Geophysicists say there is an increased risks of destructive floods and wild fires due to climate change. A guy who thinks he was teleported to a Waffle House says there's nothing to worry about. For busy Americans, it can be hard to know who to trust.
Whether it’s Kristi Noem getting Mar A Lago face or it’s Bryon Noem wearing enormous fake breasts, the Noems have emerged as unexpected practitioners of gender affirming interventions.
I'm told that my particular issue of Asimov's (Jan/Feb 2026) containing "The Imaginative Youngster's Handbook to UFOs" had an arduous journey to readers, so I'm reprinting it here for FREE GRATIS.
Enjoy the read! Share with your friends!
will-ludwigsen.com/2026/03/10/s...
What part of “Ominous Sith Meditation Chamber” are you failing to understand?
Have you ever thought, "I wish I could subscribe to what Will thinks?" Here's your chance! open.substack.com/pub/cavalier...
Oh, hey, today is the fifteenth anniversary of graduating from my MFA program. I delivered a speech in defense of escapism that seems relevant to the present moment:
will-ludwigsen.com/2026/01/15/d...
What's up with the screwball in every conference session who loudly emits a weirdly-timed "Mmmmm!" to pretend they've been moved by what you just said?
"You know, Stoics often say--"
"Mmmmm!"
"--the obstacle is the way."
You didn't even hear me finish. Just pretend to listen like everyone else.
@asimovssfmag.bsky.social #FavoriteStories Jan/Feb 2026 #Asimovs #Fantasy #SF
The Imaginative Youngster’s Handbook to UFOs by Will Ludwigsen @will-ludwigsen.com
Our youngest found this book in the middle school library. That's how he earned his Night Lights merit badge and became a Weird Scout.
I think/hope that the future of the sane Internet is trusted creators owning their own places and offering the Good Stuff(tm) to a more discerning audience. The rest is just screaming on street corners. I’ll be reading!
Wow. I wonder how much of that is, “That’ll never happen to ME!”?
This thread of insights from Simon about short story writing describes my experiences EXACTLY. My only addendum is you're working against the human limbic system, turned on disproportionally by novelty...both yours and the reader's.
Battle doomscrolling by posting 5 small pleasures in life:
1. A hot shower
2. Having a cat lie on its back on you
3. Looking at the clock in the middle of the night and realizing there's still a few hours to sleep
4. Walking at night
6. Shiver of recognition when you nail the end of a story
Wouldn’t it be crazy if THIS was the zombie apocalypse, and it just turns out that the zombies are a lot more verbal than we expected?
Huckster Room! They need to call it that again.
Keep watching the skies! My story "The Imaginative Youngster's Handbook to UFOs" is slated to appear in the January/February 2026 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine!
You may know I have a thing for handbooks, so when I came upon this British one, I had to create the one I needed instead.
On the plus side, remember all those jobs your boomer parents threatened you with? They're coming back, baby! "You want to be an embalmer? Grades like that, that's how you end up an embalmer."
It's a good time to have hands, I guess.
Some ghouls at Microsoft have written a paper with a very convenient list of professionals who should probably just turn themselves in at the Soylent Green factory.
The fifth on the list is a real inspiration to me and most of the people on my friends list.
This is one of the most true and transparent expressions of the experience of “success” as a writer in the current publishing landscape. Read it and then go buy Cherie’s book.
Some thoughts on the long, strange trek for A Scout is Brave:
will-ludwigsen.com/2025/07/20/i...
Congratulations to all of the Shirley Jackson Award winners! Cliché though it is, I’m truly grateful that A Scout is Brave was among the nominees. www.shirleyjacksonawards.org/2025/07/19/2... 2024 Shirley Jackson Awards Winners – The Shirley Jackson Awards
Thank you so much for saying so!
Will Ludwigsen's schedule at Readercon: Cozy Horror Fiction panel at 5pm on Friday, reading at 2:30 on Saturday.
Will you be at Readercon and interested in seeing me at a panel or doing a reading? Man, do I have good news for you! Here's my schedule for the weekend. You can also find me at the Shirley Jackson Awards on Saturday evening where my novella A SCOUT IS BRAVE is the darkest of dark horse nominees.
Hey, man! Where are you? We're waiting.
Two bros are talking business next to me here at the cafe, and I'm realizing I don't understand the entrepreneur mindset: most of my ideas involving spending or losing money, not making it.
From the "I'm-Sure-That's-Not-Subconsciously-Significant" Files: last night I dreamt that I was shown my PERMANENT RECORD, a large file filled with quotes about me from teachers, coworkers, and strangers (in several languages), plus a packet of stories I wrote as a child that I thought were lost.
Every so often when the spirit strikes me, I write a Postcard Story for my site:
will-ludwigsen.com/2025/06/21/p...
As a kind of experiment, I've released an oft-requested single story on Amazon: Night Fever, the tale of Charles Manson's rampage in 1970s New York. If you're interested, buy a copy! If you've read it before in Asimov's or Acres of Perhaps, leave a review! www.amazon.com/dp/B0F44Y9CRG
Tomorrow I'm off to scenic Stamford, Connecticut for StokerCon 2025! I'm not on programming, but you'll find me in the dealer's room at the Lethe Press table with @steveberman.bsky.social!
www.stokercon2025.com