BLOG

Imagine you're writing a story. It could be a short story; it could be a novel; it could be a short script that may become a feature length script. But in the process of bringing this story to life, a new scene needs to be added. The beauty of utilizing story structure is that we, as writers, can know when a scene is needed. Do we need to amp up the emotional beats? Reveal character? Push the story forward in a manner that both amps up the emotional beats and reveals characte

My great grandmother had a German Shepherd by the name of Śmigły-Rydz. The dog was shipped from Germany to Manatí, Puerto Rico, already trained and ready to be a helper in her house. The dog was named after a prominent Polish politician and army leader, who was also a painter and poet. When my mother told me this story, I found it to be a curious tidbit of familial folklore. Nothing more. But as I ruminated on the story, a German Shepherd arriving to a Caribbean town, a dog t

Some may say I have writer's block. Lately, I don't feel as inspired as I usually do. I spend more time reading than doing any other writing related activity. I attempt an outline and find myself intrigued by multiple directions a story could take. Perhaps she discovers her husband is having an affair. Perhaps she discovers her husband is having an affair with a python hunter. Perhaps her husband's python hunting paramour is actually someone trying to get close to the main ch

A writer's life can be a solitary one. Most, if not all, of our creative process is done alone. Our minds become a companion, a steadfast ally, or even, a more visceral adversary. With enough solitude, a writer becomes their own worst enemy. The inner critic starts bench pressing 250 and never misses leg day, dashing hopes and ideas with the quickness. So do we combat this foe made even more formidable with isolation? We need community. By community, I mean a group of writers

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