Stories & Articles
Star Wars AND Star Trek
I've met a few people that fall into one side or the other in the Star Wars vs. Star Trek debate. I happen to be in the group of people that enjoys both Star Wars AND Star Trek. I'm also glad to see J.J. Abrams at the helm of both franchises. It doesn't bother me a...
Don’t call me a cab. Idioms and pedants.
Here's another speech I gave. But, unlike the other ones, there's no need to imagine a Scottish brogue. I'm sure most of you have seen, in movies and television, the grand tradition of the twelve-step program. (Of course, none of you have been in such a program.) If...
Ooh, We Got Chemistry
My wife and I are catching up on season 4 of Suits. And while the personal morality of the characters makes me uncomfortable from time-to-time, the chemistry that the characters display is exquisite and uncanny. In episode 10 of season 4, there is a scene between...
The Professor’s Journey
This is another speech I gave that garnered some awards. It’s a background story for my pseudonym Professor MacKay as a character himself. It’s important that you, dear reader, read this with a Scottish Brogue in your mind because that’s how I delivered the speech....
Out of League with Justice
A few weeks ago, Simon Pegg caused a bit of an uproar on the Internet with his comments about science fiction and fantasy. The whole story seemed to conclude with him considering hanging up his geekdom hat. Later, he tried to back-peddle and in the process made some...
The Real Story
This is a speech I gave that garnered some awards. It's a simple story, the Real Story. It's important that you, dear reader, read this with a Scottish Brogue in your mind because that's how I delivered the speech. [Spoken with a Scottish Brogue] I want to tell...
The Surprising Advantages of Being a Storyteller
I Am a Storyteller A few years ago, I completed my CC in Toastmasters . During that time, I took every advantage of the leeway provided by the rules to tell stories. I told true stories about my life and made up fictional stories about the origin of the Loch Ness...
In the Principal’s Office: What I learned as a Writer
When I was in 10th grade, I wasn't fond of school. I struggled in my English class and managed a C grade. I constantly heard from teachers, "You are so smart, if only you'd apply yourself." As if that's what a teenager wants to hear. So, when my English teacher gave...
4 Ideas for Naming Characters
Over the years, I've heard a few authors complain, "Finding names for my characters is hard," or, "My character names seem cheesy." In a lot of my writing exercises, I feel like I struggle with character names too. But, lately, I've been experimenting with a few ideas...