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This week, I've been considering the origins of ideas. Where do story ideas come from? Do they emerge organically while buttering toast or doing some other rote action? Or do they require effort? A mining of earth, perhaps. Every writer is different. I know, I know. If I were some guru that knew how to do marketing very well and could easily wield hashtags and capcut in the same way that I approach metaphors and poetic forms, perhaps I'd be in a shifted position. Not theorizi

In this world, the more we do, the more we work, the more money we siphon into our bank account, the more accomplished we can feel. Writing for three hours straight. Working the day job, then writing. Waking up early, before the sunrise, just to write, then putting in a whole day of childcare or desk work or whatever work you need to get done--the more we do, the more we succeed. At least, that's the definition of success in this country. But I would posit that there are some

Imagine your favorite story (mine is a forever toss up between Jurassic Park-- book or movie-- Silence of the Lambs, The Empire Strikes Back, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, or The Catcher in the Rye ). To be honest, I could keep going, but I digress. Take one of your favorite stories, we'll use The Empire Strikes Back for this example. Looking at the story, it is firmly told from Luke Skywalker's point of view. Sure, there are moments where we drift into Princess Leia

There will be days when no words emerge. Writing is a walk, a pilgrimage through the crevices of existence (and learning where your own soul dovetails with them). The walk lasts your entire life, if you choose to accept the journey. So, therein lies that truth: there will be days when no words emerge. When all you have left to show at the end of the day is a blank page. This truth is one that holds nuance. If you battle against that truth, it can be frustrating. If you person

I'm currently reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. That sentence alone should give you insight into my emotional state. I've empathized and connected with the panoply of characters that inhabit this tome. This engaging, dynamic, completely enthralling piece of classic American literature. To be clear: I'm not a fan of Westerns. Even during my decade working in film production, the Western genre was a blind spot in my filmic encyclopedia. I could name the greats, but not t

The idea strikes you in the middle of the night. Your eyes open, a faraway rhythm pulls you from sleep and you have to write. You are compelled to develop an idea, to create a choreography on the page from a sequence of words only you and the muse understand. Thus, the dance begins. The pursuit of an idea, to craft a story from an image or a line of dialogue that arrived with no provocation. Like the wind, you cannot see it, but you know it exists. Now, the journey becomes, h