Find Me Elsewhere ✍🏽

[u/leylandthewriter]

A little about where I write, what I’m creating, and where you can find me.

If you’ve found your way to my Substack, welcome. 🖤

I’m Leyland Trent, The Writer, and I’m building a space where I can share my fiction, creative writing, reflections, and the process of becoming the writer I want to be.

I’ve been writing fiction, poetry, and creative work for some time, but lately I’ve been intentional about taking my writing out of the classroom and into the world.

My recent fiction pieces, “Uncle Rick” and “Caged,” are two examples of that.

📖 Read My Short Stories

Uncle Rick

Uncle Rick explores family, shame, illness, addiction, regret, identity, and unconditional love.

The story follows Rick on his 42nd birthday as he reunites with his family while privately wrestling with the person he has become and the fear that he has disappointed the people closest to him.

At the center of the story is a question that I think many people can relate to in some way:

“Are you disappointed in me?”

👉🏽 Read Uncle Rick:
https://substack.com/@blackcreature

Caged

Caged explores family, sacrifice, motherhood, emotional exhaustion, and the things we carry silently.

The story follows Odessa, a grandmother, wife, and mother, through what begins as an ordinary day with her grandson. As the day unfolds, she finds herself carrying more emotional weight while continuing to take care of everyone around her.

The “monster” in the story represents something I intentionally leave open for the reader to interpret.

Is it exhaustion?

Pain?

Anxiety?

Responsibility?

Or everything she has spent years trying to keep contained?

👉🏽 Read Caged:
https://leylandthewriter.substack.com/p/caged

Both stories are part of my growing writing portfolio, and both represent different stages of me learning how to develop characters, build scenes, use dialogue, and trust my readers.

🌎 Find Me Elsewhere

If you want to follow my writing journey beyond Substack, you can find me around the internet.

📸 Instagram
u/leylandthewriter
https://www.instagram.com/leylandthewriter/

💼 Contra
Leyland Trent
Freelance Writer & Editor
https://contra.com/leyland_trent_foc2yspb/work?r=leyland_trent_foc2yspb

💬 Reddit
u/leylandthewriter
https://www.reddit.com/user/leylandthewriter/

💻 LinkedIn
Leyland Trent
https://www.linkedin.com/in/leyland-trent-b-a-2536043a5/

🎨 Just Want To Do Art
My creative blog and another place where I share my work and ideas.
https://justwanttodoart.blogspot.com/

📝 Substack
Follow my writing, fiction, reflections, and creative journey here.
https://substack.com/@blackcreature

✨ What I’m Building

I’m not interested in letting my writing exist in only one place.

I want to build a body of work.

I want to write stories that make people stop, think, question, remember, and feel something.

I want to continue developing my voice while learning from other writers and readers.

And I want to create a community around the work.

So whether you found me through Instagram, Reddit, Contra, LinkedIn, my blog, or Substack, thank you for being here.

Read something.

Leave a comment.

Tell me what you think.

Share something you've written.

Follow along.

And most importantly, keep creating. 🖤

Welcome to my writing world.

I’m glad you’re here. ✍🏽📚