After a break of slightly more than four years, I’m once again going to be writing editorials for Hellnotes.

Although I once swore I’d never again take on that kind of obligation, things are a bit different this time, with a looser structure and a much more flexible deadline. In other words, I can write an editorial if and when I feel like it, as often or as little as I like; who can pass up an offer like that?

In all honesty, I’m looking forward to this project. My deep, dark secret is that I always enjoyed doing the Hellnotes editorials. The stress level and brain-drain were fairly severe, but the process was challenging, the work often pleasant and the feedback gratifying. When Dave and I first passed on the reins of the newsletter in 2002, it was an immense relief not to have that editorial shadow hanging over my head … but I kind of missed it, too.

It’s been exciting to see the success of Hellnotes in its latest version (using the popular if somewhat silly system of numbering everything in life as if it were software, I make this out to be Hellnotes 6.0 — maybe 7.0 if you count Dave’s original “Hellnotes” column in The Horror Show). It will be fun to be part of that madness once more.

My first column was posted yesterday. It doesn’t say much — it’s more of a mood-setter than anything — but if you’re interested, you can find it here.