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Why I am not Afraid of AI
As long as people think clicking is the same thing as making, there will always be a space left for craftsmanship.
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Reflections on Finishing the Harry Potter Series
It took 18 years, but I finally finished the Harry Potter series. Rowling tells one heck of a story, and it’s one I’m glad to have finally made my way through.
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 70: Two Homes
Being a writer and being a pilot have a lot in common.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 70
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 87
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 87: Italo Calvino returns
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Fiction Inspiration: Torschlusspanik
Can’t find the right word? Maybe that’s because you’re looking in the wrong language.
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Fiction Inspirations: Compelling Characters
Good characters create good writing. Poor characters create the last three Star Wars movies. Interesting characters will do interesting things on their own, so enjoy their journey.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 84
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 84: Ludwig Wittgenstein
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Fiction Inspiration: Along for the Ride
There’s a difference between having writer’s block and not writing.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 83
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 83: Edward Burke-Jones
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Fiction Inspiration: Being Yourself
Be the only writer you can be: you. If it doesn’t win you awards, who cares?
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 82
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 82: W. H. Auden
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Fiction Inspiration: Reason and Unreason
A horse walking down a street isn’t a common sight, but it’s not uncommon enough to be original. A unicorn walking down the street is a step in the right direction. A pot of petunias walking down the street is surreal. But somewhere in that continuum is where creativity lies.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 81
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 81: Italo Calvino
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 80
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 80: Lord Byron
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Fiction Inspiration: Weird Philosophy and Good Art
Leave bad writing to the bots. They’re strange, but you’re weird, so you’ll win.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 79
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 79: Gerard Manley Hopkins
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Review of The Great Gatsby: The New Musical
If you’re on the fence about the new Great Gatsby musical, get off the fence and get tickets.
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Fiction Inspiration: 100 Leads
This week, instead of one suggestion, here are a hundred of them to choose from.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 78
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 78: Laura Jacobs
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Happy Birthday to Us!
My birthday is almost Ride On’s birthday, too.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 77
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 77: Seamus Heaney
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 60: A Dusty Soul
Is there a land more magical than the one we wander as we sleep?
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 60
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 76
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 76: Pablo Neruda
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 59: A Long Road Ahead
I didn’t need to create a fictional story for this one because I couldn’t top the real one.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 59
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 75
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 75: George Balanchine
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 58: Coulrophobia to Cool No Phobia
Coulrophobia: fear of clowns. They’re more afraid of you than you are of them… or are they?
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 58
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 74
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 74: Ken Kesey
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 57: Plays and Players
The most famous playwright of all time meets one of the most famous actresses ever.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 57
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 73
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 73: Amy Lowell
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 56: In Perfect Balance
Ballet is a story of its own. It still has and will always have something to say, despite what Timothée Chalamet’s single brain cell burps up next.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 56
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: Unusual Jobs
If there’s something that got done, someone had to do it.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 72
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 72: Elizabeth McCracken
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 55: Memory Locked, Memory Unlocked
Those summers are gone, but those summers are endless.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 55
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 71
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 71: Paul Klee
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 54: Light in the Darkness
We all get our just rewards eventually. For some that’s a prison, for others, it’s a book.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 54
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 70
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 70: Nicky Enright
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 53: The Parable of the Beetle and the Bee
In a world of bees, be a beetle.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 53
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 69
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 69: Ezra Pound
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 52: Eric the Whole Bee
A bike, a sense of wonder regained, and an apple: what more do you need?
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 52
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 68
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 68: Craig Raine
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 51: The First Tour de France
The Tour de France: an immortal classic.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 51
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 67
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 67: Natalie Haynes
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 50: Worlds Outside, Worlds Inside
We miss so much in our scramble to not miss anything.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 50
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 66
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 66: Yeats again
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 65
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 65: Edward Lear
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 48: You Might Feel a Little Sting
Hundreds of innocent people die. C’est la bee. So it goes.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 48
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 64
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 64: Derek Walcott
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 47: Choose a Bad Adventure
When the legend of William Tell meets the imagination of children. Fortunately, you choose your own adventure.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 47
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: Invisible Work
Sometimes the loudest way to say something is to say it quietly.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 63
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 63: Sylvia Plath
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 46: A Day Like Any Other
The sanest ones always get locked up the quickest.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 46
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: You Love It, You Do It
This week isn’t a prompt to write something, it’s a push to write anyway.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 62
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 62: Sigmund Freud
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 45: Arrows and Keyholes
A short poemlike piece for Valentine’s Day weekend.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 45
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: Listening to Silence
Silence can speak louder than words… but you have to let it.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 61
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 61: Friedrich Nietzsche
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Good News for a Yale Friend
Take a few minutes to read an excellent short piece of fiction by fellow Yale Writers’ Workshop alum Maggie Maize.
