New posts monthly
in the last weekend of the month (usually!)

My Current Favorites

Exposition is architecture for your story

How to make exposition helpful instead of overwhelming

11/30/2024

Personalized Video Games

What's the appeal of a video game that is "personalized" or seems to know the player? What can that type of premise tell us about how to engage an audience?

1/26/2025

Read

Old 45

A collection of short stories based on Midwest summer vacations

7/27/25

Read

You can also choose one of these options:

Posts, by format

Posts, by genre

My most recent post

Posts, in chronological order

Classic Writing Advice

Posts, by format

These are my works of short fiction. Some options listed here are their own single stories - some are small collections of stories.

They show my writing at its most experimental: many pieces adopt their own formats and genres (although horror is one of my current favorites).

Halloween Stories 2

Collection of Halloween horror stories

10/26/2024

Read

The Tree and The Moth

A short story for spring

3/31/2024

Read

Halloween Stories

Collection of Halloween horror stories

10/29/2023

Read

App History

Epistolary horror microfiction

4/29/2023

Read

Lament for Wally

Summer flash fiction

5/26/2024

Read

Gingerbread Hot Cocoa

A Christmas short story

12/31/2023

Read

The Short Stay Tiki Bar and Resort

Epistolary horror microfiction
5/29/2023

Read

This is my longer fiction work. I expand on the same techniques from my shorter fiction to tell more in-depth stories.

Old 45

A collection of short stories based on Midwest summer vacations

7/27/25

Read

Cleaning Up After The Pool Party

Poetry chapbook for summer

8/31/2024

Read

Box Elder Public Library

An ARG (alternate reality game) / interactive horror mystery website
November 2020 - September 2022
[external]

Retrospective about this project: click here

Read

A craft draft is a detailed explanation of a writing technique.

These essays discuss specific characters, stories, tropes, logical fallacies, revision/rewriting processes and other techniques. This is also the section for reviews of specific media.

Pygmalion Advises His Student

A poetry craft draft

8/30/25

Read

Parable of the Canoe

A parable about groupthink, supplement to the Efficient Design essay
6/28/25

Read

Xenomorph Blood: An Antonymic Translation Poem

Poetry revision based on the "Alien" movies

4/26/25

Read

Personalized Video Games

What's the appeal of a video game that is "personalized" or seems to know the player? What can that type of premise tell us about how to engage an audience?
1/26/2025

Read

Compelling characters have hand goals and heart goals

What can your character do with their specific skills, and what do they have to change about themselves to accomplish?
11/30/2024

Read

Modern vs Contemporary vs Present-Day disambiguation

Modern, contemporary and present-day are all different terms with different meanings.
11/30/2024

Read

Even I Don't Read The Dictionary For Fun

An essay about using the dictionary in your essays
9/28/2024

Read

Three-Block

An art feedback process

9/28/2024

Read

"Small Bird" Craft Draft

An iterative poetry revision

4/27/2024

Read

Animal ARG Mini-Reviews

Mini-reviews published by ARG Digest

January/February issue 2024
(Issue 7)

Read

Kingdom Hearts is the abyss

Essay/cultural critique/rant

9/30/2023

Read

A smoke break with Tina Turner

Poetry craft draft

5/20/2023

Read

Efficient Design aka No One Makes Do With What They Have

An essay about conspiracy theories and conspiratorial thinking
6/28/25

Read

Metal Gear Solid 2 lies to you constantly about everything

An essay about the truths and lies in Metal Gear Solid 2
5/31/25

Read

Alternate Reality Games Don’t Exist Without “House of Leaves”

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of House of Leaves and its influence on alternate reality games, unfiction projects and internet horror stories

3/29/25

Read

"Box Elder Public Library" ARG Retrospective

A retrospective of my unfiction project about monsters, mysteries, and an empty library
12/29/2024

Read

Exposition is architecture for your story

How to make exposition helpful instead of overwhelming
11/30/2024

Read

Where does this "When you were born" quote come from?

