Spooky Books and Some Advice
I know Halloween is over (there’s a decaying pumpkin at my front door, and probably a squirrel eating it), though I have enough candy in my house to help my short-term gratification problem and threaten my health and… Read More
Alchemy Quiz: Sheridan Acronym, Or Text Message Abbreviation?
What is your teenager talking about in text messages? What are we talking about at work? Which one should you be more worried about? Half of the items on the following list are Sheridan; half are TXT MSG… Read More
On Disagreement and Everyone Being Real
It pretty much goes without saying that these are difficult times. There is almost no direction to face in without seeing something appalling. There is a temptation to despair. Especially in the past week, I’ve been feeling the… Read More
On Being Done, and Other Excellent Unanswerable Questions
Q: Does your writing process look different for different genres? A: Yes and no. I always, always set myself a quota or a “to do” list in relation to the work of that day or that week. Often… Read More
Book Recommendation: Her Body and Other Parties, by Carmen Maria Machado
This short story collection is perfect for anyone who doesn’t like distinctions. It’s literary fiction that romps through horror, pop culture, and ghost stories, and revels in the strange, the grotesque and the just gross. I was fascinated… Read More
Announcing: The Fall CW&P 3×3 Screenplay Competition!
Sheridan is in search of very short screenplays that can be used by students in the new Virtual Production program! If selected, your screenplay will get made by Sheridan students, and you can be involved in the process… Read More
Questions and Answers
The question box has debuted, and there are questions in it. Heartfelt thanks to those of you who took the time. Keep at it. Nothing is too big, nothing is too small, nothing is too specific, and, because… Read More
Alchemy Announces the Fall 2023 WRITE LIKE A HUMAN Contest!
In 2011, after attending an annual Turing test competition, journalist Brian Christian wrote: “I think that while the first year that computers pass the Turing test will certainly be a historic one, it will not mark the end… Read More
On Beginnings, again
I struggle with beginnings, especially of short stories. I think everyone does. They are the most exciting part, the moment when everything seems possible. But they are terrifying because so much depends on them. They must set the… Read More
Suggestion Boxes and Beginnings Part #2
Part of my business here is to be on hand to answer questions. Sometimes questions are hard to ask. Because it’s tricky to find the time, or formulate (on your feet, in your words) what you want to… Read More
