A philosophy of presence, clarity, and living without a script.
Most of us are handed a story long before we know we’re allowed to write our own. We grow up believing what we’re told to believe, living the way we’re told to live, and chasing purposes we never chose. The Pencil-Driven Life is an invitation to step out of inherited expectations and return to the only place your life is actually happening—this moment, right now.
My work—across memoir, reflection, and daily practice—is a simple offering:
Write what’s true.
Live what’s real.
Let the pencil move.
What Is The Pencil-Driven Life?
It’s a way of living that begins with awareness. The pencil is a metaphor—clean, simple, unpretentious. It makes marks. It erases. It revises. It allows you to begin again as many times as necessary.
The Pencil-Driven Life explores:
- Living without externally imposed purpose
- Seeing thoughts as thoughts, not commands
- Making space for presence
- Allowing clarity to emerge on its own
- Letting your life unfold the way a pencil moves—lightly, honestly, moment by moment
It’s not about believing anything.
It’s about seeing everything more clearly.
If you’d like a deeper look at the philosophy behind this work,
Learn more about The Pencil-Driven Life.
Books & Current Projects
My writing lives in two intertwined worlds:
The Pencil-Driven Life (nonfiction) and The Boaz Novels (fiction).
Across both nonfiction and fiction, my writing explores presence, awareness, truth, and the courage to question our inherited stories.
1. The Pencil-Driven Life (Nonfiction)
• The Pencil-Driven Life — Volume 1 (Memoir)
A story of awakening, deconstruction, and discovering clarity beyond belief and externally imposed purpose.
(In progress.)
• The Pencil-Driven Life — Companion Workbook
Exercises, prompts, and reflections that help bring the philosophy into daily life.
(In progress.)
• Daily Reflections After Letting Go — A Yearlong Journal Project
A lived practice of presence and awareness written each morning at 3:00 a.m.
Some entries appear on The Pencil’s Edge and @thepencildrivenlife.
2. Fiction: The Boaz, Alabama Novels
Fourteen novels grounded in everyday life, quiet mysteries, and the human search for meaning.
These include:
- The Boaz Scorekeeper
- Millie’s Daughter
- Meghan’s Son
- The Boaz Student
- The Boaz Stranger
- (and more)
A complete list is available on the Novels page.
3. Where The Pencil-Driven Life Lives Online
• The Pencil’s Edge Blog
Short reflections on presence, questioning, clarity, and the quiet movement of a pencil-led life.
• @thepencildrivenlife on Instagram
Occasional visual moments from life at Oak Hollow
⭐ Where I Live & Work: Oak Hollow Cabins
I live on a seventy-acre property in North Alabama my family and I call Oak Hollow.
What began as a piece of land has slowly become a lived experiment in simplicity—off-grid cabins, a greenhouse, a library, trails, a workshop, rescued dogs, and quiet spaces for reflection.
Oak Hollow isn’t a business yet—it’s the lived expression of the Pencil-Driven Life, taking shape day by day. In time, it will become a place where others can experience this way of living for themselves.
Learn more about Oak Hollow and the work unfolding there → oakhollowcabins.com
Why This Work Matters
My life changed when I stopped building it around inherited beliefs and externally assigned purpose. What remained was something quieter and more real—a life lived from awareness rather than expectation.
Years of studying story—eventually becoming a Fictionary Certified StoryCoach Editor—taught me how narratives work. Those same tools now help me examine the stories we inherit in life, the ones we resist, and the ones we’re free to rewrite.
If my writing offers anything, let it be this:
You don’t need a script to live a meaningful life.
You just need to be here.
If this work speaks to you
Read The Pencil’s Edge → reflections on presence, questioning, and the daily movement of life.
See the unfolding work at Oak Hollow → oakhollowcabins.com
When life allows, I share simple moments from our days here → @thepencildrivenlife
Explore the memoir and daily reflections.
Reach out if something in this work resonates deeply.
I’m glad you’re here.
The Pencil Driven Life 