I mention Christopher Vogler so often on this blog, it’s become a running joke at this point. Though I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the two men who influenced Vogler’s work. The most obvious is Joseph Campbell, specifically his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. A subtle influence in Campbell’s work – one that Vogler shines a brighter light on – is Carl Jung. You can say that Vogler introduced me to Jung, and I’ve found the latter’s ideas fascinating ever since. At the very least, Jung’s theories gave me a reliable shorthand I can use to communicate my deeper thoughts on storytelling.

Sounds like most of the US is having some crazy winter weather. Here in my neck of the woods, we’ve had plenty of snow the past two weeks. I’ve gathered some writing prompts to keep you company. Best enjoyed warm.

David’s phone buzzed. A text from a familiar number appeared.

N: Hey David. You there? It’s Nico.

As the title implies, the changes are complete and all of my old content has been restored. I hope you’re enjoying the new look as much as I am.

Hey everyone. I’m finally ready to implement some major updates to the blog. Here’s a few things I need to warn you about.

• Site will be down from noon Saturday (January 23) to 5pm Monday (January 25) US Eastern Standard Time. Depending on how quickly servers update, the site may be back up early, but I still need 48 hours to make sure the changes take effect.

• This site will no longer use Disqus comments. If you want to save anything you posted in the comments section, please do so before the site goes down, else the content will be lost.

• There won’t be any new posts until the updates are complete. If this is the first one you see, then I’m still working in the background.

I fully expect the blog to look wonky and my backlog to be incomplete once it’s back online. Please be patient while I clean up and restore all of my previous posts.

See you on the other side!

It’s been a stressful week for me, so no quippy intro this time, folks. Here’s your Idea to Steal for January.

I discovered the YouTube channel Psych2Go last year and have enjoyed several of their videos. One I keep circling back to is “7 Things You Should Never Apologize For.” The last time I watched it, I noticed how two of the things on their list were particularly relevant for writers:

1. You should never apologize for your accomplishments.
2. You should never apologize for doing something that makes you happy.

In the realm of creative writing, both of these things translate to creating a story that fulfills your artistic vision and is a piece you’re proud of.

We made it, y’all! It’s 2021! Here’s some prompts to kick off your first writing sessions of the year.

The train came to a stop at the next station. Though none of the passengers were listening, the announcer lady said, “Arrived at Sable Heights. Next stop: Broad Street. Transfers at Broad Street for Yellow Line.”

The loud clatter of skateboard wheels startled the group. A tall, muscular young man boarded – jumping into the train, grabbing a pole, and swinging himself around as he kicked the skateboard up into his free hand. It took the passengers a few seconds to process the skater’s trick and just as long for the skater to realize he had an audience. Though once he did, surprise snapped across his face. “Woah! Are all of you heading to Coldessi Park?” the skater asked.

Family is visiting tomorrow, so I’m giving you your Idea to Steal a day early. Enjoy!