The Guy Who Built Scriptorum Asked Me to Write Non-Fiction

So, I kinda have to do it

May 04, 2026

A classroom filled with desks and chairs next to a large window — Image: Kübra Arslaner via Unsplash+

This is my entry for The Halls of Pandemonium Day 4 prompt, which was written by J.M. Gooding and his muse, Kira.

I do a lot of non-fiction on here, but it’s been a while since I’ve shared something personal like this. I honestly didn’t plan to write anything today (or this week, beyond the podcast), because I have been, as they say, going through it.

Just one thing after another, but the urge to write is still there. And of course, I truly appreciate all the work J.M. Gooding has done to not only build Scriptorum as a place for The Halls of Pandemonium challenge, but also all his help supporting me and my work since we met last year.

So, the least I can do is accept both his and Kira’s prompt here since I have a story to share. After all…

I always do.

The Late (Creative) Bloomer

This prompt asks us to share a story about the first person or figure we associated with creativity. I went over my head a lot about who this might be for me.

I had a few options, and certainly some authors who have inspired me, but I kept coming back to one person whose name I remember, but I cannot spell it for the life of me.

We’ll call her Dr. K. She definitely has a PHD, and I know her last name starts with a K. And, most importantly, I recall her asking everyone to refer to her as such since her last name was difficult to pronounce for some.

Now, you’re probably wondering why I picked that title (not the article title, that’s a reference to J.M.’s posts for my prompts. I’m talking about the one at the top of this section).

You see, I knew around 2nd grade that I wanted to be a writer. I’ve shared that story a few times. However, I wouldn’t say that I really started to exercise my creativity until I was in middle school and high school.

Even then, it was limited. Some friends read my stories, but that’s about it. College, though. That was the point where I started to see myself as a true creative, and not some guy who writes 40-page novels on his parents’ computer and then gets surprised when they’re mad I printed it out.

Listen, I didn’t know how expensive ink was back then. I understand now.

The point is, I was a late bloomer in terms of truly considering myself a creative. At least, when you consider how early on I “decided” to be a writer. Back when kids were saying they wanted to be police officers and firefighters, I was proudly declaring I would be a bestselling author.

Points for ambition. I’ll give young Bradley that.

Cool Story Bro. What About the Prompt?

Right, yes, the prompt. No, I don’t plan to subvert the prompt here; I actually want to respond to this one. I’m just prone to rambling, and less prone to editing it out before I publish.

So, back to Dr. K. She was my creative writing professor at Valencia Community College down in Florida, where I went to school. I got my AA degree from there and then my Bachelor’s from UCF.

Yes, I hate it there. No, I’m never going back.

A meme about Florida — One of my favorite memes about Florida.

Despite my feelings about Florida, I look back on my time in Dr K.’s class very fondly. Not only was she a very down-to-Earth teacher, but she saw potential in people’s writing that they rarely saw themselves.

Case in point: I remember very early on in the class, she asked us all to write the first chapter of a story based on a piece of a conversation we overheard.

Now, I cannot recall the exact piece of said conversation that I used, but I do remember the story I wrote. It was an idea that had been brewing for a while, and I saw this prompt for class as an opportunity to write it (a trend that followed me into Substack here).

The following week, I brought chapter one of “The Blood Test” to class with me. It was a chapter told from the POV of a detective hunting a serial killer who was known to kill and drain his victims’ blood for reasons unknown.

We all got to read our chapters to the class, and folks, my chapter killed it (pun intended). The entire class was locked in. Dr. K asked to see me after. I was worried she didn’t like it, but something else happened.

I’ll never forget it, she basically said, “Bradley, I want you to bring a new chapter of this story to class every week. Don’t worry about the assignment. I want you to bring more of this.”

True story.

That Feeling When The Story Hits Just Right

grayscale photo of a person using a macbook — Image: Sergey Zolkin via Unsplash

So, my friends, that’s what I did. I ignored the assignments each week, and I brought a new chapter of The Blood Test to class each week as Dr K. requested. And every week was another hit, though I did have a few stumbles that I’ll get to in a second.

Dr K. loved the way the story developed each week. She even had a published author sit in during class one week, and I’ll never forget what they said when I finished reading:

“Wait a second, you wrote this chapter in a week?”

It was a long chapter, and despite some issues with me not doing proper medical research, it was very well received. They couldn’t believe I had put out something so polished in that short period of time.

I never did finish writing that story, but I did learn a lot of really cool things about creativity during that time:

I learned that I could write stories that people actually enjoy
I discovered how my writing voice makes me stand out from the crowd
I learned the value of doing research (seriously, one chapter staring the killer who was also a surgeon had so many medical errors)
I learned that I want to do this (writing) for my career, and for the rest of my life

And I learned all of that, because Dr K. believed in me. Not only that, but she believed in the power of that story. In the potential of that idea.

She gave me a push, and it led me to witness first-hand what happens when a story lands, and it finds an audience. I honestly don’t think anyone in my life has given me more of a creative gift than that.

It changed everything, and it’s one of the reasons I’m here now. And, to Dr. K, I don’t know where you are now or if you still even work at that school, but if you’re reading this: thank you.

You were one of the first people to ever believe in me and what I’m doing as a writer, and I’ll always be grateful for that.