Letter to the Great Pumpkin

Have you written your letter to the Great Pumpkin this year? He only visits one sincere pumpkin patch each Halloween, so you better put your pen to paper soon, if you haven’t already.

Here’s mine.

The letter reads:

Dear Great Pumpkin,

I want to tell you about my friends Charlie and Linus. Not that Charlie and Linus. Mine are cats, and they do not hang out in pumpkin patches. They probably don’t even like pumpkins. So, I’m asking that you do not visit them on Halloween. You should visit the other Charlie and Linus. They would appreciate seeing you—at least Linus would, but probably Charlie too. I know aloof cats can be irresistible, but they won’t care if you stop by—unless you bring food.

Happy Halloween!

Matt

P.S. The aloof cats.

Here There Be Promises: Writing Goals for Q4 2023

That time of year, again. Sharing more good ol’ goals. And, actually, if you look at the date on this post, it’s a little past that time of year, but the Post Your Goals On Time Police rarely patrol these parts, so we should be safe.

I’m not sure if I’ll continue to post goals in 2024, but I’ll likely continue creating them in the Reminders app. I have thoughts after four quarters of sharing them in this journal, and those thoughts should come early next year here.

For now, let’s take a look at last quarter.

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If you remember, I decided to focus on fewer goals and wholly concentrate on writing. I mostly succeeded, although I chatted with friends and jotted notes about some design projects, but that was about it.

My main goal was to complete the third draft of the LS (formerly TLS) novel manuscript. I did, but I was a little behind the deadline. I landed in mid-September rather than on August 31. I then jumped into the fourth draft, because there were enough spots with new content that I wanted to edit, before shipping the story to beta readers.

I also spent a bit of time sending stories to publications and queries to agents. I usually send one, sometimes two, a week. The amount of time spent researching where to send manuscripts and tailoring queries still surprises me. Maybe there’s a more efficient method, but from what I’ve heard from others, it seems par for the course.

As to my goal of connecting with more writers on social media, that one is in a weird place. Twitter was my go-to, but I’m finding it harder to stumble on posts from writers and other creators I follow. Plus, my posts feel like they’re barely registering with the new X algorithm gods, which is frustrating. Imagine a shrug emoji here.

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For Q4, October, November, and December, expect more of the same from last quarter with slight variations:

• Finish the fourth draft of LS by December 15.

• Send the fourth draft to beta readers by December 31.

• Start a short story or nonfiction piece by December 16.

• Send stories and pitches weekly to new publications and agents.

• Connect with writers on:

  • Twitter / X / Whatever it’s called when you’re reading this.

  • Discord

  • Writing Meetups

• Reassess the social networks I’m interested in using by December 31.

Again, for reference, here’s how the goals look in the iOS Reminders app. I track them there. Some missing from this screenshot are related to personal health and other life goals.

Feel free to share your goals for the quarter, too, if public declarations help you hold yourself accountable.

Happy storytelling.

Right to Be Here

Below is a simple piece, a sort of prose poem, that I had jotted about belonging some time ago and forgot about. I recently stumbled on the writing, reread it, and liked it. Rather than keep it tucked away in digital limbo, I figured I would share it. I think anyone who hasn’t felt like they belonged might find some meaning from it.

Here it is:

You arrived, after an unimaginable journey, disoriented and shy and looking wrong for arriving.

You belong here, we said, but, No, you don’t, they said. So we showed them. We showed them your smile, your frown, the way you blush and pale, just like us, but, No, you don’t, they said. We showed them your bruises, your stories of crushing loss, of small gains, made them feel as you had, but No, you don’t, they said. Finally, we stopped showing them. We dressed you. We fed you. We housed you. We connected you to others. And now, when we see them, we don’t even ask, because we already know, You belong here.

Brief Book and Movie Reviews

If you read my design article with Smashing Magazine, you know I’m not a huge fan of star ratings, but I like writing reviews. They remind me of what I enjoyed or wished was different, and they help me make recommendations, which I also like doing. With that in mind, here are a few brief reviews from recent reads and watches.

You can follow along and see more book reviews on Goodreads and movie reviews on Letterboxd.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Book Review

A novel written by Gabrielle Zevin.

I finished reading the last page and asked myself, Why did I like this book?

It’s a simple premise. Two friends try to make games together with varying levels of success. But success and failure means something different to each of them, and their reactions to outcomes and to each other’s reactions, while hard to agree with at times, always make sense, because Zevin has created two unique characters who are fully, and wonderfully, and tragically human.

That is a long way of saying that I like this book, because the story is well told.