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 44: Flashlight, Headlight, Inner Light
Under the covers, a flashlight becomes a headlight to the inner light.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 44
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: Listening to Matisse
In a black and white world, be colorful.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 60
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 60: Goethe
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 43: Bolt From the Blue
If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 43
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: The Writing Prompt
What was important to you in childhood can stay important to you as a grown-up.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 59
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 59: Marianne Moore
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Fiction Inspiration: Do What You Can’t
Kurt Vonnegut said it best: “Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake,”
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 58
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 58: Aristotle via Natalie Haynes
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 57
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 57: Michael Faraday
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 40: Bee in the Bonnet
The littlest bees have the biggest stings.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 40
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 56
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 56: Alfred Hitchcock
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 39: Shells and Arrows
No matter what you do, arrows will be shot at you. Harden your shell and do it anyway.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 39
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Happy Literary 2026!
A copy of the Red Baron’s book and a red Harvard scarf for the Flying Ace. I hope your holiday season was as good and your 2026 is even better.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 55
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 55: Émile Zola
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 38: A Home, Not a Prison
Quiet or unquiet, a mind is a terrible thing to waste.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 38
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: Yet Why Not?
The best time to write something is before. The second-best time is now.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 54
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 54: Carl Jung
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 37: Happily Ever After, etc.
Girl meets boy, girl hates boy, girl loves boy. I wonder if it’s been done before?
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 37
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: Writing the Written
A short exercise that will change the way you look at movies, music, and writing.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 53
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 53: Saul Steinberg
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2025 Donation
This year, for Veteran’s Day, I’m donating to the Gary Sinise Foundation.
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 36: Out of House and Home
Is anyone an ichthyologist? I desperately need an ichthyologist with a side of entomologist.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 36
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: Bouncing Around
A beautiful 97 seconds that encapsulate years of writing. Enjoy the falls as much as the steps upward. Revel in it all.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 52
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 52: Mary Oliver
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NaNoWriMo: In Memoriam
It’s only the first of the month and I already miss you, NaNoWriMo. May it rest in peace.
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Fiction Inspiration: Lost Words, Found Words
Use what you’ve got: weaknesses, strengths, and all.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 51
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 51: Jorge Luis Borges
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Get Out of the Way
It is possible to write in first person well, and it is possible to write in first person terribly.
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Fiction Inspiration: The “So… But” Game
Try this simple game and see where your story leads. Will your weasel make it all the way to the top?
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 50
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 50: Voltaire
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Fiction Inspiration: Le Mot Juste
The pretty word is not always the right word… but sometimes it is.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 49
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 49: Sir Thomas Malory
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 35: Two Kinds, One Home
Which kind of person do you want to be?
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 35
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: There is nothing new under the Sun, Part 2
It’s okay to be inspired by others; in fact, the greater the author you aspire to be, the greater the authors you should be influenced by.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 48
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 48: Sepp Herberger
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 34: Arrowhead
Some things are about as helpful as an arrow through the head.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 34
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: There is nothing new under the Sun, Part 1
What if you find out your brilliant idea has already been done?
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 47
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 47: Thomas Hardy
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 33: Creative Immolation
Through our own ashes, we fertilize ourselves.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 33
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: Virtual Worlds
Places to find inspiration without leaving your house. Some of them are real, and some of them are better than real.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 46
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 46: Omar El Akkad
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Review of The Creative Act by Rick Rubin
Take art seriously without going about it in a serious way. (Rick Rubin)
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 32: Truth Tales
Children listen to fairy tales to learn; adults tell them to remember.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 32
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration from a Mathematician
What do you do when it seems like you’re going nowhere? Sometimes the answer is to do nothing.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 45
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 45: Uesugi Kenshin
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September Sadness
Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 44
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 44: Eric Idle
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Traveler by profession, traveler by words
When you’re a creative, you’re different. You weren’t born different; almost all children are naturally creative. We start becoming less and less creative as we start caring more about what other people think than we do about what we ourselves think.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 31
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: The deeper it is, the smaller it is
If you’re buying land, size matters. If you’re writing a story, often it doesn’t.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 43
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 43: Dr. M. Scott Peck
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Carnival Food With a Side of Nabokov
A famous literary character makes an appearance in a most unlikely place.
