By: James Aitchison Why tears?Cry out insteadfor the silence.Achieve releasetoday from all thatstifles your soul.Your true selflives on this earth,but is not of it,untouched by anyvestige of strayhurt or emotion.Open the petalsof your soulto the light.
By: Jim Bates Dreary windy rainPuddles form on muddy pathsDucks very happy. March blizzard blowingWind-whipping snowstorm madlySwirling like crazy. After the snowfallSoft white blanket covers the landtBeauty unsurpassed. Sunshine snow meltingAfter the storm birds singingTwittering with joy. One goose flying byHonks a single lonely callWhere are my buddies?
By: Richard LeDue The past used to be heavy as a bookI always wanted to read,but instead found solacein making sure it was visiblefor the people I thought I neededto impress, while the apathetic dustweighed me down even more,like I was a child’s balloon,so desperate for great heightswithout ever thinkingabout why. Preposterous The thermostat tries […]
By: Joan Slatoff They should have private waiting areas at this clinic. It’s embarrassing; everyone knows why we’re here. There’s only the two of us in reception at the moment, me and that girl in the corner chair. I used to sit in that chair so I could see anything that happened. Just like that […]
By: Donna Gum Jenkins would have given in to despair long ago, living with his miser of a daughter. Mary Sue wanted him to sign over his wealth, which Jenkins refused. He didn’t know what he would do without Amelia, his worker. Jenkins knew he’d fallen for the lovely woman and looked forward to the […]
By James Aitchison A white ruler of a savage jungle populated by headhunters; an English family dynasty controlling a far-flung outpost of the Empire. Something out of a boys’ adventure storybook? Or a Hollywood movie starring Errol Flynn? History brims with facts more fanciful than fiction, and none more so than the story of James […]
By: Debbie Tunstall ” Sit down,” he said.“What can I do to help?” I’ll slouch downhead hung low, mind clenching words. Then something extraordinary happens- emotions paint the room. He looks up, opens lipssounds of deafening silence. I stand up, fold feelings back into pockets and exit the room: Tucking in tears. ### Debbie Tunstall […]
By: Duane L Herrmann The young man was eager to buy his first house. He had heard that you could get a good deal at a house auction. The house might need work to fix it up, but if no one else at the auction wanted to do that, you could get a good […]
Great character arcs are built on transformation, and one of the most powerful frameworks for understanding this journey is the four stages of knowing in character arcs. These stages map a character’s growth through initiation to enlightenment to integration in a way that feels deeply satisfying to readers. Why? Because it is yet another way […]
As a literary agent my goal is to champion the writers that I represent. A champion is committed to guide the writers journey even if that looks different than they thought it would. With that in mind, here are three things I tell potential clients as well as those I currently represent. 1. Timing is […]
By Bruce Levine A winter morningSunshine fills crispy, clean airSnow is on the ground Fighting off the coldPeople bundled to the neckHats and scarves and gloves Frozen hands and feetTime for a hot chocolate breakWhen will winter end Winter’s frozen lakes Skating and ice-boat racing Fishing through a hole Trudging through the snow Finding a […]
By William T. Hathaway “Fascism” is the current malediction of the left media to evoke fear and loathing of Trump, Alternatives for Germany (AfD), and other right-wing movements. It’s a strongly charged term, but false and harmful. What we are witnessing now is not the rise of fascism but the fall of social democracy – […]
