My main struggle with this chapter was keeping the momentum going. Lots of stories by great authors get slow in the middle. I know it takes a lot of work injecting suspense and drama. In my next story, I’ll take more time to hone these skills, learning how to best do that while keeping a…

I came up with the idea of the short story an embarrassingly long time ago. Is it just coincidence that as I’m beginning to share it with the world that the Kohinoor is now a part of current events? Maybe if Rishi Sunak was as agro in Parliament about repatriation as he was about other…

This post is a continuation of the short story I teased in my last post. In writing—and rewriting and rewriting—I noticed that every once in awhile, you need to step back and see how the small details fit in with the big picture. It’s like this with the work I do in research and some…

The first month of 2023 gone, just like that! If you haven’t been keeping up with your New Year’s Resolutions (or if you haven’t made any attempts at self-improvement at all), consider February a do-over. Instead of New Year’s resolutions, see if you can stick to a habit for just a month. Now that everyone’s…

I’m a terrible storyteller at parties. They often go like this: “Sometimes I’ll start a sentence, and I don’t even know where it’s going. I just hope I find it along the way. Like an improv conversation. An improversation.” Michael Scott, The Office (Season 5, Episode 11: “The Duel”) I often include either too much…

I often read Wikipedias of movies, TV shows, and books I enjoy. It’s a great way to keep engaging with a piece after I’m done with it, and to learn more about the stuff that I enjoy. My favorite parts are often controversies and misconceptions regarding the pieces. Over the past week or so, I’ve…

Pro tip: if the first of the month is a Sunday, then that month will have a Friday the 13th. Pause and think back to a female hero you grew up admiring. If it takes you more than a few seconds, then stop reading this post and Google “Angela Davis,” “Grace Hopper,” or “Minerva McGonogall.”…

When I was younger, I always thought I would be a writer. It was probably because I liked reading so much—I could go anywhere and meet anyone. Eventually, reading wasn’t enough, and I began writing my friends and I into our favorite stories. The wide-ruled pages are still in my closet, complete with chicken-scratch handwriting…

End of year lists— if Obama does it, it must be a good idea. Not all of these came out in 2022, but they’re things that made 2022 a lot more interesting (and fun). books movies & tv music

I find it amazing that Angela Davis is still alive and still an activist. She made professor and the FBI’s most wanted list at 26, so I have something to work towards in the next year or so. In a recent video, Davis urges us to think about the artistic components of activism as more…