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 30: World Afire
Stuck in a literary time loop.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 30
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 42
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 42: Douglas Adams
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My AI policy
Why should you be bothered to read something I couldn’t be bothered to write? That’s why I write every single word myself.
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 29: Navigation in a Foreign Land
Crossing into the land where the dream is the reality and the map always changes.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 29
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: The Art of Observation
If you’re always looking for interesting things, you’ll have interesting things to say. Here’s a short exercise to help you practice looking.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 41
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 41: Anonymous
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AI and I
Generative AI is to the mind as GLP-1 pharmaceuticals are for the body: a way to have it all without working for any of it. Both of them have side effects that aren’t something I want to have in either my brain or my body.
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 28: The Meaning of Life
Six Python references in an eight-line story. It’s enough to make one want to join the choir invisible.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 28
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 40
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 40: Naguib Mahfouz
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Ride On: First Review
Ride On is “an amusing and ambitious road trip comedy.” (Kirkus Reviews)
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 27: Around the World in 9 Cubes
A journey from here to the underworld. In a world of social media and AI, it’s sometimes hard to tell which one is which.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 27
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 39
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 39: Czesław Miłosz
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One Great Year
Saturday marked this site’s first anniversary. Thanks for reading and thanks for one great year!
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 26: A Real Lifesaver
The book that was doing “Good night, Westley. Good work. Sleep well. I’ll most likely kill you in the morning,” before it was cool.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 26
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 38
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 38: Djuna Barnes
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 25: The Key of Imagination
The Twilight Zone came out over sixty years ago and it is still one of the best things to ever come out of TV.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 25
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 37
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 37: Charles Tart
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 24: A Long Walk to Nowhere
Using the Covid times wisely, but virtually.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 24
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 36
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 36: Yehudi Menuhin
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 23: The Original John Wick
Odysseus was just John Wick with better writing.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 23
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 35
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 35: John Steinbeck
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Memorial Day sadness, mystery, and humor
A day to visit my father’s grave ends with humor from an unexpected place.
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 22: Bug-brained
AI won’t kill creativity. It can’t kill something that already died at the hands of corporate suits.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 22
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 34
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 34: Bob Broder
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Not all contact is battle
Education is the ability to come in contact with ideas you don’t agree with and come out better for it.
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 21: The Circle of Art
Love what you do and you’ll never have to work a day in your life… unless you’re a ballerina. Then you work every day.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 21
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: Giving it Away
A magician never reveals their secrets and writers never reveal their ideas. But here’s a free idea for you anyway.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 33
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 33: Albrecht Dürer
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Books with Buffett
A dozen books that punch above their weight.
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 20: Wrong Part of Town
A scary visit for some scary visitors.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 20
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: The Mrs. Strikes Again, Part 2
I spent ten more minutes with my favorite painting from one of the best art museums in the United States. Did you see what I saw?
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 32
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 32: Ursula K. LeGuin
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Originality in Scarcity
When we have nothing, we have nothing tying us down. This poem by Pablo Neruda should make us think of what opportunity lies in that.
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 19: Primal Urges
Stories are only bigger than us if we don’t let ourselves grow into them.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 19
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: The Mrs. Strikes Again
Spend ten minutes with my favorite painting from one of the best art museums in the United States.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 31
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 31: Rick Ludwin
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Protected: The Wind and the Shore reading
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
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Review of Then Come Back: The Lost Neruda Poems
Recommended: “Then Come Back: The Lost Neruda Poems”
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 18: Get lost, lost poet
Pablo Neruda drops in from heaven and brings a piece of it down with him.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 18
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: Take Ten
We’re given 144 ten-minute blocks of time every single day. Spend less than 1% of them doing this challenge and you’ll have spent the entire day well.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 30
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 30: Christopher P. Jones
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Rereading ‘Reading Like a Writer’: Lessons for Aspiring Authors
I don’t often reread books, but “Reading Like a Writer” by Francine Prose makes me wonder if I should.
