Archive

  • Of Apple Seeds and Dreams

    Of Apple Seeds and Dreams

    Lately, I’ve been thinking of apple seeds. Apple seeds are small and insignificant. They’re tiny specks of black that you carve out of an apple and throw away. They’re detritus tossed on the ground. But give it rich soil to take root in … The apple tree comes from the small and insignificant seed. It Read more

  • Likeable Character and Charismatic Characters

    There’s a fine line between being likeable and being charismatic. A likeable character – affable, friendly, trustworthy – is someone you want to be around for a chat and a drink. A charismatic character – inspiring, motivating, commanding – is someone you want to watch from a distance . There can be overlap, of course, Read more

  • Weather for Reading, Weather for Writing

    Weather for Reading, Weather for Writing

    Rainy weather is the best for reading, I think. The cold and the wet outside isn’t inviting. There’s no work to be done beyond the front door, not if we can help it. Better to curl up on the couch with a good book and listen to the drumming of raindrops overhead as you sink Read more

  • Ode to the Ant

    Ode to the Ant

    Behold the ant Small and squishy, or so they say Feeble and tiny, or so they claim And yet… Watch the ant work without ceasing Watch her climb and build and lift and strive Alone she is ended by the bottom of a shoe In her thousands she makes fodder of your toes Behold the Read more

  • The Homegrown Charm of Amateur Theater

    When was the last live performance you saw? Not too long ago, my family and I saw a live radio play version of R.U.R.: Rossum’s Universal Robots at a local amateur theater. I am not an avid theater-goer, but seeing this performance gave me a new appreciation of the art, especially its homegrown incarnation. Amateur Read more

  • Why I Like Dark Stories

    I like dark stories. I like stories that are grim and violent and seemingly hopeless. I like stories where the heroes are battered, bruised, beaten, foiled, and know great loss. I like stories filled with injustice and overwhelming evil trying to smother out the good. I don’t like the darkness for its own sake. It’s Read more