An essay about a fake quote, social media and cultural appropriation
11/30/2024

Read

Thief Problem DLC

Supplement to the Thief Problem essay - now available as an appendix to the original essay
9/28/2024

Read

There is a good Super Smash Bros fangame

An essay about loving both Super Smash Bros and Super Smash Flash

6/30/204

(published on Medium)

Read

The Thief Problem

An essay about superhero stories, disguised as computer game documentation

2/24/2024

Read

The Monster Is The Camera

Essay published by ARG Digest

September/October issue 2023
(Issue 5, 10/14/2023)
and sources/recommended reading

Read

Newspaper Style Guide

A guide for creating fictional documents and immersive storytelling props

8/26/2023

Read

shortstories

postsbygenre

Posts, by genre

Halloween Stories 2

Collection of Halloween horror stories

10/26/2024

Read

The Short Stay Tiki Bar and Resort

Epistolary horror microfiction
5/29/2023

Read

Box Elder Public Library

An ARG (alternate reality game) / interactive horror mystery website

November 2020 - September 2022

[external]

Retrospective about this project: click here

Read

Halloween Stories

Collection of Halloween stories

10/29/2023

Read

App History

Epistolary horror microfiction

4/29/2023

Read

Old 45

A collection of short stories based on Midwest summer vacations

7/27/25

Read

Lament for Wally

Summer flash fiction

5/26/2024

Read

When a storm visits the garden

1/28/2024

Read

A smoke break with Tina Turner

Poetry craft draft

5/30/2023

Read

Momentary

2018

Read

Cleaning Up After The Pool Party

Poetry chapbook for summer

8/31/2024

Read

The Tree and The Moth

A short story for spring

3/31/2024

Read

Gingerbread Hot Cocoa

A Christmas short story

12/31/2023

Read

'Hey Ya' by OutKast plays in the background

2020

Read

Pygmalion Advises His Student

A poetry craft draft

8/30/25

Read

Parable of the Canoe

A parable about groupthink, supplement to the Efficient Design essay

6/28/25

Read

Xenomorph Blood: An Antonymic Translation Poem

Poetry revision based on the "Alien" movies

4/26/25

Read

Personalized Video Games

What's the appeal of a video game that is "personalized" or seems to know the player? What can that type of premise tell us about how to engage an audience?
1/26/2025

Read

Compelling characters have hand goals and heart goals

What can your character do with their specific skills, and what do they have to change about themselves to accomplish?
11/30/2024

Read

Modern vs Contemporary vs Present-Day disambiguation

Modern, contemporary and present-day are all different terms with different meanings.
11/30/2024

Read

Even I Don't Read The Dictionary For Fun

An essay about using the dictionary in your essays

9/28/2024

Read

Three-Block

An art feedback process

9/28/2024

Read

"Small Bird" Craft Draft

An iterative poetry revision

4/27/2024

Read

Kingdom Hearts is the abyss

Essay/cultural critique/rant

9/30/2023

Read

Notes on Opportunity, from a snowy hotel room

2019

Read

Sunday, the 21st of January 1973

2019

Read

Efficient Design aka No One Makes Do With What They Have

An essay about conspiracy theories and conspiratorial thinking

6/28/25

Read

Metal Gear Solid 2 lies to you constantly about everything

An essay about the truths and lies in Metal Gear Solid 2
5/31/25

Read

Alternate Reality Games Don’t Exist Without “House of Leaves”

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of House of Leaves and its influence on alternate reality games, unfiction projects and internet horror stories
3/29/25

Read

"Box Elder Public Library" ARG Retrospective

A retrospective of my unfiction project about monsters, mysteries, and an empty library
12/29/2024

Read

Exposition is architecture for your story

How to make exposition helpful instead of overwhelming
11/30/2024

Read

Where does this "When you were born" quote come from?

