Despite the turbulence of my July, I dedicated myself to finish crafting the exclusive pieces of flash fiction for my patrons. With Understanding finished, I stepped away from the turmoil in my life and focused on my next creative outlet, a Historical Fiction. Thankfully, when I pulled the results for July, I knew the character who would propel this tale forward. Samuel and his majestic dragon Pearl would serve as the focal point of this blending of Historical Fiction and Fantasy...

As July draws to a close, I’ve dedicated myself to my writing in order to escape from the pressures and heartaches of the real world. While most of my stories this month refused to flow from my fingertips, this storyline practically rushed through my fingers. When I selected this prompt, the basics of the story crystalized in my mind. Thankfully, Micro Fiction’s constraint of two hundred and fifty words helped me craft this micro-escape from reality...

While I’m proud of every piece of artwork that I create, I’m more attached to some. This week my favorites include Earthen Home, Wolf & Snake, and Weapon Table. The common thread connecting these images is that they started as a collection of lines...

Constraints are excellent for sparking new ideas. One of my favorite characters, Darren Gilbert, was created because of a random NYC Midnight prompt. I needed to write a fantasy at a shoe store and feature a pancake. So, when my patrons selected horror as one of my monthly genres over on Patreon, I selected another prompt and created a character with a passion for wiping out creatures that go bump in the night. Despite not giving this character a name in his initial work of Flash Fiction, I was intrigued by his character that I focused on him in a piece of Micro Fiction...

As this year of drawing continues, I’m constantly seeing my skill develop and increase. Things that I couldn’t have done a few months ago are becoming commonplace in my sketches and finished pieces of art. However, I refuse to rely on my past accomplishments, there’s no surer way for skills to plateau. So, I’m constantly examining my finished pieces for all the flaws, both fundamental and perceived, to achieve my goals...

My creative portion of my mind works wonders at providing me an escape from reality. Unfortunately, some days that escape is easier than others, and ever June 30th ticked away, my escapes haven’t been as effective. While I’m eventually able to fall into my creative headspace, once I’m there I’m too exhausted for some of my more typical sessions. As a result, the vast majority of my writing has been placed aside for the month, specifically all five of my Wattpad publications. Hopefully, when August rolls around, I’ll be past this funk and able to resume detailing all those storylines...

As the limousine drew to a stop, Kyle stepped in front of the vehicle, slapping the hood with a file folder.

The driver’s window lowered, and he popped his head through the opening. “Are you aware of who I’m driving?”

Kyle tapped the packet against his forehead as his lips curled into a grin. “I trust Chase Heath is nestled in there.” He thrust the dossier toward the backside of the limousine. “I have important questions for him.”

“Get out of the way.”

The rear door opened, and a stocky individual leaned against the vehicle. “You heard our driver, step aside.”..

The last I explored the people in the Academy’s past, my attention lingered on a duel between a pair of students. When I finished penning that tale, I didn’t plan on returning to these particular characters. However, as I sat down to plan my Micro Fiction for July, I used Google to generate some random genres, and one of them was a Romantic Comedy. As I looked through my writing journals to match up a storyline to the selected prompts, I stumbled upon Dueling Students...

Sometimes you don’t notice when you fall into a rut. While ruts aren’t exactly a bad, they’re not great. The biggest drawback is they rapidly become monotonous, either for you or for the people who follow you. When I started liquifying lines, my goal was to craft interesting shapes with those initial scratches of my stylus. Unfortunately, instead of pushing past my comfort level I grew complacent, and it took me a while to realize it. Thankfully, once I accepted the reality of my situation, I started searching for complete images hidden in the lines...

How often do you think about your reputation? I’d be willing to bet that it’s not something you think about daily. However, as an author, I’m constantly thinking about my characters’ reputations. Thankfully, my main characters are well rounded, and possess explicit ones. However, when it comes to my villains and supporting characters, it’s a little more difficult to create a well-defined reputation...

As a software developer, I’m constantly turning to the internet in search of answers. In fact, my ability to delve into the depths of those rough seas is integral to my success in crafting sound code. But with all the time honing my Google-fu, I’m able to flex those muscles for my other interests. And a while back I stumbled onto a YouTube video that introduced me to a Photoshop tutorial that produces some rather pleasing visual effects. While I’ve shared three of my Twisted Fibers pieces already, today I’m announcing my fourth...

With Open House and Finding Camp published for my patrons, I eagerly set out to craft my first Spy Story. While this genre isn’t one I normally explore, I couldn’t think about this genre without my mind reaching back to Spy Game. Despite not seeing the movie in about a decade, a couple of scenes seared themselves in my mind. The first was when Nathan Muir (Robert Redford) was in a helicopter searching for Tom Bishop (Brad Pitt)...

After the tribunal removed Olyver, Quinn instructed his spies to continue monitoring anything that might harm the fledgling Federation. While most of Quinn’s men kept their focus on the leaders of the Federation, Quinn reserved his most skilled operatives for another task. Olyver’s antics proved that a force was acting against the best interest of the Federation. So Quinn tasked his elite agents to uncover the truth behind the rogue triumvirs. A few days later, Dorian, Quinn’s top agent, walked into Quinn’s office with an update on the recent corruption...

When I sat down to flesh out this piece of Micro Fiction, my mind rushed to a camp out back when I was a young boy scout. While most of the details from that expedition are fuzzy, the bit I vividly remember is how one of the older scouts gave me a lesson in how the imagination worked. Our campsite was running along a creek, and he pulled out a night vision scope and encouraged all the younger scouts to examine a patch of shadows. As we all took turns exploring the area, he pointed out the motion...

My artistic journey is wondrous. And like any journey, there are highs and lows. While the disappointments never make their way out of my digital notebook, they influence me far more than my triumphs. I pour over those flops, searching for every imperfection and cringing when I uncover them. Now, before we go further, I’m not someone who enjoys wallowing in my failures. Ultimately, I use those blunders to further my skills. And last week I published two images that benefited from that kind of scrutiny, Touching Water and Blocked Sun...