Thomas R. Willits

Bewildering Stories biography

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At this point in my life there really isn’t much to say so this will probably be short and sweet. As I write this I’m twenty-seven years old. I live with my wife, Sarah and my six-year old daughter Mackaillyn. I should probably just begin with confession. I committed the ultimate sin that a writer could. Almost ten years ago I put down the pen and paper and quit writing. I wrote all the time in high school but after about seventeen my life started to change and pretty soon writing wasn’t important.

Over the years I often wondered about picking it back up again but I just couldn’t get it started. I started waking up in the middle of the night or just before my alarm would go off and have that perfect idea from a slowly fading dream for a story. But then it would slip away...

And so I was sitting there ready to dive into a story after building up some motivation and telling myself to just get something started when I couldn’t think of a single word to start the page. All that junk I wrote years ago, whether any of it was good or not, I never wasted any time completing. It was strange. Getting started, I mean. I really felt odd. I remember staring at the computer screen for an hour before beginning. Somehow I managed to get the words on the page. Four hundred turned into four thousand, four thousand turned into eight and finally, “Leaving Mirano,” which I eventually changed to “The Beyond,” was done. Or so I thought. I don’t remember rewrites being as difficult as it was with “The Beyond.” I think it was over 17,000 words at first and I hacked away at it, then reworked it several times. Maybe I’m more critical now, I don’t know.

Anyway, for me, “The Beyond” is the first story since I’ve started writing again. In a way I guess it’s my own barrier. Having the determination to keep going and see things to the end. But it’s a little easier after that first one, I’ve noticed and I’m busy on other stories. So maybe, with a little hard work and motivation I’ll find myself finishing something else. So thanks for reading and thanks for selecting my story and oh, yeah, Bewildering Stories rocks!!!!