Writing is where ideas are shaped into form—through structure, voice, and revision. These posts explore the discipline behind the process, where instinct meets craft, and what begins as a thought becomes something deliberate, controlled, and ready to be read.
Writing fictional murder is dangerous not for the act, but for the shortcuts it can invite. “Low-hanging fruit” victims are a no-go zone. For many, it’s too much to bear. People often ask why writing about murder in fiction is dangerous. Not because of violence itself, but because of who the violence lands on. If
Permission to Harm Low Hanging Fruit in Fiction Read More »
Window holds a pauseYour life framed, mine passing byWe watch each other -M
Window With a View Read More »
I’ve lived my life enjoying the sea breeze and watching the horizon change with the light, but I still don’t go into the water unless it’s absolutely necessary. The ocean is the shark’s world — not mine — and every year, reminders come that we humans are just visitors in their domain. The Aussie coastline
Living on the Coast, Staying Out of the Sea, Away From the Sharks Read More »
Judge. Jury. Executioner. The ‘bird’ provides us with the perfect urban Law. It gives us the power to be everything (and feels so virtuous). Delivering justice to sh*tty people without having to consult with anyone else. It feels so nice. Almost virtuos! Think about it. When a flip happens, we’ve already decided that a crime
Justice In The Power Of A Hand Read More »
It’s time we brought back the mental asylum. Sure, include the spooky Victorian kind with thick stone, iron chains, and a sadistic nurse called Agnes — just a polite place where people exhibiting advanced levels of nonsense can be taken for a little lie-down. A reset. A timeout from reality while the rest of us
Reopen the Asylums. Please! Read More »
There’s a detail that’s easy to avoid when talking about sexless marriages, and it’s the one that matters most. They don’t always begin with a simple refusal. They often begin with silence. I didn’t want a sexless marriage. That part is simple, and it matters that I say it plainly. But wanting something and enabling
Silent Consent: Sexless Marriages Don’t Begin — They Settle Read More »
Before vows, sex often feels urgent. Texts fly. Plans are made. Doors lock fast. Time feels short, want feels big. People say this stage runs on thrill, risk, and the joy of the chase. After the vows, life shows up. Forums and therapy sites tell a clear tale. Sex does not die, but it does
When Sex Slows Down After “I Do” Read More »
He had learned early that people wanted endings that behaved. They wanted pain to tidy itself away. They wanted meaning to arrive on schedule, carrying reassurance. Stories were supposed to heal, to close wounds cleanly, to leave the reader better than they were before. Anything else was considered indulgent. Or cruel. But life had never
The Lie of Resolution: Why Some Stories Should Not Heal Read More »
SEETHINGS didn’t just test my ability to write—it dismantled me, rebuilt me, and demanded persistence long after quitting felt reasonable. Eight years, three books, and one obsession later, the story finally learned how to breathe. Now that SEETHINGS III is finally out in the world, there’s a strange stillness I didn’t expect. Relief, yes—but also
SEETHINGS Nearly Killed Me Read More »
Phil Collins dominated the radio waves. He collaborated with Howard Jones to rework Jones’ No One Is To Blame tune. Nina looked into my eyes, tapped on my back and said, “Stop. Turn it up. This is him. This is the one I was telling you about.” It was a time for music, love and
We Will Always Have 1986 Read More »