Writing Life
Writing Life is the work behind the work.
Here I write from inside the practice of making stories—about endurance, doubt, revision, and the cost of staying with the work when progress is uncertain and outcomes are not guaranteed. These pieces are not instructions or advice, but moments from the messy middle, when the work resists, shifts, or quietly asks for more than expected.
Short Stories: A Year of Creativity and Growth
A reflection on a year of writing short stories—how short fiction fuels creative growth, experimentation, and new ideas beyond the novel.
How to Know When Your Writing is Good or Sucks
A personal reflection on perseverance, criticism, and learning how to stay committed to writing when feedback is difficult.
Bliss, Struggles, and Epiphanies: My Two Years in Writing
A two-year reflection on learning to write fiction, from early enthusiasm through struggle and overwhelm to persistence and forward momentum.
A New Writer’s Review of Your First Page by Selgin
A craft-focused review of Your First Page by Peter Selgin, examining how first pages reveal the strengths and weaknesses of a story.
New Writer’s Review of Anatomy of Story by Truby
A craft-focused review of Anatomy of Story by John Truby, examining character development, four-corner opposition, and story structure.
How Do You Know When You’re Making Forward Progress
A reflection on measuring real progress in writing, where collaboration, conviction, and adaptability matter more than speed.
Personal essays on meaning, idendity, and care
Exploring ideas, systems, and hard questions
Books, authors, and ideas in conversation