Thoughts
I write a lot. Essays. Articles. Blog posts. All of them sharing what I’m thinking about. Maybe you think about these things, too.
The Story of My Stories
And I realized something I may have known before, but certainly never articulated: that for me, the plot is the last thing I worry about. (Strange admission for a mystery writer to make!).
Real or Robot? Who Can Tell?
Ludwig Wittgenstein says that we form language as part of human activity, and that we then shape that activity through language. But both parts are necessary; and, so far, AI can’t manage the “human activity” part of the equation.
Why We Write in Dark Times
Art is never neutral—it holds power, shapes culture, and carries history. Keep making it. Keep making light.
In Times of Darkness, Artists Make Light
This country and this world need the light now more than ever. Together, we can find it, and nurture it, and embody it.
How Many Times Can (Should) You Tweak Your Work?
Do you edit as you go, or are you more disciplined than I am and step away from it?
Get Your Wheels on the Ground
My first drafts are a mess. I have an occasionally faulty memory, and so nothing exists in my world until it’s written down. Because of that, I have all sorts of ideas I throw into the mix of a first draft. Some won’t stay the course. Some are frankly contradictory to other ideas I slammed down elsewhere in the manuscript. A few take on the glitter of inspiration and stay in place through publication.