Skip to main content

Links

The following are links to things that I use in, or think is beneficial to, my journey as a writer.

Writing Contests:

As of: October 1st, 2025.

Writing contests are a great way to push yourself as a writer and to try and build up your list of achievements. Some of these contests put limits or requirements on what you can write about, which I have found to be an inspiration rather than a drawback. The following are contests that I have participated in and highly recommend. I am always open to finding new ones that are worthwhile and I will update this list if and when I do.

  • PRESS 53. This is a FREE monthly contest where you write a story of exactly 53 words from a prompt that they post on the first day of the month. You have until the 15th of the month to submit an entry.
  • Globe Soup. This site does a few writing competitions a year. Most of the time they assign you a subject or category from a list. The story lengths have been between 1500 to 8000 words, depending on the contest, since I have been participating. Based out of the UK, their entry fees are typically under $10 US.

Software:

As of: October 1st, 2025.

I have been running Linux on my computers for the last 15+ years. My current favorite is Linux Mint Cinnamon 22.2 LTS. With that being said, I have never used some of the Windows tools I hear a lot about with regards to writing (looking at you Scrivener), but I have tried a lot of different tools in the Linux world. The following are the ones I am currently using.

  • LibreOffice Writer. It's like Microsoft Word, but free. It comes preinstalled on Mint. I really like it for drafting.
  • Zim desktop wiki. It's a hierarchical information storage application. It's basically Wikipedia but private on your computer. I like its simplicity. I use this to organize my "universe" of assets for stories that coexist. You can use it for drafting but that's not my bag, baby.

Popular posts from this blog

Getting Serious About Writing

The Past: I've been working towards becoming a person that can say they're a writer without laughing for about six years now; I've read a  lot  of craft books and worked on my own writing projects during that time, with mixed success. There has been a lot of frustration to go along with my efforts, to date. I periodically cruise the internet and look at MFA programs and online writing classes. I miss the structured learning that schools provide. I already have an MBA and can't justify the expense of going back so I figured I could get the same information by reading how-to books and JUST WRITING. That's what they all say, right? Just write! Unfortunately, I would reference the first five years of my journey as proof that alone doesn't work for everyone. I'll give you an analogy: when you're learning how to hit a baseball, you just have to get up there and swing the bat; eventually you start making contact and it's uphill from there. It's very lin...
Post a Comment
Read more

Past Press 53 Submissions

I am currently working on my submission for Press53's October 2025 53-word challenge . This month's prompt is a plant . I like their competitions because they are free and have to be exactly 53 words. I find the restriction forces me to be more creative. Since I'm working in that space today I thought I would post some of my previous entries—none of them are winners. April 2025: The prompt was slip . Sigmund crashed through the woody underbrush, carving a snowy path to Miller’s Pond. At the edge, a surprised rabbit bolted across the ice. The hound followed, the pads of his feet struggling to find purchase but his momentum carrying him forward. He fell and spun across the ice like a furry ninja star. August 2025: The prompt was a cycle . I was a man for far too long. Bitten by a stray, I’m hairy all day; Only at night, when the moon is just right, can the man come back and play. But now when I change it feels wrong. As a dog I’m virile and strong—until I get neutered one day...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Scribble Society

Oh, my sweet sweet scribblers! For most of 2025, I've been attending a Friday afternoon writing group called Scribble Society. It's held at my local library (Jefferson City, TN) in a room with sound-proof glass all around it so you can look out and see the shelves of books marching off into the distance and they don't have to put up with us when we get rowdy. Usually there're about five or six of us in attendance, reading things we've written that week or talking about our projects. Sometimes we spend a little time writing quick-and-dirty prose from prompts, or we just geek out about our favorite authors. It's always amazing though. The long and winding road: I started writing a book in 2020 during the uncertainty of COVID-19. Like many people at the time I picked up a hobby because it seemed like the thing to do. Writing, playing guitar, or painting miniature models of factories is better than sitting around and waiting for the world to end, right? I've alw...
Post a Comment
Read more