For many years I wrote about fiction, story, belief, ordinary life, and the questions that shaped my work. More than two thousand essays remain here—not because every one represents my current thinking, but because together they tell the story of a writer learning over time.
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The archive begins with the most recent writing. Use the numbered pages below to move backward through time.
Writing Journal—Monday writing prompt
Your protagonist is shopping in the narrow aisles of a dusty bookstore when an old door catches his eye. It’s blocked by piles of books and clearly isn’t…
Tommy Tuberville is an embarrassment to all sane people. What on earth does his stupidity say about all the folks who voted for him? Alabama deserves so much…
Drafting–Hearing on District Attorney’s motion to revoke Colton & Sandy’s bonds
“The court calls The State of Illinois vs. Colton Lee Atwood.” The bailiff announced with a deep voice, scanning the courtroom, and registering four people present other than…
Life after Death: Examining the Evidence by D. Victor J. Stenger
I recently read the above-titled essay in The End of Christianity (here’s the link to the book on Amazon). Here’s the book’s Amazon abstract: In this successor to…
Here’s the link to this article. Definitely worth your time! “You can expect good and bad luck, but good or bad judgment is your prerogative.” BY MARIA POPOVA…
Your character finds an odd wooden cube in an antique store, which she obtains at a good price because the owner is unable to open it. Something rattles…