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.
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The archive begins with the most recent writing. Use the numbered pages below to move backward through time.
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Drafting–Colton & Sandy tour house, unload & attempt to hide the RAM
Pop’s place was a small two-bedroom one story clapboard-sided house built in the fifties on a one-acre wooded lot. At the rear of the house was an attached…
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01/26/23 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…
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Writing Journal—Thursday writing prompt
Your character is a sharpshooter out hunting for the first time. Describe his moral dilemma as he sights an animal in his scope and prepares to take its…
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Writing Journal—Wednesday writing prompt
Your character decides to prank his parents on April Fool’s Day by pretending he’s gotten a girl pregnant. One Stop for Writers Guidance & tips Write the scene…
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Drafting–Colton & Sandy go off-grid
Today, as usual, I reread the prior day’s writing. I decided to re-do the last sentence. Here’s how it was:“Uh.” Colton said stopping in front of the two-car…
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01/24/23 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…
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Writing Journal—Tuesday writing prompt
When your character passes a curbside grate, she sees something lodged between the metal bars. Shockingly, the item belongs to her, something she lost almost a year ago.…
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Thoughts without a thinker
Do you have free will? Do you have free will to choose your favorite movie of all time? Listen to Sam Harris in this audio clip. Your conclusion…
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Let There Always Be Light: Dark Matter and the Mystery of Our Mortal Stardust
(Patti Smith Reads Rebecca Elson) Here’s the link to this article. “For this we go out dark nights, searching… for signs of unseen things… Let there be swarms…
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Drafting–Colton & Sandy go off-grid
“Turn right on Biesterfield Road. It’s about a quarter mile.” Sandy said from the front passenger seat of Colton’s crew cab Ram truck. The two had spent the…
Richard L. Fricks 