With each passing year, I fully intend to dedicate all the spare time I have to writing. Despite those lofty goals, life steps in and kicks me in the mouth. Whether I get sucked into some games, tv shows, books, or troubling times, I’ve never been able to claim that level of dedication. This year is no different. The constant barrage upon my focus forces me to make choices concerning the one limited resource we all have: time...

With the month rapidly coming to a close, the moment I finished crafting Partners I turned my attention to the second genre selected by my patrons, Science Fiction. While I have crafted several worlds that could serve as the basis for this tale, one of them jumped to the front of the list. Despite knowing the genre and the location, I was having some trouble crafting the ultimate storyline. With the block fully in place, I plucked a prompt from NYC Midnight’s collection...

The thing I love about micro fiction is the word limit. Having to tell a story with a cap of two hundred and fifty words forces me to focus on my diction and keeping the narrative tight. With that limitation, I’m willing to experiment with genres that I’m not entirely comfortable with, like romance and comedy. However, that doesn’t mean stories always flutter to the forefront of my mind. So, when I sat down to outline this piece of micro fiction, I pulled a random first line to kick-start my creativity juices...

Despite playing a lot of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, I’ve kept myself focused on my writing. When I pulled the genre poll for March, I was happy that my patrons wanted to see another Ghost Story. While I enjoy the formula I’ve found with Journey of Thanks, I wanted to try something a little different. So, I sat down in front of my computer and stared at my collection of screens. Unfortunately, for a while, I couldn’t think of a potential storyline to explore. But as my mind went blank, I started skimming through various streaming services and the nascent idea for this ghost story burst into existence...

When I sat down to pull the prompts for my Micro Fiction, I didn’t have a clue what shape this micro tale would take, aside from leveraging Solomon. So, when I sat down to crank out this narrative, I pulled up the first line generator and was intrigued by what splashed across the screen...

This past Christmas, Santa brought an Animal Crossing Nintendo Switch for the family. Unfortunately, for the first couple of weeks, it sat on the television stand collecting dust. Despite bringing Super Smash Brothers Ultimate, Santa brought no more games for the family. One day, after I finished pummeling computer opponents with Kirby, I returned the console to its dock. As it slipped into its home, I saw the trio of racoons standing on a tiny island. With a brief smile, I remembered playing the game on the GameCube...

While I’m still working on my artwork, other projects have been busy sapping my free time. However, I’ve added a pair of name plates to my growing collection. Despite the different feel from the previous entries, I’m happy with how the plaques for Chris and Charles turned out. Over the next several weeks, I’m planning on bringing more artwork to the world, so stay tuned...

Whenever I pull a Chicken/Beef pot pie out of the oven, I take a deep breath and I’m instantly transported back to my childhood. While my mother didn’t make them often (I don’t remember if she made them by hand or pulled them from the freezer), I can’t help but see my mom’s beaming smile. Whenever my mind wanders to my mother, I feel her love wash over me. Fortunately, pulling out one of these pastries isn’t the only way for me to feel connected to her. Since she was the cook for my family, whenever I’m preparing meals for my family or myself, a warm smile creeps onto my face...

Every so often as I sit with my nothing box, my mind drifts to the memories when my life flashed before me. While most of those moments lasted a handful of heartbeats, a single instance drew out for several days. For those who aren’t aware, Guillain-Barre is a syndrome where your immune system gets kicked into overdrive to combat a disease. Unfortunately, it gets confused and once it’s finished dealing with the original issue; it attacks your nerves. Thankfully, with swift and proper care, I didn’t have a severe case...

With Conversations and Recovery finished, I turned my attention to the last piece of flash fiction for my patrons. While I’ve leaned into Political Satire’s in the real world, it’s so much easier to create a fun story when I blend it with another genre. Thankfully, I’ve created a few worlds that are perfect canvases for these projects. With the setting chosen, it took me a little while to connect all the connective tissue with the base infrastructure I had created...

With the requirement from Arlen weighing Darren down like an anchor, the student pushes himself to complete his personal challenge. When he’s not in class, eating meals, working with Lia, or sleeping, Darren locks his door and toils away at his creation. Every time a classmate comes to his door to pry him away from his obsession, Darren refuses and sequesters himself with his work...

When I first introduced Aiden in the micro-tale of Dueling Students, he and a classmate were dueling with each other. Since then, I’ve been telling more of Aiden’s story and his drive to become a better spell caster. Given the lifespan of the elven teachers, I’ve been able to explore their characters as well. This time, I’m shifting the attention to Arlen and her mastery of certain magic...

Upon the completion of Conversations, I turned my attention to the next story for my patrons. With my sights set on a work of Historical Fiction, my attention slid through my internal catalogue of characters and stopped with Samuel. While I’ve written seven stories that explore this wandering bounty hunter, I haven’t created a true sequel, until now...

With my patrons’ decision made, I plucked the Ghost Story and started fleshing out an idea. Recently, I recommended one of my early ghostly tales, so it was teased to the forefront of my mind. While I played with several storylines for my patrons, my father’s opinions of that previous tale blended together with my current narrative. After a lengthy working session, I seized upon the rough outline of the tale I wanted to provide to my wonderful patrons...

How would you fare if you entered another country by yourself? Would you be nervous? Let’s dial it back. Instead of heading to another nation, how would you feel about going to another state or province with no one? Could you handle the unknown? Personally, except for my first few trips to college, I was always eager to hop into the car and make those twelvish hour drives. There was something freeing about being on the road...