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.
Beemgee/Character/Perceived Need
In this post we’ll continue to consider Beemgee’s character development process. Perceived need is the next attribute in our quest to build our protagonist. Recall, our hero has…
As of October 24, 2021, Sanity Snippets are snapshots of my daily life, those things I’m doing—such as reading, writing, biking, photographing, and gardening—to maintain sanity while living…
As of October 24, 2021, Sanity Snippets are snapshots of my daily life, those things I’m doing—such as reading, writing, biking, photographing, and gardening—to maintain sanity while living…
From my latest novel. Available by mid-November. A dense fog suffocated the dawn. It seemed I could reach out and touch Rachel’s headstone, yet I was underneath the…
I’ve spent the last three weeks contemplating a big change in my focus. My decision to discontinue my book coaching services is the result. This endeavor was consuming…
Chapter 1 A dense fog suffocated the dawn. It seemed I could reach out and touch Rachel’s headstone, yet I was underneath the cemetery’s arched stone entrance two…
In early September, we embarked on a long and detailed review of a wonderful story development tool known as Beemgee (fyi, that’s also the name of the company…
In Sanity Snippet #11 we determined our inciting incident (what gets our story moving). Today, let’s consider the opening image. As the name suggests, this image should be…
In Sanity Snippet #10 we determined our first-act break (AKA, the first plot point). Today, let’s consider the inciting incident. This may appear backwards. For sure, you can…
Richard L. Fricks 