The Monroe Papers
Observations on the craft and the quiet.
Welcome to the Archive.
The Monroe Papers are a series of entries focused on the art of storytelling, the architecture of a good sentence, and the pursuit of a mindful creative life. I spend my time here sorting through the noise of the digital world to find the quiet truths that help us write better stories.
Below, you will find my latest entries, organized by date. I hope you find exactly the thread you were looking for.
Finding the Thread
We’ve all been there: the story feels broken and you don’t know why. Here is how I look for the loose ends.
Keep reading...Silk and Circuit
What happens when we mix the elegance of the old world with the grit of the new?
Keep reading...The Stories We Tell Ourselves
We all have a version of our own lives playing in our heads. Your protagonist is no different.
Keep reading...Building the Ground Beneath Their Feet
A story’s world isn’t just a map; it’s a collection of memories. Here is how I think about building deep roots.
Keep reading...The Art of the Unsaid
Sometimes, the most powerful thing you can say is nothing at all. I’ve been looking at how Hemingway turned silence into a masterpiece.
Keep reading...The Precision of the Knife
A single, piercing image can anchor an entire poem or chapter.
Keep reading...The First Draft’s Burial
You must be willing to lose the work you love to find the work that lasts.
Keep reading...The Commonplace Archive
Collecting the brilliance of others is an essential act of creative humility.
Keep reading...Márquez and the Ordinary Miracle
The supernatural only works when it is treated with the same mundanity as the weather.
Keep reading...The Variable Speed of Time
Prose has the power to stretch a second or compress a decade.
Keep reading...The Table as a Mirror
Hosting others provides a unique laboratory for studying human behavior.
Keep reading...Emily Dickinson and the Slant of Truth
Directness can sometimes blind; the most profound truths often arrive ‘slant.’
Keep reading...The Lens of the Outsider
Perspective is a filter that determines what the reader is allowed to feel.
Keep reading...The Geography of the Desk
A curated workspace functions as an external hard drive for the mind.
Keep reading...Toni Morrison and the Rooted Voice
Language is most powerful when it is tethered to a specific history and place.
Keep reading...