Published inNew Writers Welcome·PinnedMember-onlyCapturing Mindfulness: The Meditative and Creative Benefits of PhotographyA guide to cultivating mindful photography for improved mental health, creativity, and self-expression. — Our world has changed. Now more than ever, we struggle to slow down and stay present in the moment. Our minds race with thoughts of the past or future; we seldom think of the present. This is precisely what mindfulness is about — being fully aware without judgment or distraction. …New Writers Welcome5 min readNew Writers Welcome5 min read
Published inThe Fiction Writer’s Den·10 hours agoMember-onlyInto the Man CaveA dark encounter. — This story is part of the Seedling Challenge conceived by Bradan Writes Stories. This is the third installment, a micro-fiction. To start the story from the beginning, click here. Or, to read the last installment, click here. Stay tuned to watch this story grow and grow! Sam landed. Hard. A…Fiction2 min readFiction2 min read
Published inNew Writers Welcome·May 27Member-onlyMy 100th Story: A ReflectionA small journey of discovery and growth — I know. Big whoop. 100 stories. Woo hoo! Fart in the wind! I’m just a deck chair on the Titanic compared to many writers on this platform. This milestone—be it a fart or deckchair—is big for me because I learned so much about myself. I started on Medium at some…Personal Development3 min readPersonal Development3 min read
Published inThe Fiction Writer’s Den·May 25Member-onlyBrotherly HelpWhat are brothers for? — This story is part of the Seedling Challenge conceived by Bradan Writes Stories. This is the second installment, a drabble. To start the story from the beginning, click here. Stay tuned to watch this story grow and grow! Staring at the basement door, one pale, sweaty hand frozen on the…Fiction1 min readFiction1 min read
Published inThe Fiction Writer’s Den·May 19Member-onlyMom Said It Was SafeCan she be trusted? — Fiction1 min readFiction1 min read
Published inThe Fiction Writer’s Den·May 14Member-onlyPrologue: The Boy on the Train“Tough times are never forever, but tough people are. Be tough.” — This is the beginning of “The Door to Twilight,” a fictional story about a family struggling to understand the mysterious behind a strange boy who comes to live with them. Stay tuned for Chapter 1. As the train shot through the New England countryside, the boy absentmindedly fiddled with a…Fiction5 min readFiction5 min read
Published inThe Fiction Writer’s Den·May 11Member-onlyFun 20-Questions I Can Get IntoFantasy Fiction This or That Challenge — I recently came upon this amazing idea/challenge from John Fanidis, originally created by Jacinta Palmer over at Brett Jenae Tomlin’s publication, BJ’s This or That — The Gathering Table. Be sure to check those amazing writers out! In this challenge, I had to choose between 20 pairs of ‘This or…This Or That8 min readThis Or That8 min read
May 11Member-onlyThis or That Challenge for PhotographersA fun challenge to catalog our choices. — I think I’m a little late to this game; most photographers I see who have participated in this little challenge chimed in back in January. Better late than never! Of course, when I saw Don Giannatti’s challenge over on Full Frame, I had to chime in, too! 1. Prime or Zoom Prime. When I…Photography4 min readPhotography4 min read
Published inNew Writers Welcome·May 9Member-onlyChatGPT Has Changed My Writing Style, But Not in the Way You ThinkThanks to the brouhaha over AI-generated content invading the writing sphere, my writing will improve—I hope. — Recently, three Medium stories of mine were summarily rejected by three separate Medium publications for violating the “ChatGPT NEED NOT APPLY HERE” protocol. They kicked me to the proverbial curb. But here’s the thing: I wrote those articles 12 years ago before ChatGPT was a twinkling in its programmer’s bespectacled…New Writers Welcome3 min readNew Writers Welcome3 min read
Published inNew Writers Welcome·May 7Member-onlyChildish Fantasies: The Power of Sci-Fi, Horror, and Fantasy for Self-DiscoveryWhy we should embrace the impossible to grow beyond childhood. — Growing up, I devoured anything about the unknown and the impossible: books, t.v., movies, card games, anything. If it was “real,” I wasn’t interested. I wasn’t sneaking High Societies or Playboys (or Playgirls, for that matter), but horror books like Stephen King’s “IT.” …New Writers Welcome5 min readNew Writers Welcome5 min read
