Trying to get a story published feels a bit like fishing. You try to find a promising stream (agent/publisher/magazine). You toss out your line--- watching it wink past the sun and drift out across the watery glaze--- and then you wait. "Here, fishy. Come on, fishy. Don't you like my little worm?" Some people are … Continue reading The Small Fish Story
inspiration
Retracing
We retrace our steps sometimes, and the remembered magic isn't where we left it. You speculate--- what makes a special moment so unique? What endows a place with its aura? And if you returned to that restaurant on a drizzily April night one year later, would the same stardust glisten in the streetlights? Would you … Continue reading Retracing
Hay Bales in a Pond
We fix the GPS to avoid highways and weave our way out of town. It's an easy way to discover adventure on a lazy Saturday. We turn onto roads we've never driven before and travel alongside a creek swollen with the spring thaw. The further up the hill we ride, we pass three--- maybe four--- … Continue reading Hay Bales in a Pond
The Difference
I walked up the hill through the rain. An ordinary walk on an ordinary day. My legs felt strong. The air was crisp in my lungs. Suddenly, I looked up and saw the raindrops dripping off dark tree limbs. I saw the watercolor gauze of the treetrunks against the white hillside. And I realized--- I'll … Continue reading The Difference
Good Writing, Hard Discipline
What I love about writing--- You can let yourself slip into any setting--- any story. You can close your eyes on a summer day and transport yourself to a platinum-colored winter night where the velvet dark huddles beneath the fir trees. You can slip from the fog and rain of the northeast to the cicada-filled, … Continue reading Good Writing, Hard Discipline
The Depths of Procrastination
I walk out to my kitchen. The cold floor tiles numb my bare feet, but I stand at the sink for a moment. I’m avoiding things. A pile of things. I reach over for my stainless steel french press. The plunger makes a metallic zing when I remove it from the carafe. Oh, yes, I’m … Continue reading The Depths of Procrastination
The Nature of a Healthy Life
Now is the time of change--- hibernation. The trees shed their clothes and settle down to sleep, and perhaps their roots stir with thoughts and dreams of what's to come. They look forward to that quiet time--- the dormancy above which nature's harshness will blast--- they look forward to that time of rest and storing … Continue reading The Nature of a Healthy Life
Arguing With Myself in Bathrooms
I've been thinking about conversations lately. Maybe even arguments, you could say. I've always been the type of person who talking things out with people helps get my creative juices flowing. But have you ever had a heated discussion with someone that either excites you or (maybe) angers you so much you leave said person's … Continue reading Arguing With Myself in Bathrooms
Exotic Milk
Where do you stand in a world looking only for exotic names, skins, and avatars? Where do you stand when you're just bland milk with a brain and thoughts that do not fit? It seems to me the world wants bland, uniform innards coated by a colorful shell. It doesn't want bland on the outside … Continue reading Exotic Milk
The First Rule of Writers
Luther stands in the tiny entryway of his apartment and pats down his pockets to make sure he has his keys. Behind him, the last rosy glow of sunset slips off his window ledge. He’s going to be late. He snatches up the bulky portfolio that holds his life’s work— all the scribbles and scratches, … Continue reading The First Rule of Writers
Seeking Prose 