Sergeant_Darwin AMA

@poppymoonray
Question from imaginarygown: If you could ask your future self one question what would it be?
+Sergeant_Darwin
Who should I bet big on in the 2018 World Series?
@poppymoonray
Question from poppymoonray: What character from one of your stories do you empathize with most strongly?
+Sergeant_Darwin
I'm actually really involved with a character I'm writing right now for an unreleased project. As far as stuff I've put out, I'd have to say the narrator from "63 Years Ago." He's a really great guy but just can't escape from all the crazy shit that went down in his childhood.
@poppymoonray
Question from cmd102: What's your least favorite trope on nosleep?
+Sergeant_Darwin
I feel like it's getting pretty hard to do an original "I found these old videotapes" or "I read this old journal." They're cool ideas, they've just been done to death.
@poppymoonray
Question from poppymoonray: I really loved the urban legend aspect in your Black Tree story. Was it fun getting to make up your own urban legends? Do you have a favorite well known one (eg, hook in the car door, bloody mary, etc)?
+Sergeant_Darwin
I grew up reading those "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" books, do you know the ones I'm talking about? They're supposedly for kids but they had the most horrific illustrations. There were a ton of urban legends in those--my favorite has to be the high beams one: there's a girl, driving on a lonely road, when a car behind her starts flashing its high beams...but it turns out the car is trying to warn her that there's someone in her backseat. That one really freaked me out. But yes, making up the whole "Skeleton Jack" thing was probably my favorite part about that story. It just came to me in a flash of inspiration and if I tried to replicate it I'm pretty sure I'd embarrass myself.
@poppymoonray
Question from cmd102: What's your opinion of the believability rule and how it affects nosleep?
+Sergeant_Darwin
I think it was a cool idea, and probably contributed to getting the sub off the ground, but at this point it feels really overdone. There are so many creative authors here and I wish the forum was expanded so they could explore different methods of storytelling. At this point 99.9% of readers know the stories aren't real so it feels weird to keep it going at the expense of so much great content. Personally, I've started to feel a bit like a one-trick pony with my stories--all first person, all "believable," and the protagonist has to survive in all of them.
@poppymoonray: Question from onyxoctopus: What is your favorite genre of fiction to read?
+Sergeant_Darwin
I read a lot of horror, but also a lot of mysteries and I've been dabbling in science fiction lately. I just read "The Martian" and "Hitchhiker's Guide" and thought they were both awesome. Books in the vein of Gillian Flynn are also very cool--I haven't been able to stop thinking about Gone Girl since I put it down two years ago.
@poppymoonray
Question from poppymoonray: If the believability/immersion rule were removed tomorrow, what would the first story you wrote be about?
+Sergeant_Darwin
There's a story I've already written about a school shooting that I'd post immediately. Apart from that, I'd like to write something from the perspective of a narrator years in the future, looking back on his earlier years in 2017.
@poppymoonray
Question from cmd102: Do any of your stories have any truth to them? Which ones and how true are they?
+Sergeant_Darwin
So "63 Years Ago" was actually inspired by a story my mom told me...apparently when she was a kid, she was in the basement of her town library and saw a book with her name written in it. It really freaked her out, and I don't think she ever went back. Also, "One Snowy Night" was inspired by an especially vivid dream I had years ago...I used to babysit my two siblings a lot (the two siblings in that story are pretty much them, with the names changed) and I had a dream that an intruder was lurking outside our house. As a result those stories felt pretty easy to write.
@poppymoonray
Question from poppymoonray: You said in your interview that your school shooting story was partially inspired by the Columbine massacre. Was it more difficult for you to write it mentally/emotionally since it was based in reality?
+Sergeant_Darwin
It was, especially since I'd done so much research on the massacre. I've seen some pictures of the aftermath that really hammered home how awful those things are. When you hear about stuff like that on the news, it's easy to reduce it to simple statistics..."oh, 20 dead" or whatever. But what sometimes feels missing is that these are real people with real lives who died horrible, bloody, gruesome deaths and were probably scared shitless in their final moments. It was also tough to write from the perspective of the shooter in that story, but I felt like it was important to do. Eric Harris (the kid who shot up Columbine) just flat-out despised all of humanity, as evidenced by a lot of his writings and videotapes. I think the most disturbing thing about Columbine, other shootings, or even my fictional story is what it's like inside the head of a psychopath.
@poppymoonray
Question from imaginarygown: What do you want your tombstone to say?
+Sergeant_Darwin
Jake Healey. May 19, 1993 - January 1, 2100. Somehow managed to not drink himself to death.
