I love to deconstruct story (fiction and film) to figure out how to deliberately incorporate the important elements that make a story “work.” Here’s a straightforward method to create a powerful character arc. Despite popular opinion that the character arc is a mysterious alchemy of emotions, careful writing, and hope, it can be done by […]
Monthly Archives: April 2018
One Tough Coyote
This story is from an email I received. I would tend to doubt it… except the pictures speak for themselves. Meet the wiliest of all coyotes: Hit by a car at 75mph, embedded in the fender, rode for 600 miles – and SURVIVED! When a brother and sister struck a coyote at 75mph they assumed […]
I Want to Be a Writer!
The story goes that back in the day Winston Churchill gave this commencement speech. In its entirety: NEVER GIVE UP. NEVER GIVE UP. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP. This is apocryphal, by the way, but it’s still expresses a true sentiment. At social gatherings people can be interested to hear I’ve published books. They […]
Tempus Fugit
Old friends, old friends sat on their parkbench like bookends A newspaper blowin’ through the grass Falls on the round toes of the high shoes of the old friends Old friends, winter companions, the old men Lost in their overcoats, waiting for the sun The sounds of the city sifting through trees Settles like dust […]
Words Mean Things
In the Christian World yesterday it was Resurrection Sunday, where Christians celebrate Jesus’ being raised from the dead after execution on the cross a few days before. Why is this important? Basically Christians believe that we humans will never be able to meet God’s standard of absolute perfection — every one of us, at some […]
Homemade No-Churn Ice Cream You Can Make in Five Minutes (And You Can Make this Low-Carb/Sugar Free if You Want!)
Last week my kids were looking for a) entertainment, and b) something good to eat. Normally I don’t have it, but coincidentally from another recipe I had a carton of heavy cream in the refrigerator, so I suggested we make ice cream. It was fun! In five minutes they measured ingredients into the blender, and […]