So, it’s that time again—NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month, which is November since the first letters are the same as in novel; cute innit?). I’ve done many NaNoWriMos in the past, but am passing on the official game this year due to issues with the org itself (from a scandal last
Tag: writing
Hang around enough writers groups and creative writing classes, and you’ll come across history’s most emetic sandwich: the compliment sandwich. That overly prescriptive, insincere way of giving feedback in a praise-criticism-praise formula that leaked out of the corporate jargon vanity management book world and into the real world where it could
Writing routines can really be quite a double-edged sword. There’s the obvious good side: developing good habits (the *doing* the writing part being, of course, the most important), and using memory cues to help you jump back into your story efficiently. (On that note, just look at the old psychological studies
With ChatGPT all over the news, everyone who loves juvenile humor is an honorary francophone. It turns out that, spoken aloud, “ChatGPT” sounds like “Chat j’ai pété,” which translates to “Cat, I farted.” This will likely be the greatest contribution that ChatGPT will make to society. I see all sorts of
This Friday kicks off THE SPOOKY SEASON! Introducing: I Was a Teenage Ghost Hunter: Camp Claiborne A 10-Part Story and Video Series Join me on a mini-autobiographical journey through my teen years poking the paranormal at an abandoned WWII military base in the middle of the Louisiana woods. YouTube Channel *
This collection of stories is, to the best of my knowledge, an accurate recollection of my experiences, as I experienced them at the time, and an accurate report on what I have been told by individuals known to me. Any divergences from what happened were either intentional changes made to protect
When I return to visit Louisiana, I like to make the time to stop in at Camp Claiborne, revisit the old stomping grounds. Over the years, it has changed. A lot. At some point, the state or military or some kind of authorities swept in. They said it was hazardous, that
If the knowledge that I actually went out to adventure in Camp Claiborne on a Halloween night doesn’t make you question my sanity, then the story of what happened might. It’s a story that I don’t really like telling for that reason. If there hadn’t been another witness there…well, then I
I’m not usually one for content warnings. I mean, I don’t begrudge people who use them or need them, but I can never remember to until it’s too late. That said, I really, really like dogs and cats, so I’m giving a reverse content warning here: nothing bad happens to the
When I recount these stories to friends nowadays, there’s one question in particular that comes up again and again: “Why did you keep going back?” Sometimes I try to answer it, but other times I dodge and instead laugh and mention that there were places in the camp that were too