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Fiction Inspiration: The Book of Kells
Finding modern presence in a thousand-year-old work of art that has detail and coherence no longer found today.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 29
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 29: Milorad Krstić
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What AI Doesn’t Teach Us About Writing
Scared by what AI means to you as a writer? Laura Hartenberger has a good essay that answers a few questions and raises even more.
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 17: Flights of Fancy
Climb up the pyramid of knowledge or slide down it? Choose your own adventure.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 17
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: Traveling from Home
Made up maps to help you make up things.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 28
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 28: Barbara Kingsolver
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 16: Sink or Swim
Drown in social media toxicity or swim in your own ocean? Choose your own adventure.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 16
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: Ear Training for Writing, Part 2
If you want to learn how to write a good story, listen to a song that’s built like one. Alizée’s “Grand Central” combines two elements of strong writing: lyricism and a deep structure.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 27
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 27: Marc Chagall
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No Novel November: The End of NaNoWriMo
No Novel November: NaNoWriMo is dead. Long live writing!
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 15: Pulling me Home
The land where fish fly and bees swim.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 15
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: Ear Training for Writing, Part 1
An ear can’t hold a pen, so why would we bother to train it? Because the eye has an ear of its own.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 26
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 26: Forrest Gander
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 25
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, #25: William Butler Yeats
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No Writing is ever a Waste
The birth of a poem from the scraps on the cutting room floor.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 24
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, #24: Zadie Smith
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On Violence in Fiction
Sensationalism isn’t sensational, and screaming is rarely the loudest way to say something.
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 14: Sunset of the Sunflower
Sunset of the Sunflower: a non-fictional piece of fiction.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 14
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: Immersive Aesthetic
Ruben Brandt, Collector showcases a unique blend of classic and modern art within an action-driven heist narrative. By prioritizing its distinct visual aesthetic over plot complexity, we get a vibrant, imaginative experience. It might have the ability to inspire creativity and embrace originality in your own storytelling.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 23
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 23: Ernest Chausson
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My Literary Valentine’s Day Gift
What does the best wife ever buy for Valentine’s Day? The best pen ever!
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 13: Eve’s Shadow
From ancient apples to modern Apples.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 13
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 22
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, #22: Colleen Doran
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 21
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 21: Gary Lutz
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 20
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, #20: Francine Prose
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It was the best of times, it was the worst of times: New book news!
I’ve got a new novel, Ride On, coming out this summer!
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 12: The Apple of Our Eye
From the shadow of war to casting a shadow on the world.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 12
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 11: Omit Needless Words
A classic writing guide explained in one sentence via nine cubes.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 11
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 19
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, #19: Robert Frost
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 18
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, #18: Haruki Murakami
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Sunday Stories Cubed, No. 10: The Firedouse
A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
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Saturday Story Cubes, No. 10
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: The Pink Elephant
Have you ever not been able to find the words for what you want to say? Trying having ten words and not being able to use them at all.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 17
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, #17: Secret Famous Author
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Excerpt from “Beyond Category”
The chapter “Melysian Fields” from 2024’s novel, Beyond Category.
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NaNoWriMo 2024 Reflections
Another year, another 50k: fun had, lessons learned.
