Category: Writing

Morris, Mounce, and Morgenstern: How I Name Characters (Part 2)

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope you’re taking the day off to rest, enjoy good food, and spend time with family and friends. It’s a wonderful holiday that really does tend to get blotted out between Halloween and Christmas (not to mention Black Friday), and it deserves some attention!

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Morris, Mounce, and Morgenstern: How I Name Characters (Part 1)

Naming the characters in my stories is one of my favorite parts of writing. I sift through names trying to find The One, I have the character try on different options for size, and finally, a name fits. It’s their name.

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October Update: FACCS Convention & a New Play

Hm. How have I not posted since the 8th? This seems to be an October trend for me. Last year too I missed two blogposts in a row in October. Not sure what’s up with that—maybe a coincidence, or maybe in October I’m just braindead after writing a new Christmas play?

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Little Women and the Paralyzed Princess

I watched Little Women (the old 1994 film) last weekend, for the first time in years. Going into it I had this vague impression that I’d seen it once or twice when I was much younger, but I couldn’t recall anything specific.

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I Have Nothing to Write

Writing a new play always hammers this truth back into my head: I have nothing to write.

I know—I’m a writer. I write things. It’s what I do. But the truth remains that I really have nothing to write.

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“Yeah, we sound like actual lunatics.”

A few lines robbed of their contexts, from my current play-in-progress:

“At least you don’t get thrown to sharks.”

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5 Resources for Writers and Readers

I’m in the thick of multiple writing projects this week, so instead of doing a proper blogpost myself today, I thought I’d share with you some blogs (and books) that I read. Some of these I first encountered years ago, others within the last few months. But each of these websites, curricula, or writing craft […]

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Imitate Me: Faramir, Fanny, and Other Characters I Loved

When I first read The Lord of the Rings in junior high, Faramir was probably my favorite character. I admired his quiet faithfulness, humility, courage, and care for others. Moreover, I felt I could relate to him as a younger sibling with an extraordinary, high-achieving older sibling, especially since, at that time, I was battling feelings of insecurity and […]

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22 Things I Learned as a 22-Year-Old

This week I turn 23, so I decided to take some time to trace the last year and come up with a list of various things I learned (or discovered, or experienced for the first time) while I was 22. I’ll admit, I stole this idea from another blogger (from whom I’ve been reading for…eight […]

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This Year, “Make Perfect Your Will”

Writer and teacher Jonathan Rogers shared a perceptive, persuasive short post on his blog at the close of 2018, encouraging his readers to approach the new year with a new mindset—one that prioritizes “process” over “results.” Though his post was chiefly aimed at writers, I think his insight applies to us all. I recommend his […]

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