Have you ever read a story where the fate of the world rests on what the characters do? Probably, since that’s a lot of stories. This is what is called a high-stakes story and the reason they are so common is that the higher the stakes, the more we are invested in it all turning…
Down the AI Rabbit Hole
Down the AI Rabbit Hole It started on a Friday. I only remember that since I was planning on a relaxing weekend as I walked out of my graduate archeology seminar. “I loved your essay on the new dating system for bronze age sites,” Dr. Acharya said as I passed her desk. “You made some…
Tunnel of … Something
Tunnel of … Something Hannah and Brett floated on a small boat through the dark tunnel. Pop music played softly. They passed a TV showing a baseball game. “You doing okay?” Brett asked. “Yeah.” “You think it’ll rain tomorrow?” “Maybe. Ugh, I need to think of something for supper tonight.” “Get a pizza.” “I’ll just…
Muse on Monday – January 20, 2025
I wrote a story once about a vertical city. The rich people lived at the higher levels and it got poorer as it went down. Sort of like the Snowpiercer train stood on its end, or the silo from the Silo series. What would it really be like if a city got stood on end?…
The Universe and I
This story is a response to the Muse on Monday writing prompt from January 6, 2025. The Universe and I It was January 1, 2025, and I decided I was going to make a New Years resolution. I hadn’t done that in a while but here it was a new year, and I wanted to…
Jeff’s Bucket List
Jeff’s Bucket List “Hi Mom! There you are. Jeff! I got Mom on Facetime. We’re at that monkey hot spring in Japan, Mom. The one on Jeff’s bucket list. Okay, there he goes. You see him? The monkeys look nervous. Okay, a few are coming over. They’re climbing on him. Oops, they’re holding him under…
Muse on Monday – January 13, 2025
Happy Monday! I hope you had a good weekend. This week’s prompt is a super-specific one. There are enough blanks you can fill in to make it your own, but it sends the story in a specific direction. Story Prompt: January 13, 2025 It is your birthday and you are stuck in your apartment. The…
Muse on Monday – January 6, 2025
Welcome to 2025! This is our first Muse on Monday for this year, so hopefully we can set a good tone for the year. I haven’t had anyone ask me about New Year’s resolutions for a while. Maybe people are cynical about then since they seem to last until February at the latest. Still, I’m…
Freedom of Movement
Freedom of Movement Jax stared at the ancient watercolor. “The cars had wheels? Why?” “They stayed on the ground.” “But what if there were trees? Or water?” “Well, you couldn’t drive on that part, just on the road.” “That’s so narrow! They must have felt suffocated.” “No, it was normal then. You don’t miss what…
Writing Corner: The Power of Story
The Power of Story When I was young, my sisters decided to get rid of a lot of the dolls they had that they didn’t play with. Some of them were gently used, some more scruffy, as children’s toys will be. We came up with stories for each of them, giving them a name and…
