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Carson Winter

@carsonwinter.bsky.social

Author, punker, raw nerve. PORTRAITS OF DECAY out now. Co-host of the Dead Languages Podcast. Social media at CHM.

1,469 Followers  |  180 Following  |  349 Posts  |  Joined: 12.07.2023  |  2.0906

Latest posts by carsonwinter.bsky.social on Bluesky

Absolutely agree. The concept of play is integral to writing, and itโ€™s something we should come back to often.

07.10.2025 15:43 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2    ๐Ÿ” 1    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Great newsletter! Subscribed.

07.10.2025 15:42 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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"One of the absolute best collections of short stories I've ever read." -David Swisher, Goodreads Review

Grab the ebook of Portraits of Decay for $5 during the month of Octoberโ€”website only.

carsonwinter.com/product/port...

07.10.2025 14:17 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
06.10.2025 04:12 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Absolutely love this for you. This is the dream that lives within so many of us.

I love to see literary, weird horror authors find their way into the greater culture. It does us all a solid and it makes me way more optimistic about the genre. Way to fucking go and Iโ€™m loving what Iโ€™ve read so far.

04.10.2025 23:02 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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This will forever be my shit.

02.10.2025 01:01 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 3    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Damn, Iโ€™ve often thought this too! I like the reframing of it as a good thing.

01.10.2025 13:32 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 3    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Nothing better.

30.09.2025 19:49 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Just got my copy of what is probably my most anticipated book of the year.

30.09.2025 19:48 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 10    ๐Ÿ” 1    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Just got the notice that it's getting delivered tomorrow. Stoked to dig in.

29.09.2025 17:51 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

It often feels like a joyless enterprise. One step forward, two steps back. High hopes on the horizon, despite telling ourselves to keep it in check. The fall is always so brutal. Wishing you the best during a more difficult period in the journey.

29.09.2025 17:34 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Had a cool moment at a book club last night. TWO people told me they loved SOFT TARGETS and PORTRAITS OF DECAY, respectively.

Writing is so, so hardโ€”but having those real life interactions makes it all worth it.

28.09.2025 15:51 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 6    ๐Ÿ” 1    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Preview
Portraits of Decay (ebook) - The Official Page of Author Carson Winter Under your mask, there is only decay.ย  In Carson Winterโ€™s debut collection of social horror, characters reveal their darkest selves in the face of the insane and inexplicable. A couple finds themselve...

In honor of spooky season, I'm discounting the ebook of PORTRAITS OF DECAY down to 5 bucks if you buy it from my website!

Get it here: carsonwinter.com/product/port...

27.09.2025 17:09 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 3    ๐Ÿ” 3    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Carson is a paragon of excellence and a wealth of thoroughly-vetted writing knowledge. Do consider him for all of your writing needs!

(Portraits of Decay out now)

26.09.2025 22:24 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 1    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

#writing friends, Carson is great at what he does! My testimonial is forthcoming

26.09.2025 20:00 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 3    ๐Ÿ” 2    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

When you now have the power to force your friend to edit your upcoming space horror collection full of strong femme leads & muscle mommies ๐Ÿ˜ค๐Ÿ˜ค๐Ÿ–ค๐Ÿ–ค
Seriously tho, Carson has critiqued many of my stories & always made them better. He's also helped me on the marketing side of things too, check out his ๐Ÿงต

26.09.2025 18:02 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 11    ๐Ÿ” 2    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Want podcast daddy's attention? uwu
Now's your chance uwu

26.09.2025 18:29 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 6    ๐Ÿ” 4    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Wintergreenโ€”Writing Coach and Editorial Services

Writing services here: wintergreen.my.canva.site

26.09.2025 17:56 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 7    ๐Ÿ” 3    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

I love helping authors. I love being able to put all the silly, nearly-useless things Iโ€™ve learned into action. And I also love being able to make the journey a little easier for someone elseโ€”because I remember exactly how frustrating it was to have the vision but not the craft to make it work.

26.09.2025 17:56 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 5    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Why am I doing this now? Because of job instability, of course. But also, because if I had to imagine any way Iโ€™d like to make money (besides getting to sit through the 18th remake of THE PSYCHOGRAPHIST in a suit made of cash), this would be it.

26.09.2025 17:56 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 3    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Cue pitch: Need a website? I gotchu. Need to kickstart your social media strategy? Iโ€™m here. Need a book formatted for print and digital? Say no more.

26.09.2025 17:56 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 3    ๐Ÿ” 1    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Our time writing is sacred. Itโ€™s why we do all this shit. But we also know that without social media, a professional website, or some sort of marketing pushโ€”our books wonโ€™t have the life we dreamed for them.

26.09.2025 17:56 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 3    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

If youโ€™re an author these days, you surely know the truth: writing is just one small part of the game. And if youโ€™re a self-publisher, you have a lot on your plate.

26.09.2025 17:56 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 3    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Besides being a writer though, Iโ€™m also a professional marketer. I didnโ€™t choose marketing because I love it, but because I thought it was a skillset that could go hand in hand with my passion for writing.

26.09.2025 17:56 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 4    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Writing is hard. The industry is brutal. And MFAs are fucking expensive. Without these pivotal edits, I might still be bashing my head into that same brick wall.

26.09.2025 17:56 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 7    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

These edits changed the way I wrote for the better. And while I wasnโ€™t knocking every story out of the park, slowly but surely, that advice helped me get to a more consistent, confident place within my own storytelling.

26.09.2025 17:56 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 3    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

What really changed things for me was when I took advantage of more established authorโ€™s critique services. I remember having BRAIN EXPANDING feedback from both Cody Goodfellow and Nicole Cushing, that made so many nebulous writing concepts (like knowing where to start a story) finally make sense.

26.09.2025 17:56 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 4    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

I couldnโ€™t figure out how to write well on purpose, consistently. At the time, I worked at a grocery store. I had zero college education, let alone any formal writing training. All I had was a love for books and the horror genre, and the general urge to tell stories.

26.09.2025 17:56 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 3    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Eventually, I was able to write one good story. Phew! Iโ€™d made it!

But not really. Because then the next five would suck too.

26.09.2025 17:56 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 3    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

I started writing seriously at around 25. It took me five years to get my first pro short story publication. I was continually hitting the brick wall of my own lack of experience. Iโ€™d complete stories and wonder: why does this suck even though I worked so hard?

26.09.2025 17:56 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 3    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

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