A Young Writer’s Quest – by Marcus Slater

My name is Marcus Slater and I am a high school senior in Chattanooga, Tennessee. My writing journey began when I was in eighth grade. I started writing fiction stories about monsters and teenagers who rise up to defeat them. Writing helps me escape from reality because sometimes reality is boring. Writing also helps me realize that anything is possible if you use your mind. Activating my imagination and creating something that I can share with others inspires me. Currently, Rachel Symthe is my favorite author. I admire her beautiful and marvelous work on her webtoon Lore Olympus. Stephen King is also one of my favorite authors. His works, The Shinning and Carrie, are phenomenal. I have had a chance to watch them, and I recently started reading the novels.

My stories are deeply rooted in Greek Mythology, which has always interested me, from the first Percy Jackson movie to the previously mentioned Lore Olympus. Greek mythology has some fascinating stories. One of my favorites is of Theseus and Pirithous, who believe since they are Greek heroes, they should be allowed to marry a daughter of Zeus. They end up trying to kidnap Persephone. It does not end well for them. I have written two stories following the same storyline as the Greek gods and their power system but incorporating different settings and situations.

Hades is my favorite god from Greek mythology. Hades is the God of the underworld (not to be mistaken for Thanatos, the God of the dead). It is ironic that Hades is my favorite character because he suffers such a crushing defeat at the hands of Darrion, his wife Persephone, and his daughter in my story Darrion’s Quest.

My Favorite quote is, “You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor,” by Aristotle. It reminds us that what we fear cannot hurt us unless we let it. If we are courageous, fear means nothing. This quote is also the underlying principle that guides Darrion’s transformation throughout the story.

I have not explored writing in other genres but would love to experiment with horror. I grew up watching movies like Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and It. Although Freddy, Jason, and Pennywise are terrifying characters, my favorite character is Ghostface from the Scream series. The fact that the antagonist could be anyone has always intrigued me.

I incorporate some aspects of horror in my first book (a work in progress) when the main character, Darrion, meets his first companion on his adventure, Melinoë, the goddess of nightmares. Here is a snippet from Darrion’s Quest

A black hand reached through the mirror, followed by a shoulder, a torso, and a body, cracking and crunching loudly as the pieces snapped into place. Darrion lay frozen on the bed. He couldn’t move… couldn’t scream… couldn’t cry. He peered at the figure at the end of the bed. Half of her face was white, and the other half was black and decayed. Her eyes, hollow black abysses with dim yellow pinpoints, illuminated in the darkness. A golden hood-like veil connected to her cloak floated above her head. The rest of her body matched her face. Her white side was bloodless pale, and her black side was as empty as her abysmal eyes.

I would like to turn this story into a webtoon original on the webcomic media app. It would be cool to see Darrion’s Quest at the top of the fantasy or action list. Although writing horror may be challenging, I am confident in my ability and commitment to apply myself and create exciting and frightening tales.

Marcus Slater
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2 thoughts on “A Young Writer’s Quest – by Marcus Slater”

  1. I am a sci-fi aficionada so this is right down my alley. Knowing that Mr. Slater is a former student, doesn’t hurt either. I look forward to being one of his biggest fans. I can’t wait to read the rest of this story, now that my interest as been piqued. Way to go Marcus. Oh!, I mean Mr. Slater.

  2. I am so proud of Marcus and how far he has come. Although I’m not a huge fan of reading horror I’m going to be one of the first in line for his first horror/thriller!

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