An essay about a fake quote, social media and cultural appropriation
11/30/2024

Read

Thief Problem DLC

Supplement to the Thief Problem essay - now available as an appendix to the original essay

9/28/2024

Read

There is a good Super Smash Bros fangame

An essay about loving both Super Smash Bros and Super Smash Flash

6/30/24

(published on Medium)

Read

The Thief Problem

An essay about superhero stories, disguised as computer game documentation

2/24/2024

Read

Newspaper Style Guide

A guide for creating fictional documents and immersive storytelling props

8/26/2023

Read

Waking up 5:25 am Saturday morning to a party above me

2019

Read

postschronological

Posts, in chronological order

App History

Epistolary horror microfiction

4/29/2023

Read

The Short Stay Tiki Bar and Resort

Epistolary horror microfiction
5/29/2023

Read

Newspaper Style Guide

A guide for creating fictional documents and immersive storytelling props

8/26/2023

Read

The Monster is the Camera

Essay published by ARG Digest

September/October issue 2023
(10/14/2023)
and sources/recommended reading

Read

This Game I Found

Essay published by ARG Digest

November/December issue 2023
(Issue 6)
and sources/recommended reading

Read

A smoke break with Tina Turner

Poetry craft draft

5/20/2023

Read

Relived Eternally review

Review published by ARG Digest

July/August issue 2023

(7/29/2023)

(what is an ARG?)

[external]

Read

Kingdom Hearts is the abyss

Essay/cultural critique/rant

9/30/2023

Read

Halloween Stories

Collection of Halloween stories

10/29/2023

Read

Gingerbread Hot Cocoa

A Christmas short story

12/31/2023

Read

When a storm visits the garden

1/28/2024

Read

The Thief Problem

An essay about superhero stories, disguised as computer game documentation

2/24/2024

Read

"The Brain-Eaters" and spring ARG mini-reviews

An essay about psychological horror themes in unfiction stories, and Mini-reviews of two spring-themed unfiction projects, published by ARG Digest

"Madness and Monsters" March/April issue 2024 (issue 8)

Read

Lament for Wally

Summer flash fiction

5/26/2024

Read

Cleaning Up After The Pool Party

Poetry chapbook for summer

8/31/2024

Read

Thief Problem DLC

Supplement to the Thief Problem essay - now available as an appendix to the original essay

9/28/2024

Read

Halloween Stories 2

Collection of Halloween horror stories

10/26/2024

Read

Modern vs Contemporary vs Present-Day disambiguation

Modern, contemporary and present-day are all different terms with different meanings.
11/30/2024

Read

Compelling characters have hand goals and heart goals

What can your character do with their specific skills, and what do they have to change about themselves to accomplish?
11/30/2024

Read

Animal ARG Mini-Reviews

Mini-reviews published by ARG Digest

January/February issue 2024
(Issue 7)

Read

The Tree and The Moth

A short story for spring

3/31/2024

Read

"Small Bird" Craft Draft

An iterative poetry revision

4/27/2024

Read

There is a good Super Smash Bros fangame

An essay about loving both Super Smash Bros and Super Smash Flash

6/30/24

(published on Medium)

Read

Three-Block

An art feedback process

9/28/2024

Read

Even I Don't Read The Dictionary For Fun

An essay about using the dictionary in your essays

9/28/2024

Read

Where does this "When you were born" quote come from?

An essay about a fake quote, social media and cultural appropriation
11/30/2024

Read

Exposition is architecture for your story

How to make exposition helpful instead of overwhelming
11/30/2024

Read

"Box Elder Public Library" ARG Retrospective

A retrospective of my unfiction project about monsters, mysteries, and an empty library

12/29/2024

Read

Personalized Video Games

What's the appeal of a video game that is "personalized" or seems to know the player? What can that type of premise tell us about how to engage an audience?
1/26/2025

Read

Xenomorph Blood: An Antonymic Translation Poem

Poetry revision based on the "Alien" movies

4/26/25

Read

Efficient Design aka No One Makes Do With What They Have

An essay about conspiracy theories and conspiratorial thinking

6/28/25

Read

Old 45

A collection of short stories based on Midwest summer vacations

7/27/25