Assumptions, illusions, mysteries

Projects, progress and inspiration.

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This woodcut appears in the book "Customs" ("Minhagim"), published in Amsterdam in 1661 by Uri Weibash. Courtesy of the National Library of Israel.

Assumptions, illusions, mysteries
I have two folders, one digital and one physical, where I keep story ideas. This baffling woodcut image is a complete mystery—unless we go back to the 13th century. This fascinating history reminds me of how a mystery unfolds, circling further and further back in time to a perfectly understandable origin. I thought the image and/or the practice could be the basis for a supernatural-themed short story. I have written several of those and would like to assemble a collection one of these days.

Recently some of my long-held beliefs and assumptions have been challenged (in a good way), a few illusions have been dispelled, and some mysteries have been solved. Other mysteries remain. Although closure is satisfying, I'll probably forget to examine my shadow in the light of the moon on the night of Hoshana Rabbah. Some things we should just have to take on faith.

Recipe Hat

In which a velvet hat turned art piece confounds its admirers. This is the second entry in Dreams, Illustrated: the Medium publication where I publish inelegantly-illustrated dream journals.

Ranch Romance (NaNoWriMo 2019)

I'm still writing the last few chapters of this story, although I hit the 50,000 word goal back in November. Sometimes the chapters follow the outline the way I think they will...and sometimes they don't. I guess I'll find out how the story ends when I get there!

Using Trello to plot a NaNoWriMo novel, Save the Cat! Style

Here’s how I used Trello to plot my novel using the Save the Cat! approach, before beginning writing in Scrivener in November. I'm sharing some of my Confluence wiki adventures to benefit my colleagues and the broader Atlassian community.

Why did I draw that? I don't know

Check out my Patreon page to learn why I draw the (weird) things I draw. Sometimes, I don't even know myself.

Past my bedtime: The Haunting of Josef Fleischer by Dan Strawn

Dan is a fellow Pacific Northwest author and a Facebook friend I haven't met in person yet. At first I thought this was both a ghost story and a revenge story. But for me it is also an exploration of the spiritual cost of warfare, ignorance and bigotry. Is it PTSD, or a haunting, or both?