The best story improvements often ambush us during mundane moments. You’re washing dishes, walking the dog, or lying in bed listening to a storm—and suddenly your manuscript whispers a better way forward. Consider The Bourne Identity’s opening: a man pulled unconscious from the Mediterranean, riddled with bullets, carrying mysterious bank information but no memory. Ludlum…

I am delighted that both of my 2025 entries into the Florida Royal Palm Literary awards have been accepted as finalists in their respective categories of short fiction and flash fiction. This prestigious writing competition recognizes extraordinary writing in 20+ genre categories for adults and 5 for youth and provides objective and constructive written assessments…

Hi everyone, Joanna Penn’s insights on writing energy types have been a great source of clarity in how I approach my projects. Joanna often talks about the different types of energy required at different stages of the writing, editing, and publishing process, and I find myself in the midst of an energy shift at the…

When Mountains Make Monsters: How Geography Turns Neighbors into Nightmares You know that uncomfortable feeling you get when you walk through an unfamiliar neighborhood and suddenly everyone looks different, sounds different, or drives different cars than you’re used to? Congratulations—you’ve just experienced thousands of years of human evolution doing exactly what it was designed to…