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.
Faith vs. Fact, by Jerry Coyne. Reading Session #4 (continuing Chapter 1, The Problem)
This is a great book. Eye-opening, especially to those who’ve never considered the incompatibility of science and religion. I encourage you to watch my computer screen, listen, and…
$100M Jesus Ads Point to Exploitable Weakness in Religious Right
Here’s the link to this article. Article written by Valerie Tarico. Posted on 02/20/20. Christianity has a brand problem. If it were a corporation, brand managers would be…
Meditation in Sunlight: May Sarton’s Stunning Poem About the Relationship Between Presence, Solitude, and Love
Here’s the link to this article. “…and joy instead of will.” BY MARIA POPOVA May Sarton (May 3, 1912–July 16, 1995) was thirty-three when she left Cambridge for Santa…
Puncturing the God Fallacy, Repeatedly and Thoroughly
By David Madison at 2/17/2023 Here’s the link to this article. Religion’s greatest harm: “…the subversion of clear thinking…” “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore.”…
This is a good place to start. This podcast reveals many truths about Christianity that most folks don’t know or don’t want to know. Listen to the chat…
Your character undergoes hypnotherapy and uncovers one of her past lives. Write the scene as this happens. One Stop for Writers Guidance & Tips Write the scene of…
User-Friendly Self-Deception: Philosopher Amélie Rorty on the Value of Our Delusions and the Antidote to the Self-Defeating Ones
Here’s the link to this article. “The question is: how can we sustain the illusions essential to ordinary life, without becoming self-damaging idiots?” BY MARIA POPOVA “Life is…
Richard L. Fricks 