The LSM, Week of 6.15.2026
SIGNPOST
Can we talk about last week’s article? Cause I have thoughts.
I often batch write essays when I have a bunch of stuff on my mind that I need to get out. Sometimes I won’t edit until weeks later, and in doing so I pick up on consistent grammatical idiosyncrasies that distract from the piece’s larger purpose. Last week’s essay on existentialism and its relationship to horror was from the early part of such an output blast. I noticed something about it that is driving me so nuts, I’m writing this newsletter early to acknowledge it and give you a peek into my process.
I did a lot of ‘qualities in threes’ structure and ‘Thing X isn’t about Idea Y, it’s about idea A.’ In retrospect, not only does the essay run probably five hundred words too long, it frankly smacks of A.I. LLM’s default to explaining the ‘whitespace’ around an idea. It’s a tick developed from having no worldly experience to explain what an idea IS.
Anyway, it’s making me crazy as I read it back and I wanted to let you know I see it, I hear it, I can’t guarantee I can correct for all of it in the next few essays but I’ll be on the lookout for it.
How are you this week?
THE PULP
I’ve already burned a lot of words being neurotic about last issue’s essay, so let’s jump into what’s new.
Spooky story week! This is an older short story that arose from examining a weird feeling of dread I had coming back from the bathroom one night, climbing into the sheets and expecting something to be there next to me.
“It Was Not My Wife.”
Here’s the link for the story and the audio.
AN EXTRA SLICE
I recently discovered the synthwave artist Midnight Danger. His body of work isn’t gigantic but it is doing something for me right now. I’ll leave it on in the background in my bedroom and it adds a weird, epic ambience to everything I’m doing. Personal recommendation: start with his later work; he clearly got sharper as the years went on (most artists do.) “Nights At Lake Milsen” is a banger.
DREDGE
I’d love to hear about what ambient music you like to play when you’re reading horror. What sets the mood for you? Or is it silence?
Next time, we’ll dive into the invisible aspects of a writer’s world building: the depth of lore they craft that you, as a reader, may not even be aware of but is woven subtly throughout a story. It’ll make you think twice about why a certain street is named the way it is, or why that one character wears that one ring and the author kinda makes a big deal out of it but never offers an explanation.
Stuff like that. You’ll dig it.
Until next time, lemonheads.
Crossbone Hugs and Phantom Breeze Kisses,
Skylar Dates
