Paul Ryan O'Connor

You Become What You Measure — Paul O'Connor Make sure you're measuring the right things.

If you are going to become what you measure, make sure you measure the right things.

#WritingCommmunity

Creature From The Black Lagoon 1954 🖤🎬

I want to talk to the Russian railroad engineers that ran a spur line directly to the edge of the highest cliff in Siberia.

“The best part was pulling down the shades, stuffing the doorbell with rags, putting the phone in the refrigerator and going to bed for 3 or 4 days. And the next best part was nobody ever missed me.”

Charles Bukowski.

Best scene is the end, after the mayhem and dismemberment is complete, when the young protege is reaching for relevance or a moral to the story, and Peter Cushing calmly sweeps up the broken glass so can open shop tomorrow.

Just another day as a mad scientist in an insane asylum. Take notes, son.

#Ransom

The "Golden Age" of everything is "12."

Poster for Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell.

Watched:

Metaphysical detective stories and other literary mysteries A list of 100 novels and stories from the metaphysical or “anti-detective” mystery subgenre. Includes works by Auster, Eco, Pynchon, and Borges.

figcat.com/lists/metaph...

Histories of Horror: The Mummy This article was originally written as the inaugural entry for my “Histories of Horror” column at Council of Zoom.

This was the first piece in my "Histories of Horror" column way back at Council of Zoom. Finally got it back online. A deep dive into the origins and inspirations behind THE MUMMY. medium.com/@nbrehmer/hi...

“The Shipwreck” painting by Turner.

Saw email from Down & Out Books saying they are closing after fifteen years.

This is terrible news for the publisher, my fellow writers, and even me (I had placed two stories in future anthologies over there, both now cancelled).

Condolences to all on the loss of another market.

Viewpoint Shifts In The Thin Red Line — Paul O'Connor The great ones make it look easy.

Weaving in and out of multiple points-of-view, made to look effortless by a master of the craft.

#writingcommunity

Marquee of a movie theater showing ANNIE (1982) and SATAN'S MISTRESS (also 1982)

Great New Reads From the Short Mystery Fiction Society About Shortmystery, genre insight from every perspective: reading, writing, revising, submitting, editing, publishing, and publicity.

shortmystery.blogspot.com/2025/10/grea...

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Sunday

I’d seen it once, probably 40y ago, as a 2nd feature at the Nuart in Los Angeles (probably paired with Citizen Kane). It’s a B-picture but Welles isn’t capable of making a B-picture so it soars into something more. Mostly what I remembered was the suspense, mostly what I saw was Welles’ performance.

Orson Welles is the architect of the Third Reich's racial policy, hiding in a small American town. Seems absurd, now -- those guys don't feel they need to hide.

Edward G. Robinson perfect as the dogged government agent everyone underestimates. Loretta Young plays the dumbest bride in all of film.

Movie poster for "The Stranger."

Watched:

#FrankensteinFriday 🧟🔩⚡️

Art by Paul Mann

#filmsky #horrorsky #horrorfam #MaryShelley

Repost for #caturday

The Devil By The Numbers — Paul O'Connor The details in the devil … all the numbers behind my seventh published short story.

It was a short tale, but it took a long path to market. All the numbers and details behind my 7th published short story.

Remembering Roddy McDowall, (9/17/1928 - 10/3/1998). Pictured here in Escape from the Planet of the Apes, 1971.

A couple of saps for sure, but I love 'em.

Don't forget that evergreen: Let's All Think Alike.

Watched that movie without expectations last week ... and I was not prepared.

A gorilla with a blowtorch in the Three Stooges short A BIRD IN THE HEAD (1946).

Friday mood