My response to the fact of my existence is to write. I want to know my soul, from what well springs my thoughts and words, why I think what I think, why I see what I see. The truth of all our lives creates our shared reality. I have a responsibility to bear witness.
There’s no point in retelling stories already told under the guise of “new work.” It may be true that there’s nothing new under the sun, still I strive to write what only I can write and avoid the rest.
I’m at heart a dreamer, a maker of fiction, a teller of tales. I write from my perceptions, subject to change, contradiction, even a little whimsy. Forgive my mistakes. I write with what talent and energy and hours I have. Nothing is ever finished or perfect. It’s the evidence I’ve collected so far, a snapshot in time, certainly subject to change. But I’m prepared to share it now. It’s ready, for better or worse.
I believe I’ve done every kind of writing there is, but considering all I’ve written, it appears that I’m primarily a playwright.
I love poetry, that it often can’t be taken literally. Poetry is abstract painting with words. A sentiment expressed in a poem is almost impossible to express in another form, and when I write in other forms I sometimes lapse into poetry, just for meaning’s sake.
The only reason I have for not having written more short stories is that I’ve spent my time with other forms. I do have a large short story idea folder, from which I might one day write more short stories. I don’t have any expectations in this regard. Some of my intended stories became poems or plays.I always imagined I would be a novelist, and I am. But my novels tend to go to great lengths, so most are incomplete. My earliest short novel, Universal Servant, I plan to reimagine as a story discovered abandoned in what was once an asylum for children, annotated by a psychiatrist with notes and analysis, intended to be published as a case file for an audience of mental health workers and other interested parties.
Many know me primarily as technical writer and instruction module designer. I have included my Writer for Hire page, and am pleased whenever anyone pays me to write for them. Someday I’ll retire to finish as much of my creative writing as possible for the benefit of whomever it comes to.
I have a Contact Me page. If you’re inclined, I encourage you to do so.