Nanny

Movie Review

A horror movie written and directed by Nikyatu Jusu.

Anna Diop’s—the main actor’s—range from sweet and charming to haunting and angered drives the film. Her actions, speech, and mannerisms do a lot of heavy lifting to create a character, Aisha, you feel for, despite the story sometimes introducing disparate elements that can distract viewers from empathizing with Aisha. Even after the credits roll, you’ll probably still wonder how some of the elements connect, but that reflection feels more like a welcome challenge than one intending to frustrate you with ambiguity. Plus, the strong main character, dark story, and beautiful cinematography are more than engaging enough to make a well-crafted horror film. My biggest wish is that they would remove the “scary” CGI. It actually detracts from the quieter and more grounded horrors Aisha faces.

The Book of the Cat: Cats in Art

Book Review

An art book written by Angus Hyland and Caroline Roberts.

I may have read the best book I will ever read.

Here There Be Promises: Writing Goals for Q3 2023

Apparently, Squarespace has an AI feature that helps people write. Always curious to toy with new tech—even if I don’t intend to continue using it—of course I tried it. I asked it to sum up my goals from Q2. And according to AI, I spent a lot of time “taking online courses and attending webinars, which significantly enriched my knowledge base.” I absolutely did none of these, so my guess is the AI is summarizing another me from the multiverse, and this other me has a much vaster “knowledge base” than me. Go, other me.

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Y’anyway, time to look at how Q2 panned out, and where I’m heading in Q3.

If you ignore some of the deadlines, I hit a number of my goals.

• I journaled about writing with a CDA in mind.

• I wrapped query edits with an editor.

• I restarted sending the novel manuscript to agents, along with a picture book manuscript.

• I wrote an unplanned sci-fi/fantasy poem and sent it to publications.

That said, I missed my big goal. I failed wrapping the third draft of my TLS novel manuscript. There are a few reasons.

• The query edits took longer than I expected.

  • I stressed about the query and overwrote it, which took a lot of time away from working on the newest manuscript.

• I began work on some of my design stretch goals, which often sent me down rabbit holes of research.

  • And I did not finish these stretch goals, once I noticed how much time they were eating up.

• See the “unplanned sci-fi/fantasy poem” note above.

I am a little bummed about not finishing the third draft of the novel manuscript, but I understand why, and I don’t regret putting extra time into my query; the query is often your first interaction with someone you hope will fall in love with your story, and you want to ensure the write-up best represents your work and youself. I do wish I had pushed off some of the design work, but at least I better understand the scope of those projects, and I am not making them stretch goals this quarter.

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This quarter is all about wrapping the third draft and sending stories. So my goals for July, August, and September are:

• Finish the third draft of TLS by August 31.

• Start the fourth draft of TLS or a short story or nonfiction piece by September 1.

• Send stories and pitches weekly to new publications and agents.

• Connect with writers on:

  • Twitter / X / Whatever it’s called when you’re reading this.

  • Discord

  • Writing Meetups

And that’s that. I’m focusing on fewer things this quarter, and every focus is about writing. In theory. I’m sure I’ll get distracted by the odd design idea here and there, maybe another unplanned writing project, but as long as I enjoy them, I won’t be too upset.

For reference, again, here’s how the goals look in the iOS Reminders app, where I track them—minus some of the personal health goals, which are mostly about stretches, biking, traveling, and dealing with some chronic pain.

Feel free to let me know if and how you set goals for projects—and share them if public declarations help you hold yourself accountable.

Happy creating.

How to Tell a Story With a Central Dramatic Argument

If you read my goals for this quarter, you know this entry is a few days late, but life (and other writing projects) happen. On we go.

Some time back, my favorite writing podcast, The Bestseller Experiment, mentioned writing with a Central Dramatic Argument in mind. The concept comes from writer Craig Mazin (Chernobyl, The Last of Us, et cetera). On Scriptnotes, the podcast he hosts with John August, he dedicates an episode to discussing how the Central Dramatic Argument (referred to as CDA hereafter) works, and how story structure actually stems from CDA.

You can listen to Mazin’s thorough explanation on YouTube, and below are notes from my listen. Let’s get into it.

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The most basic tl;dr version of writing with a CDA in mind goes like this:

Hero believes something (the opposite of the CDA). An incident occurs that makes Hero question that old belief with a new belief (the CDA). Hero fights to maintain old belief, while more incidents occur that challenge the old belief. An incident occurs that makes Hero mostly give up on old belief, but Hero cannot accept new belief. Hero feels lost. Another incident occurs that will allow Hero to reclaim old belief, but Hero leans into the newer belief through action.

