“Chasing The BOOGEYMAN” by Richard Chizmar: Author's Note

 “…Now, as many writers will tell you, some stories are born prematurely; you might have the skeleton of a decent idea and perhaps even a main character in mind, but all the rest…is missing. Of course, many other stories are birthed plump and healthy; in these cases, all the major plot points are in place, the complete roster of characters are present and ring true in your heart, and all that’s left to do is to connect the dots…Still others…are born fully formed, as if merely buried in a mound of sand that needs only to be brushed away in order to discover the entirety of the story—crackling with life and energy and wonder—underneath. Chasing the Boogeyman was like that for me—just waiting there beneath the surface. Fully formed, brimming with mystery, and chock-full of surprises” (1, p. 319).

Comment: Richard Chizmar says he doesn’t remember creating “the entirety of the story,” except for brushing away a “mound of sand” covering it.

So who, then, wrote this novel? It was the author’s creative alternate personalities, for whose writing process he has a memory gap (a cardinal symptom of his mentally-well version of multiple personality): "multiple personality trait," the theme of this blog.

1. Richard Chizmar. Chasing the Boogeyman. New York, Gallery Books, 2021/2022.