Bram Stoker and the Power of the Document
There is a unique voyeuristic thrill in reading someone else’s mail.
The Monroe Minute
Not everything needs an essay.
The Monroe Minute is where I think in public—brief reflections on storytelling, language, and the craft behind both. Some entries are fragments. Some are observations. All of them are written in the space between reading, writing, and paying attention.
These are not polished arguments. They are working thoughts—captured quickly, before they disappear.
Narrative Causality
Plot is not a series of things that happen; it is a chain of consequences.
The Clutter of Choice
Abundance can be as paralyzing as scarcity.
Chekhov’s Gun and the Law of Necessity
If it isn’t necessary, it’s a distraction.
The Creative Uniform
What we wear can remove unnecessary decisions from the creative day.
The Sound of the Page
Every word has a physical texture that the reader ‘hears’ in their mind.
Shirley Jackson and the Geometry of Fear
True horror is found not in the shadows, but in the misalignment of the familiar.
The First Line’s Contract
The first line is the promise you make to the reader about the nature of the journey.
The Social Hangover of the Creator
For the observer, social life is research; solitude is where that research is processed.