I have occasionally identified my master’s degree by the more common term MFA (Master of Fine Arts), but it is time, once and for all, to own my MPW (Master of Professional Writing). For those of you unfamiliar, the traditional English MFA in creative writing requires the student to specialize in one genre, either fiction […]
Introducing My Personal Canon
In a world where information expands at an exponential rate, and more books than a person can ever hope to read have been written, it is a futile errand to try to learn everything. I agree that we must expose ourselves to a broad body of knowledge, but this strategy should be used to find […]
“The War of the Worlds”
I have one Halloween tradition that I’ve engaged in every year since college, which is to listen to Orson Welles’ 1938 radio broadcast of “The War of the Worlds,” about a Martian invasion of New Jersey. The show is a wonderful bit of entertainment and a stellar example of classic fiction adapted for the auditory […]
Destroying Pages
I came across some old writing notebooks from high school and college. The assortment of prose, poetry, and story ideas were so bad, so stuck in their time, that I did something I couldn’t bring myself to do before: destroy the pages. I’d kept these books for years because they contained my writing, my penmanship, […]
History of the Aspect Ratio (and How it Relates to Publishing)
As I throw on my film buff and projectionist hat, I’d like to share an awesome video I came across on the history of the aspect ratio. If you’ve ever wondered why film and video come in different sizes–or aspect ratios, the numerical relation between the image’s height and width–various technical and business developments explain […]
Authors and the United States Constitution
The United States Constitution is one of my favorite works ever written. I don’t hold it in high regard simply because I’m American, although I am fortunate and proud to be a citizen of this country. Rather, the clarity of thought and purpose this document embodies is so wholly impressive that I cannot suppress my […]
Outcome vs. Process
One of the concepts related to my recent pursuit of getting back to basics is outcome versus process. A book or a script is the outcome, but the act of writing is the process. The final result occupies such a small space compared to the weeks, months, and sometimes years spent actually creating that result. […]
When You’ve Made It
A lot of people ask, “How do I know when I’ve made it as an author?” The answer is simple. You’ve made it when readers place a high value on your work, which includes showcasing it in a prominent place. On a recent trip to a friend’s place, I found my collection The Lookout and […]
Fiction Fridays #15: “David”
The Last Night, Special Edition, 4 of 4. Welcome to the fifteenth installment of Fiction Fridays, where I post a new short story each week. Today we reach our final edition of our series within a series. If you haven’t read the previous three stories, I’ve been sharing deleted scenes from my novel THE LAST […]