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Nanolog Day 30
NaNoWriMo progress report, November 30
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Nanolog Day 28 & 29
NaNoWriMo progress report, November 28 & 29
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Nanolog Day 27
NaNoWriMo progress report, November 27
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 16
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, #16: One of my own favorite passages from my NaNoWriMo works over the years
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Nanolog Day 26
NaNoWriMo progress report, November 26
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Nanolog Day 25
NaNoWriMo progress report, November 25
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Nanolog Day 24
NaNoWriMo progress report, November 24
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Nanolog Day 23
NaNoWriMo progress report, November 23
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Nanolog Day 22
NaNoWriMo progress report, November 22
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Nanolog Day 21
NaNoWriMo progress report, November 21
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Nanolog Day 20
NaNoWriMo progress report, November 20
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 15
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 15: One of my own favorite passages from my NaNoWriMo works over the years
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Nanolog Day 19
NaNoWriMo progress report, November 19
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Nanolog Day 18
NaNoWriMo progress report, November 18
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Nanolog Day 17
NaNoWriMo progress report, November 17
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Nanolog Day 16
NaNoWriMo progress report, November 16
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Nanolog Day 15
NaNoWriMo progress report, November 15
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Nanolog Day 14
NaNoWriMo progress report, November 14
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Nanolog Day 13
NaNoWriMo progress report, November 13
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 14
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, No. 14: One of my own favorite passages from my NaNoWriMo works over the years
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Nanolog Day 12
NaNoWriMo progress report, November 12
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Nanolog Day 9 & 10
NaNoWriMo progress report, November 9 & 10
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Nanolog Day 8
NaNoWriMo progress report, November 8
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Nanolog Day 7
NaNoWriMo progress report, November 7
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Nanolog Day 6
NaNoWriMo progress report, November 6
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 13
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, #13: One of my own favorite passages from my NaNoWriMo works over the years
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Nanolog Day 5
NaNoWriMo progress report, November 5
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Nanolog Day 4
NaNoWriMo progress report, November 4
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Nanolog Day 3
NaNoWriMo progress report, November 3
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Nanolog Day 2
NaNoWriMo progress report, November 2
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Nanolog Day 1
NaNoWriMo progress report, November 1, 2024
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NaNoWriMo Begins! (Nanolog Day 0)
Another year, another novel.
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How Dare You? Go Dare You!
You’ve spent this month reading. Now spend next month writing.
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Thirty Days Hath November
You can’t beat what you don’t fight. But what if you got knocked out?
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Neil Gaiman’s View from the Cheap Seats
A review of Neil Gaiman’s “The View from the Cheap Seats”
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Is it over after fifty thousand?
You finished the writing. Now the excruciating fun begins!
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When is it Done?
50,000 words can be The End. Or it can just be the beginning of the end. It’s up to you, as long as you finish.
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Wild Ideas Weekends, No. 8
Three drops of fuel to add to your NaNoWriMo fire.
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Wild Ideas Weekends, No. 7
Three drops of fuel to add to your NaNoWriMo fire.
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The End is Near! (Top 10 Takeaways)
Ten pieces of armor to take into your battle against the NaNoWriMo dragon.
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Home Week, Home Work
If you absolutely insist on reading a book about writing a book, this is the one to buy for NaNoWriMo.
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Research Later, Write Now
Hopping online to look up “just one little thing” is like saying you’re only going to have “just one french fry.”
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Mushing through the middle: Miscellaneous Monday
When you can’t come up with a coherent idea, throw out a bunch of semi-coherent ones instead and wait for them to stick together.
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Wild Ideas Weekends, No. 6
Three drops of fuel to add to your NaNoWriMo fire.
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Wild Ideas Weekends, No. 5
Three drops of fuel to add to your NaNoWriMo fire.
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Feeling Lost? Wander Until You’re Not.
If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there. Or maybe that just means you’re in the right place after all.
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Exhale, then Inhale
You’re allowed to take a day off. Really.
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Inhale, then Exhale
If you’re not breathing, you’re probably dead.
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Beware the Ides of November
You’re halfway there. Why do you feel like quitting?
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What is normal progress?
The only thing that’s normal about a month-long writing marathon is that normal people don’t do them.
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Wild Ideas Weekends, No. 4
Three drops of fuel to add to your NaNoWriMo fire.
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Wild Ideas Weekends, No. 3
Three drops of fuel to add to your NaNoWriMo fire.
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You never learn how to write a novel…
It never gets easier, you just write better.
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Love Conquers All
Deep love can be a deep well. Whether that’s a wellspring of creativity or a pit of despair is a question only you can answer.
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Big Stories Come From Little Stories
“But wait, there’s more!” isn’t just for infomercials. It’s a technique that will never make your readers say the dreaded, “So what?”
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You’re Writing a Marathon
A healthy mind in a healthy body leads to healthy writing.
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A Week In and it Doesn’t Look Like You Thought
The kitchen is always a mess while you’re still cooking. Keep the heat on!
