Kingdom Hearts III: A Writer’s Take

The Prologue Let me share with you a perfect summer memory, made all the sweeter by the fact that it was, in fact, not perfect. It was the end of the school year, but not just the year. High school was over. My friends and I had tossed our hats into the air, and then …

Autumn Again

Autumn again. Slanting afternoon light and apple cider crispness. Leaves beginning to burn. Wood smoke in the air.   It seems as if I’m just looking up from my desk and realizing that the season has changed outside. Suddenly, I’m thinking of wrapping a sweater around my shoulders. Suddenly, I’m noticing the long twilight at …

Thinking for Yourself

Ours is the age of paradox. Just a few decades ago, experts were predicting that the amount of leisure time that the average person would enjoy would increase astronomically. With the advent of time-saving technology (dishwashers, laundry machines, copy machines, computers, cars), there was actually a concern that people wouldn’t have enough work to do. …

Change Changes Us

Maybe it's just the phase of life I'm in right now, and maybe it's because a dear friend just recently moved to another state, but change has been on my mind. At first blush, I'm not one to enjoy change, but it's really not a bad thing. Not when I think about it. Change changes …

Seeing the World Through Stories

Every person has something that they can’t resist. It catches your eye across a crowded room. You find yourself pulling the nearest person you know along to point it out. Even if you don’t touch it or intend to buy it, you comment on it. For some it’s food, or music, or shoes. For me, …

Final Fantasy XV: What Was Lovely and What I Would Have Done Differently

Before I get too far into this post, I must do the decent thing and let you know that there will be spoilers. So if that kind of thing really burns your bacon, read no further. If you don’t mind, or you’ve already played it, carry on. FFXV has drifted through my consciousness for years …

“The Election’s Over, Now What?” Or, “Don’t Worry, This Post Isn’t As Political As You Might Think”

Of course, as soon as I say that I’m going to update my blog regularly, my life shifts to make that very thing almost impossible. So, apologies for that. But now...now, I’ll be better! (here’s hoping)   For the past two months, I’ve been working as a volunteer staff member at a guesthouse and conference …

Convention(al) Adventures

There’s nothing quite like a comic convention. The nearly constant buzz of conversation, occasional shouts and frequent squeaks as people recognize their favorite characters walking around outside of their stories. I’ve just gotten back from Nan Desu Kan, one of the Midwest’s biggest anime conventions, and as usual, it was an adventure.   I have …

You Can Be More: Writing for Boys

My last post shared some honest thoughts from Dave Rudden about boys and how they are taught by expectation and example not to feel. I hope that if you’re reading this blog post, you’ve given his excellent essay a read first. I have never been a boy, so my experience with this subject is certainly …

Why Teenage Boys are Told Not to Feel, and Why That’s So Wrong

This week's post features words from upcoming Irish author Dave Rudden, whose novel Knights of the Borrowed Dark will be released in August of this year. I was delighted and gratified to find his work because not only does the story sound like a really good read, it also resonates with many themes that I think are …