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.
Toni Morrison and the Rooted Voice
Language is most powerful when it is tethered to a specific history and place.
Keep reading...The Cliffside Sentence
A chapter ending should feel like a question, even when it looks like a period.
Keep reading...Samuel Beckett’s Persistence
The act of continuing is often more important than the quality of the start.
Keep reading...Thinking with the Feet
A mile of walking can often solve a problem that an hour of sitting cannot.
Keep reading...Fractures in the Frame
A perfect character is a closed door; a flawed character is an invitation.
Keep reading...Jane Austen’s Sharp Filter
Social observation is a tool for revealing the inner workings of the soul.
Keep reading...The Scent of Glue and Ink
Physical books offer a multi-sensory experience that digital screens cannot replicate.
Keep reading...The Unsaid Between Lines
Characters rarely say exactly what they mean; the truth lives in the friction.
Keep reading...Raymond Carver and the Art of Omission
Narrative tension often builds in the spaces where the writer refuses to look.
Keep reading...