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Wild Ideas Weekends, No. 2
Three drops of fuel to add to your NaNoWriMo fire.
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Wild Ideas Weekends, No. 1
Three drops of fuel to add to your NaNoWriMo fire.
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The Pantser: Driving by Headlights
Writing is a joy, and so is discovery. So try being a discovery writer.
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Planning the Novel
You don’t have to have a plan, but it helps.
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My First NaNoWriMo Experiences
When you let go of perfectionism, you make room for the perfect to drop in.
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What Did I Get Myself Into?
Today is the youngest you’ll ever be, so get ready to write that novel in November.
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October is NaNoWriMo prep month!
If you want to write a novel in a month, this is the place for you.
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Beethoven’s Heart
“Write for an audience of one” is always good advice, even if that audience is only you.
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Sunday Stories Cubed, #9: Book Report
Anne Frank: the book report
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Saturday Story Cubes, #9
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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This Beautiful Sentence, #12
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, #12: Amy Hempel
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A Reading from The Wind and the Shore
The first page of The Wind and the Shore, read by the author.
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Sunday Stories Cubed, #8: Seeing the Light
Who really wrote Shakespeare’s plays? A guy named Will? Francis Bacon? A team of anonymous playwrights? Nope. The real answer is here.
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Saturday Story Cubes, #8
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: A Walk Down Route 66, Part 3
Tell a tale of a place that was and is no more.
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This Beautiful Sentence, #11
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, #11: William Mann
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New Project: The Wind and the Shore
Come see an idea being born, with some thoughts on what makes some books good and others great.
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Sunday Stories Cubed, #7: Choose Your Own Adventure
Knock ’em dead, Shakespeare.
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Saturday Story Cubes, #7
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: A Walk Down Route 66, Part 2
Some of the best stories take place in cars.
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This Beautiful Sentence, #10
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, #10: Kurt Vonnegut
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John Steinbeck on the Inevitability of the Author Self-Insert
They say, “write what you know.” Steinbeck says that you are the most realistic character you know.
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Sunday Stories Cubed, #6: The Birds That Fly and the Beasts That Swim
The birds that fly and the beasts that swim have no need to put Humpty Dumpty back together again.
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Saturday Story Cubes, #6
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: A Walk Down Route 66, Part 1
A horse is a horse, of course, of course, unless that horse is a toy.
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This Beautiful Sentence, #9
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, #9: William Blake
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So It Goes to the Kurt Vonnegut Museum
What to say about a massacre? Kurt Vonnegut had a lot to say about it.
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Sunday Stories Cubed, #5: The Secret to Life, etc.
The secret to happiness is closer than you think.
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Saturday Story Cubes, #5
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: Carl Sandburg Creates Every Story
If there is no change, there is no story.
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This Beautiful Sentence, #8
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, #8: Julia Alvarez
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Even Once Matters if You Make it Matter Enough
Make your words serve multiple purposes, providing readers with substantial and rewarding content.
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Sunday Stories Cubed, #4: The Mark
Sometimes the line between absurd fiction and real reality is entirely too thin.
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Saturday Story Cubes, #4
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: Phil Lockwood’s Hopper Full of Hoppers
It’s not often that an artist lets you into his mind as he’s working, but Phil Lockwood does just that.
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This Beautiful Sentence, #7
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, #7: Alizée
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Make Things Matter: Organic Symbolism and Literary Depth
A seemingly insignificant nail file evolves into a symbol reflective of a book-wide emotional journey, signifying joy, heartache, anxiety, and ultimately, the act of letting go. Its multifaceted nature reveals deeper layers of personality and serves as a poignant metaphor and a lesson on how to make everything count in your writing.
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Sunday Stories Cubed, #3: Turtle Soup
Sometimes the odds are not in your favor. Know when to hold on to your ideas and know when to fold ’em.
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Saturday Story Cubes, #3
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: Tales From Turnpike House
Seven rooms, a million stories.
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This Beautiful Sentence, No. 6
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, #6: Homer
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Revision: Walking Through the Mud in Cruel Concrete Shoes
If I had a hammer… I’d pound this thing into shape.
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Sunday Stories Cubed, #2: Heaven Lost to Heaven Gained
To grow a large garden, you need many seeds.
