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.
Search for a subject, browse by month and year, or begin with the most recent writing below.
Search the Library
Browse by Month
Browse by Topic
Browse the Shelves
The archive begins with the most recent writing. Use the numbered pages below to move backward through time.
-
Writing Journal—Saturday writing prompt
Your character finds a magical music box. When it plays, the listener can see their own future, either the best thing that will ever happen, or the worst.…
-
02/03/23 Biking & Listening
Biking is something else I both love and hate. It takes a lot of effort but does provide good exercise and most days over an hour to listen…
-
Drafting–Philadelphia > Newark
Molly returned to the window seat across the aisle from Millie. She knew her mother would want to sleep during the two hour ride to Newark. By now,…
-
Writing Journal—Friday writing prompt
Your character can hear something scratching beneath her bed, but she’s too old to believe in the Boogeyman. She pulls up the bed skirt, expecting to scare away…
-
Writing Journal—Thursday writing prompt
At a rock concert, your protagonist is mistaken for someone associated with the band and is given a backstage pass. What happens next? One Stop for Writers Guidance…
-
02/01/23 Biking & Listening
Biking is something else I both love and hate. It takes a lot of effort but does provide good exercise and most days over an hour to listen…
-
Dirge Without Music: Emmy Noether, Symmetry, and the Conservation of Energy
Here is the link to this article. “Lovers and thinkers, into the earth with you. Be one with the dull, the indiscriminate dust.” BY MARIA POPOVA This is…
-
Writing Journal—Wednesday writing prompt
Your protagonist has to deliver some devastating news to a family waiting for the results of their son’s surgery. Describe the scene. One Stop for Writers Guidance &…
-
Drafting–Colton & Sandy go to Walmart
Colton finally relented. Since he’d gotten off the phone with Catherine and relayed the details, Sandy had badgered him about going to the grocery store. It was evident…
-
01/31/23 Biking & Listening
Biking is something else I both love and hate. It takes a lot of effort but does provide good exercise and most days over an hour to listen…
Richard L. Fricks 