifinals, and did not win. That is my entire connection to Stage 32.

I'm a retired, recovering journalist with a penchant for writing fiction on the side, dark fiction mostly, in the SF, fantasy, horror, crime genres. I've had more than 30 flash and short stories published here and there, including three anthologies, and am now shopping around said SF novel in an eternal search for validation. I'm also working on a twisted Gothic Romance and Horror novels.

In 2014, I started the six-day, residential Novel-In-Progress Bookcamp & Writing Retreat, a 501(c)(3) corporation that conducts an annual writers' workshop and concurrent writing retreat in Wisconsin, USA. Attendance has grown over the years for the NIP. So in 2021 we decided to conduct two NIP sessions, our All-Genre NIP in May and the new Speculative Fiction NIP in August. (Do you spot a theme in this introduction?)

I've always believed that writing is writing, and you can learn from any genre. I'm finding that to be true here in Stage 32. While the subject is mostly screenwriting, I've picked up quite a few useful tips to help me improve my work and understanding of the writing biz. I hope, in some small way, to contribute to this font of information on a subject I hold dear to my heart.

So, hello, and good writing to all of you!