To mark the halfway point for the second draft of The Holy Shuriken, here are snippets of my thoughts from the revision process. If you are deep in rewrites, persevere! You are not alone in experiencing these many weird feelings: My wife said she enjoyed the first draft. I can't trust her anymore. Develop characters? … Continue reading Revised Thinking →

Unfortunately, we were all given another reason to think about gun violence in America this weekend. A couple projects I am working on deal with gun violence, but today I thought up this poem. It is personal, and I hope it honors victims and survivors.  Thoughts and Prayers Lord, After the bullets are excavated from … Continue reading A Poem for Poway →

I was digging through old papers and found this story. It dates back to 5th grade, I think. You can see I was destined for greatness from a young age. Here it is, reproduced without edits. Enjoy. *Safari Sam* Safari Sam was a very strong man who lived in Chili. One day Safari Sam happened … Continue reading A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Boy →

John Truby's helpful and practical guide to storytelling, The Anatomy Of Story, says that every protagonist should have a core wound. A core wound is different from the hero's tragic flaw. Here is how I see it: A hero's tragic flaw is the wellspring of all the conflicts and challenges the hero will face. The … Continue reading Core Wounds →

The first draft of my first novel is done. 58k words. Sweet. Time to rewrite! If you're interested in some of the thought processes it takes to tackle a rewrite, read on: One of the hardest parts of my second draft is reinventing the book's opening. As it stands, I managed to capture the book's … Continue reading Beginning The Rewrite →

I had several great writing teachers in high school and college. Hopefully one day I can list their names in the acknowledgement section of my books. I learned a great deal about the art and craft of writing from them. However, I learned the most about storytelling from improv. There is an abundance of lessons … Continue reading Yes, And →

The story goes that Lewis and Tolkien disagreed on whether evil could be overcome by sheer force of reason. Lewis believed you could, and showed as much in The Screwtape Letters. Reason's power over evil is a central presupposition to that narrative; the reader can handle the demons' correspondence and see the faults in their … Continue reading Dealing with Evil →

Good villains are relatable. Their motivations are clear and believable. Often, a villain has the same core desire as the hero. The best villains are someone else's hero. In the same way, a good hero should be someone else's villain. The hero stands for something, often in the face of a hurtful power structure. To … Continue reading Heroes and Villains →