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When I first arrived on Substack, I was afraid that I was at a disadvantage. Many of the great writers here dedicate a good part of their lives to honing their craft while I spend my days in the gym, jotting stories in my spare moments before or after work. But it didn’t take long…

It’s been a long gestation period. Very long. Almost 30 years. It feels good to finally see it come to life. My 2026 writing goal was twofold: submit short stories to as many anthologies as possible and to publish Soiled Undies & Other Gorgon Encounters in paperback. It has been a year of learning. The…

You were born with the gift of story. Oh, I know, not everyone believes it. When I mention that I like to write speculative fiction, some folks admit to me that they’re just not creative. It’s not really true, though. The fact is, we are wired for story. Only some folks believe their own stories…

Archimedes said that with a large enough lever, he could move the world. And that’s exactly what I’m trying to do. AI may be the greatest lever a writer ever had. A force multiplier. While folks debate the pros and cons of large language models, I am busy using the tool God provided to carve…

I am grateful for all the writing opportunities out there. From anthologies to contests, there are plenty of chances to submit writing. Learning to write on demand has been my 2026 training program. A specific prompt, a specified word length, a submission deadline. What better way to develop my writing muscles? Train my muse to…

My AI search engine tells me: “Stephen King did not establish his career by winning public writing contests, and there is no official record or tally of him winning competitive writing contests as an adult.” Would you be surprised to learn that neither did J. K. Rowling? Though AI tells me: “Once published, her work…

Here’s the thing about icebergs: they need to have a lot of mass concealed below the waves in order for a small tip to be spotted above. This past couple of weeks have been all about laying the necessary groundwork. Building the mass that will lie below the waves, unseen but necessary for the project…

I won the first writing contest that I ever entered. And that win almost permanently stalled my writing journey. The fantasy adventure story I wrote qualified me as a finalist. Never mind that the work was derivative, including elements such as the flaming bull from the animated movie The Last Unicorn, folks praised my debut…

There are things that AI is good for, and others that it is not. There is much ado about using AI these days. Particularly in the world of writing. As with any hot topic, people try to drain all nuance from the subject and make it into something black and white. Me, I prefer to…

Next week I begin edits on my next Raconteur Press anthology submission, Wyrd World of Sports. This week I have spent some time editing Kid Quick stories and designing their respective covers with the intention of eventually launching that franchise. Received another rejection for Haven’t We Been Here Before? Unless I find another market to…