Decided to dump the opening I had and come in later and just make that work. What I was trying to do didn't fit the rest of the story and was jamming me up. I think it works a little better now and I feel better about it.

Maybe Ligotti? It's been awhile since I've read him.

Haven't read Dain's Curse, so can't rec it, but I've always felt there's something unknowable lurking in the shadows of some of Hammett's stories. Always wished he'd gone down that alley.

Very cool!

I've been looking for something I can kind of use as a starter or base for a character's personality in my stories. Mostly for secondary characters to give them a little variety.

This is interesting. I'll have to play with it a bit. Thanks for sharing!

Most definitely! And they're easier to achieve. Have a good one!

Pretty sure I definitely have too much story for a short. I'm just going to finish it; not going to worry about condensing it.

Maybe I'll try to keep the next one tighter.

With hope for our work, hls