The end.

Now, for a Choose Your Own Adventure moment, if you would like additional notes on Mazin’s talk, read on; if you feel you learned enough and want some music to write to, check out the playlist I put together for my current manuscript.

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One of the most important quotes Mazin gives is, “Structure is a symptom of a character’s relationship to a Central Dramatic Argument.” Said another way, a story’s structure is dictated by how a character views the CDA, and the structure is only there to enhance that relationship.

So what exactly is the CDA? You could also call it the theme, but it’s not just a broad word like love. It’s an argument that answers the question: What is the story about? The answer to this does not need to be earth-shattering. It can be a universal truth, but it must be an argument. Consider, instead of “love,” a story might be about, “If you love someone, set them free.” This is Mazin’s example, and it is a statement that you can argue for or against; you might also call this a thesis.

Side note: CDA typically comes after your idea, not before. You will likely get excited about an idea, and then need to figure out what it’s about, maybe even writing a full first draft to reach a final realization.

With the CDA in mind, Mazin says the purpose of the story is to take a character from ignorance (believing the opposite of your thesis, aka the antithesis) to embodying the thesis through action.

Here’s a traditional story structure that might form from writing with a CDA:

Act 1

1. You begin with a main character (MC) in their usual world and life. Their life exemplifies the antithesis. They are actively trying to maintain their antithetical belief and not progress their life in a new direction (toward the CDA).

2. An incident related to the CDA/thesis disrupts the MC’s life. This incident essentially destroys the MC’s current, static life in a meaningful way.

3. The MC strives to get their old life back, because the MC has real fears about losing that life—the MC has done a lot in life to avoid experiencing the fears brought on by the CDA. The audience will empathize with the fears.

Act 2

1. The MC reinforces their antithesis by struggling against new and worsening incidents that represent the CDA. The MC is fighting their fears, wants their old life, their “security blanket,” back. The world should seem to oppose the MC.

2. Something related to the CDA happens that causes the MC to doubt the antithesis. Perhaps the MC does something, or sees someone do something, that makes them experience the CDA in a good way.

   1. Remember, your MC is rational. They can see value in other ways of life.

3. Midpoint: the MC questions their old beliefs, even if they do not fully understand the CDA.

4. Dramatic reversal: the MC leans into living the CDA, but then their fear about it comes to fruition (as a writer, Mazin says, you’re lowering the MC’s defenses and then punching them in the face). This should be one of the worst things to happen to the MC, and it should be seen as ironic that just when the MC leaned in, they are punished.

5. Low-point: the MC now doubts antithesis and thesis. They feel trapped and lost.

   1. The MC’s goal to return to their old life is gone, but they fear going toward the new goal. The audience should be able to empathize with feeling lost.

Act 3

1. Defining moment begins: the MC has the chance to face their worst fear, the fear that made them want to stay in their old life. This moment will prove, or disprove, if the MC can embody the CDA.

2. Right before the defining moment happens: the MC has the option to return to their old life. This allows for temptation (if you watched The Last of Us, you can see Joel plainly experience this). If the MC can, they will reject the temptation through an extraordinary action.

3. Defining moment ends: the MC either succeeds or fails, but they hold onto new belief (unless you’re writing a story about failing to change).

4. The ending: to show a meaningful contrast, the final scene should mirror how the MC was introduced, but the MC now lives and acts based on their new belief (again, unless you want to show a failure to change).

And a last note: to create the most tension and empathy, Mazin recommends regularly asking where your MC is on their journey between the antithesis and thesis (CDA), and then doing the meanest thing you can to the MC in that moment, until the MC is left with no belief. That will make the story that much more engaging, and the ending that much more impactful.

Ever used the CDA or plan to? I’d love to hear about it on Twitter or in the comments.

Here There Be Promises: Writing and Design Goals for Q2 2023

The first quarter has come and gone, seemingly as fast as a cobbler elf in the night. So now we’re here, early April, and it’s time to review what I completed and what’s coming next.

You can learn more about my goals process from the January post. The high level is: I enjoy setting myself goals. They hold me accountable, and I hope sharing them inspires others to create, and even share, theirs.

Below you will find my creative ambitions. I am keeping personal and health goals private for now, but I recommend weaving those into yours as well. Like Jack, all work and no play ain’t good for anyone.

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First, a quick recap of the first quarter. I wrapped the second draft of my TLS novel manuscript, sent The Superpowers of Love query to an editor, and sort of connected with some writers via Twitter, Discord, and virtual Writing Meetups. Not too shabby.

