Writing Horror That Lands: The Measurable Wrong
Horror comes from a detail that is off by one degree, not from blood. How to build dread, refuse to explain the threat, and end without a rescue.
November 12, 2026 · 8 min read
Writing notes
How the forms actually work, and how to brief a generator so the first draft is worth editing. No listicles about productivity.
A Best Man Speech That Works in Four Minutes
The first thirty seconds decide the room. A three-part structure for a best man speech, and how to cut every line that sounds like a greeting card.
November 12, 2026 · 7 min read
How to Write a Sonnet in Iambic Pentameter
Five beats a line, ten syllables, and a turn at line nine. How to scan a sonnet, where the volta belongs, and why rhyme cannot force word order.
November 12, 2026 · 8 min read
Why Your Limerick Scans Wrong (It’s Not the Syllables)
A limerick is three beats, not seventeen syllables. How the anapest works, where the rhythm slips, and why a perfect count still sounds off.
November 12, 2026 · 7 min read
How to Write a Haiku That Isn’t Just Three Lines
Why 5-7-5 breaks in English, how syllable counting sneaks up on you, and how one cut between two images turns three short lines into a real haiku.
November 12, 2026 · 7 min read
How Long Should a Eulogy Be? Let the Clock Decide
At 130 words a minute, five minutes is 650 words. Here is a working structure for a eulogy, and how to turn a resume into a scene people can see.
November 12, 2026 · 8 min read
What Recruiters Read in a Cover Letter in 30 Seconds
A recruiter gives your letter half a minute. What they actually read, why retelling your resume fails, and how one specific episode maps to the job.
November 12, 2026 · 7 min read
How Country Lyrics Are Built: One Object, Three Verses
A country song is one object holding all the feeling, a three-verse time jump, and a chorus a room can sing. How to write one that does not explain itself.
November 12, 2026 · 7 min read
Keeping an AI Story Continuation in the Same Voice
Language models have no memory of your draft. How to hold voice steady across a long continuation, and when to stop instead of adding one more paragraph.
November 12, 2026 · 8 min read
Acrostic Poems for Names: When the Constraint Helps
A name spelled down the margin forces specificity. How to write an acrostic where every line is a real sentence, and what to do with repeated letters.
November 12, 2026 · 7 min read