The Monroe Minute
Observations on the craft and the quiet.
Welcome to the Archive.
The Monroe Minute is 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.
How Notebooks Train the Eye to See
Sloane flips through a worn notebook and notices how unfiltered details accumulate meaning over time.
Keep reading...Why Prose Breathes Before It Moves
Reading aloud in a quiet room, Sloane listens for where sentences inhale and release.
Keep reading...Why Certain Tools Slow the Mind on Purpose
Sloane writes with a fountain pen and observes how resistance in motion sharpens attention.
Keep reading...What Woolf Understood About Locked Doors
Sloane reflects on Woolf while standing at the threshold of her own workspace.
Keep reading...Where Meaning Hides When You Stop Explaining
Sloane notices how removing a single explanatory sentence deepens the reader’s involvement.
Keep reading...How Beginnings Quietly Decide Everything
Sloane begins the year at a cleared desk with a single book and pen, observing how intentionality eliminates noise.
Keep reading...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...