On how ghostwriting is like dancing, but dancing is so different from what you think

Partner Dancing

Men tell me things they don’t tell anyone else. I mean, it’s my job to listen to people tell the stories of their lives. And a lot of those people are men, and sometimes they say wildly sexist things, but it’s because these are their true beliefs. It’s not my job to enlighten them, and … Read more

screed-writing two-point-oh

Handwritten email

You have something to say, dammit! Now, if what you have to say is in the nature of something directed at one particular person, or if it’s something really intimate about your own thoughts, viewpoints, not the kind of thing you want to share with the masses, don’t hesitate to write it down. If you … Read more

Personal messages: don’t publish them online. Please. Don’t.

Social media vs Personal letters

It is rather annoying, in my opinion, when people publish personal love letters on their social media pages. Like I have a friend that, every year, publishes a long, lovey-dovey message to her husband on their anniversary. Gross. Publishing that publicly is exactly like saying: “I want the world at large to appreciate my extraordinary … Read more

Don’t interrupt me!

Writer

Do you have one of those friends that are always saying “don’t interrupt me” when you’re having a conversation with them? On your side of things, you’re thinking— conversations are all about interrupting. You say something, I say something, you say something, etc. It’s not supposed to be a diatribe. It’s a conversation! These “don’t … Read more

Portal Farmers in our Midst

wildflower

There are people who take the path of least resistance, and these individuals go unnoticed. They’re sometimes even considered powerless because of their refusal to exert overt power or influence over others. Sometimes they seem afraid or even believe that they are afraid, but these are the bravest people because they’re patient. When they effect … Read more

Beware the Black Ice

Air freshener

I got into an Uber recently, and the driver had an air freshener hanging from the rear-view window. It was shaped like a tree but labelled “black ice.” I’d seen these before in my Uber adventures and couldn’t detect the smell but wondered: What is black ice supposed to smell like? Danger? This prompted the … Read more

Three Easy Pieces

number three

Over the last little while, I’ve been passively writing. You know what I mean–I’m composing these things, they’re kind of like philosophical essays, in my head, but I don’t write them down because I’m in the fiction/nonfiction business. I’m not Alan Watts, for God’s sakes. Where would I publish such thoughts? And who would care … Read more

Ayahuasca: what happens doesn’t matter

hands covering eyes

This is blog two in a series of Ayahuasca blogs. I’m not going to walk you through every wacky adventure that happened during the experience, or even one. Frankly, it doesn’t matter. What’s interesting about this is is not the experience but the results, which you become aware of afterward as the DMT gradually leaves … Read more

Ayahuasca: I Was a Brain in a Jar

I was originally going to call this I took Ayahuasca and I Pissed Myself but that would only be pandering to readers who want silly, dramatic headlines. This isn’t something I want to be silly and dramatic about (even though that above part is true). And the “purging” aspect of Ayahuasca that caused this phenomenon … Read more