I hit a creative barrier 8 weeks ago. I could still generate ideas for stories, but my attempts at turning them into prose failed each time. I’ve heard authors debate whether “writer’s block” is a real thing or not. Whatever the case, I found myself staring at my screen with my fingers unwilling to type.

But that all changed.

Last week, I attended KillerCon, a convention in Austin, Texas, focusing on splatterpunk, extreme horror, and bizarro fiction. I spoke with writer friends, attended many good panels, and just absorbed the creativity in the air. When I returned home, I found I could write once more.

KillerCon 2025

This is always one of my favorite events of the year. Great people, great programming, and a whole lot of fun. I love to pick the brains of fellow authors and take in as much wisdom as I can. I received great advice from Jeff Burk, John Baltisberger, and Josh Rountree, among others.

Carlton Mellick gave me a trick for writer’s block, which I employed as soon as I got home. He suggested starting with a paragraph-long story. No outlines, nothing, just tell a story in less than a hundred words. And you know what? It worked.

It wouldn’t be a KillerCon without the crazy events. On the first night was “Wings of Pain,” basically Wheel of Fortune but with incredibly spicy foods as punishments. The next night was, of course, the infamous Gross-Out Contest with some of the best performances I’ve seen in the 5 years I’ve attended.

Carlton, Jeff Burk, and I spent part of an afternoon visiting the Lyndon Johnson Presidential Library where I learned (among many other things) that one of LBJ’s speechwriters was none other than Jaws author Peter Benchley. We returned to the hotel in one of those Waymo self-driving cars, my first time and an absolutely terrifying experience.

But like all conventions, it was over far too soon. With an early morning flight, I had to skip the final night bacchanalia. I came home with 19 new books in my suitcase, a smile on my face, and inspiration coursing through my veins.

Stories from the Infinite City

Though I haven’t worked on it for almost a year, my collection Stories from the Infinite City has remained on my mind. While at KillerCon, I asked publisher and author John Baltisberger how he thought I should approach it.

Given the fact that it’s a mixed genre collection by a new-ish author, it would be hard to sell to a publisher, he told me. He recommended instead that I self-publish it. I’ve considered that in the past and now I plan to go through with it.

Stories from the Infinite City needs a lot of work. Even though I’ve written the entire collection, I plan to rewrite half the stories from scratch and heavily edit the others. It’s a project I’ve been passionate about for years now and I think it’s worth it.

I gave myself a deadline: I hope to have a finished copy in book form to sell at the next KillerCon. That means rewriting it, working on it with my editor, formatting it, printing it, all that jazz, in less than 12 months. I’m unfamiliar with the intricacies of the self-publishing process, but that’s something I hope to learn in the coming months.

Worldcon

Next week, I’m attending another convention: Worldcon. It is a massive science fiction event that just so happens to take place in my hometown of Seattle this year. The size is intimidating, much larger than most conventions I attend (over 4,000 people), but I couldn’t miss out on it. Say “hi” if you see me there.

—

I hope to get back to monthly updates on this blog. (Given my creative barrier, I didn’t have much to write about the last couple months.) I plan to chart my progress on Stories from the Infinite City, if for no other reason than to motivate myself.

Until then,

Zé