I opened this blog about two months ago. I’d just committed to a new, non-blog writing project, and thought switching to a related blog topic would hit two birds with one stone. I’d become familiar with my larger project while still producing valuable articles.

My goal is to present a thoughtful and unique perspective. I want my posts to have depth, and I’m still learning to go deep with few words. Two weeks per post was the fastest I found I could write on my former blog, and the slowest I would tolerate. Fortunately, I could research quickly to keep up with the need for content.

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In “Martian Child”, David Gordon tries to adopt Dennis, a boy who believes he’s a Martian. David used to be a weird child too. He gravitated to science fiction where outsider characters like himself studied humanity. Through their eyes, he learned to fit in with other kids, and his love of stories became a successful writing career. He admits in a TV interview that the character most like him in his latest novel is not a human, but a creature.

So when asked how he will address Dennis’s issues, David says, “Fantasy is my business…It can be a survival technique…a way to deal with problems that are bigger than you….The short answer is…trying to find that balance between socializing him and letting him be who he is…on the one hand, help him out as much as I can, on the other hand…if this little guy wants to believe he’s from another planet…who am I to argue?” Continue reading →

Howard Tayler is one of the three founding hosts of the Writing Excuses Podcast, maintains a daily webcomic, and struggles with depression.  “No. I’m Fine.” is his 1,730 word account of how it feels to be overwhelmed by failure and inadequacy during a wave of depression and what it takes to overcome it. It’s not a long read, so I’m asking you to check it out and come back when you’ve finished.

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Pretend you know nothing about “A Christmas Carol”. Based on just its title, what is Charles Dickens’s novella about? Probably Christmas.

Say you discover the novel takes place on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The main character is led by three spirits representing Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come. What’s the story about? Certainly Christmas, right?

Before we settle that, let’s meet Ebenezer Scrooge.

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I have two huge passions: worldviews, and stories. Worldview is the set of beliefs guiding what we value and how we interpret our world. A large part of my worldview is Christianity. I believe God the Son became a man, lived without ever sinning (something no one else ever did), died a criminal’s death on a cross as a sacrifice to pay for our sins, and rose from death three days later, proving His sacrifice sufficient. It’s important to me to share my worldview, but I’m also fascinated by others’ worldviews and how they affect their understanding of life.

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