The Ritual: My Writing Process (Or, How I Summon Monsters with a Keyboard)

There’s no candlelit altar or blood sigils on the wall (okay, maybe just metaphorical ones), but my writing process does feel like a ritual.

Here’s how I usually conjure my stories:

• Music: I write to dark ambient, slasher soundtracks, or oppressive doom metal. If the soundtrack sounds like it was recorded in a cursed basement, it’s probably on my playlist.

• Time: I write late at night. Midnight oil, dead silence, the occasional creak in the walls. It helps.

• Tools: Scrivener for drafting. A beat-up notebook for outlining. Black coffee. Sometimes red wine.

• Vibe: I don’t chase the muse. I build a pit, light it up, and wait for something to crawl out.

When I hit writer’s block, I don’t force it. I dig deeper. Watch something grotesque. Read something worse. Eavesdrop in public. Look at headlines and imagine the story beneath the story.

Writing horror isn’t always about inspiration — it’s about discipline, obsession, and letting the darkest parts of yourself have the mic for a while.

And when it works? It’s pure, delicious terror.

Stay Haunted,

E.M. Torrance