Steph’s Posts

On the third Wednesday of the month, I am going to start posting a character prompt to create opportunities to explore characters. You can share your responses to the character prompt on my discord or in the comments of the post. The idea is to … Read more

Welcome to a new feature on Can’t Fake Time: First Monday Goals. Each month, on the first Monday of the Month, I’ll post some kind of goalsetting strategy or reflection, usually geared toward writing and creative processes because that’s what I do. Then, I’ll check … Read more

You’d think that you’d know your own thoughts better than anyone else, right? You are your own constant companion, the audience to and performer of everything that happens in your brain. But, at least for me, two things tend to get in the way of … Read more

I was recorded in public by a black person a few months ago after a near-accident in a parking lot. (I misjudged the timing of an oncoming car as I turned left into a parking spot, and we narrowly missed each other. She confronted me … Read more

Let’s Talk Paper Edits. I’ve done it before. I’ll probably do it again. But I lost track of whatever old blog has my thoughts and process, and I want to get back into a habit of blogging this year, so here we go. In my … Read more

I’ve dubbed my NaNoWriMo project #NaNoRBG, not so much because it has anything to do with Ruth Bader Ginsberg or the Supreme Court particularly. More because of Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s quote: “When I’m sometimes asked when will there be enough [women on the Supreme Court] … Read more

Today is one of those days when I dearly miss my friend Jason. His birthday is coming up, and also I would love to share the new Doctor Who with him. He’s the friend who introduced me to Doctor Who, who started me on Eighth … Read more

Note, reiterated: There’s no such thing as spoilers for a book that’s more than, like, ten years old. Still, if you want to read the Old Kingdom series for yourself untainted, here there be spoilers. You have been warned. Look, somehow, I can’t start talking … Read more

Note: This is an opinion piece. This is not a scholarly essay. It’s not going to have well-cited sources. I’ve read all the books I discuss here. I’ve been forced to read them in high school, and re-read them for graduate school. I’ve read teacher … Read more

I’ve been taking far, far, far too long to get around to reading Clariel and Goldenhand by Garth Nix, and I decided that in order to get myself in the right place to do it, I would reread the original Old Kingdom books. I have … Read more

Okay, so, there’s this story in the bible. A servant is just doing their servant thing, when an individual in a position of power in the household where they serve attempts to rape them. The servant refuses because they don’t want to break the commandments … Read more

This first draft manuscript I’m working on right now has me thinking a lot about perspective, when to shift perspective, and whose perspective matters most in any given moment. I’ve got a central protagonist, but it’s also a bit of an ensemble cast with multiple … Read more

The first time I read Patrick Rothfuss’s masterful epic fantasy The Name of the Wind, it took my breath away. My friend Daniel recommended it with the highest sort of insistence that I absolutely must read it. It clocks in at over seven hundred pages–a … Read more

A few grad school friends and I continue our passion for children’s literature by having a monthly book club. We read everything from picture books and early readers through young adult fiction–generally focusing popular titles that have been published in the last few years. One … Read more

When I learned that Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman were teaming up to bring a crafting competition show to NBC, I knew I’d have to watch it. I mean, Parks and Rec is one of my favorite shows of all time, and I love DIY … Read more

A central thesis by linguist Ferdinand de Saussure explains that the connection between a sign (like a word) and the real-world thing it represents is arbitrary. In the words of Shakespeare, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Few people would argue … Read more

Hello and welcome! This blog will be about many things – from traveling the world to a warm bowl of mac’n’cheese on the couch, in yoga pants, watching Netflix. We are writers, teachers, foodies…   But the core of this blog is truly the friendship … Read more