Lessons A Sense of Foreboding 16 Aug 202131 Dec 2021 What's This Got to Do With Anything?) The protagonist approaches the dark and strange mansion, seeking shelter after her car has broken down on a lonely stretch of the highway.…
Lessons Running Aground 11 Aug 202131 Dec 2021 Normally I use Wednesdays to post a chapter of my current short story. But I've just wrapped up work on Covalent, and I want to take a moment to examine…
Lessons Hills and Valleys 9 Aug 202131 Dec 2021 The Rise and Fall) Most stories have a natural arc. At the very beginning there is no context and they must establish the setting, which results in a slower beginning.…
Lessons How to Change a Heart 2 Aug 202130 Dec 2021 Christmas Hearts) Character development is a central consideration of every tale. Most stories are not just about what things happened, but about how those events changed a character forever. Consider…
Lessons The Ever-Widening Curtains 26 Jul 202130 Dec 2021 The Completely Understood) The premise of Rocky is established early on in the film. Apollo Creed, the heavyweight boxing world champion, has an opponent cancel on him and seeks to…
Lessons Well, That Was Exhausting 19 Jul 202130 Dec 2021 Wearing Down) In the most recent chapter of Covalent I have one of my main characters, Aylme, brought to her absolute limit as she has rushes her unconscious comrades from…
Lessons Broken Rules 12 Jul 202130 Dec 2021 Curiosity Satisfied) In the 1997 film Men in Black, undercover officer James Edwards is recruited into the highly secretive MIB organization, which was instituted to protect humanity from all manner…
Lessons Unknown Fears 5 Jul 202130 Dec 2021 Worse Things) In the last section of Covalent I introduced a new threat, a river that congealed part of itself into thin strands, and then stretched those strands out to…
Lessons Building Blocks 28 Jun 202130 Dec 2021 Back to School) Learning isn't always fun. Especially when you are learning something that you don't care about, and must do so by a firm deadline! I still consider some…
Give Me Pen and Paper 