But. I didn’t meet all of my goals. I failed to send my edited query to new agents. The edits took longer than expected, and I am okay with this. First impressions are important, and that is exactly what a query is. Plus, my original deadline was unrealistic, as I forgot to factor in the editor’s response times. Currently, I am finalizing a few sentences of the summary, and I am extending my deadline, as seen below.

Also, while I posted more about writing on Twitter, I could have done a better job of having deeper conversations on the platform, as well as on Discord and via Writing Meetups.

Lastly, I didn’t complete my stretch goal in design. I sketched and designed a few logos, but my attempts were halfhearted. Instead of forcing myself to finish and send a design I wasn’t proud of, I let go of the project. This I don’t see as a failure. Saying no can be just as important to saying yes to projects. Quitting the design contest allowed me to focus more on what I cared about. The novel manuscript and the query.

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With that, here are my goals for April, May, and June.

Writing Goals

• Write a Journal entry about Central Thematic Argument by April 14.

• Send the Superpowers of Love query to agents by April 20.

  • Finish edits on the query by April 15

  • Wrap first chapter edits by April 19.

• Finish the third draft of the TLS novel manuscript by June 30.

  • Read and take notes on the second draft of TLS by April 25.

  • Begin the third draft of TLS by April 26.

• Send stories and queries weekly throughout Q2.

• Connect with writers on:

  • Twitter

  • Discord

  • Writing Meetups

Design Goals

• (Stretch goal) Launch a simple lifestyle brand with a store and one-page website by June 30.

• (Stretch goal) Launch the site Newsletter by June 30.

Like Q1, here’s a screenshot of how I use Apple Reminders to track goals.

Drop a comment, tweet, or private message if you have questions, suggestions, or want to share your goals for accountability too.

Happy creating.

Love for The Last House on Needless Street

I wrote a short review on Goodreads for Catriona Ward’s novel, The Last House on Needless Street. It’s early in the year, but there’s a good chance this is my book of the year. Similar to my favorite book in 2021, Stephen Graham Jones’s My Heart is a Chainsaw, Ward knows her characters inside and out. Read this book, and you will believe Ward got the characters to write their own parts, even convincing a cat to put down her Bible and pen her parts. Every detail serves to create an intimate and emotional portrayal of each character, making you emotionally invested in the twists and horrors that shape their lives.

I can’t recommend this novel enough, and I am very much looking forward to reading more of Ward’s work. If you want to learn more about her, this book, her other books, check out these links:

• Interview on The Bestseller Experiment (a favorite writing podcast of mine).

• Interview on Lovecraft eZine Podcast

If you give it a read, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

January Echoes: Writing and Design Goals for Q1 2023

I set goals most quarters, and January often sets the tone for the year.

Writing goals can feel like starting a mini-story. I’m the character, I jot down what I want to achieve, and then, like a fun first draft, I set out to see how the story unfolds.

Whether or not I achieve my aims always teaches me something. Sometimes I learn that I’m too ambitious; sometimes I learn that I’m not ambitious enough. Sometimes I learn that I care less about a desire than I thought; sometimes I learn that I care more. Either way, at the end of the quarter, I look at the results, and I use them to plan the next.

In an effort to hold myself more accountable, and to encourage others to do the same, I’m sharing my ambitions for writing and design work—I also set personal goals and health goals, but I’m keeping those private for now. Maybe learning to share more will be one of my goals in Q2.

Writing Goals

• Send the Superpowers of Love query to an editor by January 10.

• Finish the second draft of the TLS novel manuscript by March 31.

  • Read and take notes on the first draft of TLS by January 20.

  • Begin the second draft of TLS on January 21.

• Send the Superpowers of Love query to agents by February 1.

• Send stories and queries weekly throughout Q1.

• Connect with writers on:

  • Twitter

  • Discord

  • Writing Meetups

Design Goals

• (Stretch goal) Maybe enter Apex logo contest by January 14.

Here’s a screenshot of how I use Apple Reminders to track goals.

Drop a comment, tweet, or private message if you have questions, suggestions, or want to share your goals for accountability too.

Happy creating.

A Writing Interview With a Manuscript Pitch

I recently had the privilege of chatting with author Mark Stay on one of my favorite writing podcasts, The Bestseller Experiment. We briefly discuss why I joined the Bestseller Academy for a spell, how it surrounded me with a much-needed creative community, and we talk about my finished novel manuscript. He also reads a pitch for the manuscript that I’ve begun querying, which is beyond thrilling to hear. The chat happens at the end of episode 417, but I recommend giving the entire episode (and all of them) a full listen. The podcast is filled with gems of writing advice, inspiration, and welcome ridiculousness.