Music as time machine

A week or so ago, I opened up Twitter and threw out a set of questions: What was the first CD you ever bought and would you listen to it today? The questions seemed — forgive the pun — to strike a chord, as answers poured in across eras and genres. I vividly remember being …

Feelings I want to write toward

When you look at a loved one and see them anew and your heart fills to overflowing When something finally clicks into place and puts the world in a new light When you hit a suspenseful part of a book and forget to breathe and just read faster and faster and faster That keen sense …

On phones and during runs and in line

I’m sure there was a time when I thought there was a process you needed to have in place before you could write. A distinct location or a certain amount of time. I don’t remember exactly when I tossed that idea aside, but I couldn’t have been a writer if I didn’t. I’m a journalist …

Ways to be a writer

In writing, there are always new goals to strive toward. There are also always new ways to feel less than. I’m not a real writer if I’m only writing for work. I’m not a real writer if I’m writing genre fiction, or if I’m writing flash fiction. I’m not a real writer if I’m unpublished. …

The role of heart in horror (and everything else)

I have always gravitated to horror, to the supernatural, to mythology. To the weird and the unexplained. Most of the books and movies and TV shows I like fall into those categories. I like the way they open up my imagination, make me look at the world differently. But for me to really love a …

On friendship and adulthood and change

I started reading this Man Repeller essay on the idea of a "friendship complex," after seeing a Tweet about thinking you're "not doing adult friendship right." It struck a chord and I wondered if I’d recognize myself in it. (It’s good — read it.) I did and I didn’t. The author writes about loneliness, a …

What’s the appeal of fear?

I’ve been a fan of horror for as long as I can remember, starting from the moment I happened across “Goosebumps” in the school library. But why? Why scare myself on purpose, for fun? I’ve always been drawn to the supernatural stories in the genre. I’m far less interested in tales of the horrible things …

Still lakes, live music

Classic rock. The steady push and pull of the ocean. That particular kind of early September air that feels like the start of fall semester and cross country season all at once. Everyone’s list is different, by nature, and, if you’re lucky, it never stops growing. It’s like love. It makes room. Home isn’t a …

On social media, and choosing to see the good

Say what you will about social media and smartphones, but like (most) everything humans have created over the years, they have the potential for good and for ill. And the ill of today's technology gets a lot of attention, for good reason. There’s plenty to hate about the internet, and these technologies have heightened that …

Like rings on a tree

When I was little, I used to sit in my crib with a stack of Little Golden Books, “reading” them all. I’d flip through the pages, and then fling them through the bars onto the ground. Thud, thud, thud. I don’t remember this, of course, but my parents do. I loved reading before I could …