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Saturday Story Cubes, #2
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: The Enigmatic Nightfly and the 1950s Jazz Vibe
Some pictures beg to be turned into pages.
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This Beautiful Sentence, #5
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, #5: Harper Lee
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Coddiwomple: Finding Joy in Writing Despite Rejection
Who has not failed has not tried.
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Sunday Stories Cubed, #1: Jurassic Park
I think this first idea might be a hit.
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Saturday Story Cubes, #1
Bored with the usual writing prompts? This will give you something better to do with your weekend.
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Fiction Inspiration: Story Cubes
Unleashing creativity by rolling the dice to tell a story.
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This Beautiful Sentence, #4
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, #4: Chuck Palahniuk
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The Paris Olympics and Taking Creative Risks
There are those who can and do. There are those who can but won’t. And there are those who can’t but criticize those who do. Make it anyway.
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Telling a Story in Zero Words: The Tour de France Drama Captured in a Photo
One photo, two fierce rivals, and a miraculous recovery. All stories should be this good.
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The Moment to Write About
A piece of advice so simple and powerful I wish I’d come up with it myself.
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This Beautiful Sentence Index
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration: The Index
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This Beautiful Sentence, #3
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, #3: Jorge Luis Borges
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Fiction Inspiration: The Magic of Carnivals is a Writer’s Playground
From the irresistible food to the nostalgic rides and unexpected encounters, every experience at the carnival sparks inspiration for storytelling. These moments, whether real or imagined, form the essence of the writer’s creative journey.
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This Beautiful Sentence, #2
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, #2: Marcel Proust
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Should Writers Read?
Eclectic reading isn’t something you do at a doughnut shop. Or, well, it could be, because as long as you’re reading, it doesn’t matter where you do it, even if it’s with an éclair in hand.
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Embrace Influence and Inspiration: How to Find Your Unique Writing Voice
Embrace influences and let your unique voice develop naturally. Don’t fear lack of originality; the freedom to explore will lead to your own distinct style.
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This Beautiful Sentence, #1
Crystals of beauty that leave a lingering sense of awe and inspiration, #1: Vladimir Nabokov
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Don’t see the world as it is
The power of fiction lies in revealing truths, making it the purest form of non-fiction.
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Integrating Music into Books for a Deeper Experience | Bilingual Playlist
Books can have soundtracks, too.
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Save time writing
Many writers struggle with online distractions and the urge to constantly research while writing. I say put off until tomorrow what you shouldn’t do today.
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Yale Writers’ Workshop 2024, Bonus: Agent Day
The Big Event is here, and now the Big Day in the Big Event is here. It’s time to deliver the pitch.
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Yale Writers’ Workshop 2024, Part 3
Was it worth it? One word answer: yes. There are a lot of people who say writers’ conferences in general are a waste of time and money. “Just write and you’ll learn to do it! You don’t need to go to a conference/workshop/class for that!” I wonder if those are the same people who go…
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Meet the Cast
I’ve written five novels around a core group of four characters. Here are the beautiful, the loyal, the weird, and the dog that make it all happen.
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Yale Writers’ Workshop 2024, Part 2
The day has come. Well, at least a couple days before has gotten here. Ethan, the instructor, invited us to do a pre-workshop informal Zoom so everyone can say hi. I wasn’t supposed to be able to make it because I was scheduled to be flying late into the evening, but NYC airspace is so…
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Beauty, Envy, and Self-Reflection: Birthplace at Tiffany’s – Yale Writers’ Workshop 2024 Reading
A re-recording of the reading I did at the Yale Writers’ Workshop 2024. The opening paragraph is designed to be performed as much as read, so you can listen to me read it as it’s intended to be read.
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Yale Writers’ Workshop 2024, Part 1
I stop. “Wait, did that say Yale?” I scroll back up. “Wow. Okay. Finally an ad that makes sense.” I click on it. I’ve never done a workshop before, so making my very first one be one hosted by an Ivy League school makes perfect sense. Of course, so did that one girl I dated…
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Dig while you write
A table, crafted by a character’s grandfather, reveals family stories, emotional connections, and the value of exploration and creativity in writing.
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Yale Writers’ Workshop 2024
My experience at the amazing 2024 Yale Writers’ Workshop.