@poppymoonray
Question from onyxoctopus: Favorite classic horror movie? Favorite modern horror movie? Do you prefer the classics or modern horror films?
+Sergeant_Darwin
Honestly, I'm not nearly as well-versed as I should be in classic horror. But I prefer modern movies in general, and while "The Others" tops the list, I'll also give some love to "The Woman In Black" for some great jump scares, "IT" for representing an amazing book so faithfully, and "Cabin In the Woods" for that scene when all the monsters get loose in the lab.
@poppymoonray
Question from poppymoonray: Congrats on living to the age of 107! What do you think the biggest technological advance will be in the next 83 years?
+Sergeant_Darwin
Thank you! It's been a great run. You know, after watching a few episodes of Black Mirror, part of me is content to stay right where we're at...but I think the big thing will be AI. And I think we as a society need to start exploring a lot of the ethical and moral issues that will accompany it. Mostly, though, I just hope we keep learning more and more about the origins of the universe and the nature of consciousness.
@poppymoonray
Question from cmd102: Which creepypasta or nosleep character do you think you would stand the best chance at beating in a fight?
+Sergeant_Darwin
Probably the staircase from the Search and Rescue story, if I was allowed a chainsaw or sledgehammer. I'd fuck that thing up.
@poppymoonray
Question from imaginarygown: What’s something you’ve been meaning to try but just haven’t gotten around to it?
+Sergeant_Darwin
Brazilian jiu jitsu. I think as a 21st century species, we've gotten so comfortable that we've lost touch with our primal instincts and physical abilities and combat skills...things that used to be absolutely crucial for us. It'd be awesome to eventually learn how to actually fight and study a martial art. Then maybe I'd be able to beat up more than a staircase.
@poppymoonray
Question from onyxoctopus: How old were you when you first realized you had an interest in writing? Do you remember the first horror story you ever wrote? What was it about?
+Sergeant_Darwin
When I was in 1st grade, I entered a "young writer's competition" our school was having and I won with my story of Reed Gold, intergalactic explorer of a distant planet. He had quite a scare with a hostile alien race, but when he returned to Earth, he was rewarded with a lifetime supply of Krispy Kreme lemon filled donuts and V8 Splash juice. If I end up becoming a famous writer, you better believe that story's going in one of my anthologies.
@poppymoonray
Question from poppymoonray: If you could collaborate with any of your NoSleep peers, who would you choose?
+Sergeant_Darwin
Probably Elias Witherow or CK Walker. I've reached out to them both a couple of times for advice on publishing and building a fan base and they've been really cool. They're both fantastic writers besides.
@poppymoonray
Question from cmd102: If you could have dinner with any author, dead or alive, who would it be? Where would you have dinner?
+Sergeant_Darwin
Carl Sagan, at the Smithsonian Observatory.
@poppymoonray
Question from onyxoctopus: Is there any food you could eat every day and never get sick of?
+Sergeant_Darwin
I can't see myself ever getting sick of a good steak, medium rare.
@poppymoonray
Question from cmd102: Who is your favorite Backstreet Boy? Why do you hate Howie?
+Sergeant_Darwin
Howie blows, man. But I'll have to go with Nick, because he's Aaron Carter's older brother, and if there was no Aaron Carter, where would I get all my Aaron Carter rehab news?
@poppymoonray
Question from iwantabear: what's your favorite writing weather?
+Sergeant_Darwin
Dusk, really overcast and rainy. Wind rattling the windows. Some hot tea in a mug at my desk.
@poppymoonray
Question from poppymoonray: You mentioned that your brother has influenced some of your characters. How does he feel about being included in your stories?
+Sergeant_Darwin
Honestly, he's so severely autistic that he has no idea. But as long as the Utah Jazz are winning, nothing can get him down!
@poppymoonray
Question from iwantabear: What kind of tea lol
+Sergeant_Darwin
Depends what time of day. Earl Grey or a black blend in the morning--GoodEarth makes some good stuff too. At night, I stay away from the caffeine. Herbal teas are great, especially the Sleepytime brand. There's this new aloe blend that has been kicking my ass lately.
@poppymoonray
Question from cmd102:  What flavor of ice cream would you most like to fornicate?
+Sergeant_Darwin
Let me take a minute to delve into the philosophical underpinnings of that question. What do we mean by the word 'like?' All else being equal, is happiness really preferable to suffering? If so, why? These are the kinds of questions that need to be considered before coming to any kind of sure conclusion on this topic, but if my instincts on this are right, it's neapolitan.
@poppymoonray
Question from imaginarygown: What is your favorite thing about writing horror?
+Sergeant_Darwin
Getting to explore the emotion of fear in a safe setting. I'm fascinated by the fear response and consider it a privilege to evoke it in others.
@poppymoonray
Question from iwantabear: In your opinion what's the worst horror movie ever made?
+Sergeant_Darwin
Cars 2
@poppymoonray
Question from onyxoctopus: Do you have a signature drink?
+Sergeant_Darwin
Bourbon, on the rocks. If I have to mix it with anything, I'll go with a Maker's and coke or an Old Fashioned.
@poppymoonray
Question from poppymoonray: What fruit do you empathize with most strongly? What fruit fills you with an unbridled rage?
+Sergeant_Darwin
I really feel for tomatoes. Nobody accepts them for who they truly are. Everyone keeps trying to force them to act like vegetables.
Oh, and guava. Fuck guava.
@poppymoonray
Question from cmd102: FMK: Pennywise in the form of Jennifer Lawrence, Carrie, Annie Wilkes
+Sergeant_Darwin
Fuck Pennywise/J-Law, marry the Chloe Moretz version of Carrie, and if I can kill her before she kills me, Annie.
@poppymoonray
Question from imaginarygown: What animal best represents you and why?
+Sergeant_Darwin
Well, my patronus is a fox, so.....I can only assume it's because I'm kind of small, yet very foxy
@poppymoonray
Question from poppymoonray: If you were stranded on an island, which three fellow NoSleepers would you want with you?
+Sergeant_Darwin
The search and rescue guy so we can get rescued, bigsp00k if we need someone to eat, and Hayong to repopulate
@poppymoonray
Question from onyxoctopus: Who is your celebrity doppelgänger?
+Sergeant_Darwin
When I was young I looked exactly like the kid from Home Alone. Now I like to think I'm a combo of Chris Hemsworth's body and Brad Pitt's face.
@poppymoonray
Question from cmd102: Do you prefer to read stories or listen to them (whether on a podcast or youtube narrations)?
+Sergeant_Darwin
Read, for sure. I don't really like fiction audiobooks. But I listen to nonfiction podcasts all the time!
@poppymoonray
Question from poppymoonray: Between your clown story and your ice cream truck story, I have one question...why do you like abducting children so much? >__>
+Sergeant_Darwin
I'm just trying to organize a really big duck-duck-goose game.
@poppymoonray
Question from onyxoctopus: Top three favorite subs?
+Sergeant_Darwin
Besides /r/nosleep? /r/utahjazz, /r/samharris, and /r/nba. /r/exmormon also helped get me through some tough times
@poppymoonray
Question from cmd102: Favorite Disney princess?
+Sergeant_Darwin
Rapunzel. She's got a great voice and she's hot as hell.
@poppymoonray
Question from poppymoonray: Favorite type of flower?
+Sergeant_Darwin
Birds of Paradise. I used to live in Southern California and they remind me of there.
@poppymoonray
Question from imaginarygown: What quirks do you have?
+Sergeant_Darwin
I clean so much. Like, compulsively. My wife will set something down on a counter for like five seconds and by the time she turns around it's already back in its proper place. It drives her nuts
@poppymoonray
Question from onyxoctopus: What author has had the greatest influence on your writing?
+Sergeant_Darwin
Stephen King. I actually like his non-horror books more than his horror, though. 11/22/63 is my favorite novel, and his "Different Seasons" collection was a masterpiece
@poppymoonray
Question from cmd102: What was the first nosleep story you remember reading?
+Sergeant_Darwin
The "my dead girlfriend messaged me on facebook" one. I honestly had no idea it was fake for an embarrassingly long time
@poppymoonray
Question from cmd102: If you hadn't discovered nosleep, do you think you'd still be writing?
+Sergeant_Darwin
Honestly, probably not. I've been so busy with work and school and marriage that if I hadn't gotten a huge confidence boost from the success I've had here, it might have fallen by the wayside.
@poppymoonray
Question from poppymoonray: Do you generally start with an outline or simply begin writing?
+Sergeant_Darwin
I should probably start with an outline, but I hardly ever do. I love *writing*, and outlining doesn't feel enough like writing to keep my attention. I usually just get rolling for about 1000 words, realize it sucks, scrap it all and start from scratch with a better idea of what I want the story to look like.
@poppymoonray
Final question, from cmd102: Do you have any advice for new or aspiring writers?
+Sergeant_Darwin
Read. Constantly. And write as much as you can, even when you don't feel inspired. Now I just need to follow my own advice!
@poppymoonray
Thank you so much to Sergeant_Darwin for taking the time to answer our questions, and thank you to everyone who asked things! NoSleepInterviews will be taking a break, but we'll be back soon! <3