The Long Story

or… read the Long Story Short version ↓

I don’t have a dramatic origin story. Writing is the first thing I remember learning, and I enjoyed it so much, I never bothered to learn anything else. I was good at it. I’m still good at it. But somewhere along the way, I started to believe the people who told me I needed a backup plan. I bought into the idea that I could never make money as a fiction writer. So I took the safe route.

I wrote copy for sixteen years. Ads, websites, brand voice, tv and radio scripts, email newsletters, the works. I convinced myself I was still doing what I loved, kinda, and at least I had fairly consistent and dependable income.

Except I didn’t. Writing jobs are fickle, and the money was inconsistent at best. I never knew what I would earn from year to year, and financial stress and burnout were the only stable presences in my career.

After my most recent financial setback, I realized that if my paycheck wasn’t going to be steady anyway, I may as well be doing what I love to do. So I burned it all to the ground. Fuck copywriting!

Now I write stories. Some of them are quiet and grounded, some of them strange and unsettling, some of them loud and expansive.

I’m not a genre writer. I go where the story goes. I write about people at a threshold. People who are forced to face who they really are.

I want to write stories people share with their friends. Tales that stick around a while. That worm their way into someone’s world and stay there.

Everything I care about is storytelling. Books, films, games, music, people.

Long Story Short

I’ve been writing stories since I could pick up a pencil. People convinced me it wasn’t a realistic career and I needed a backup plan. I spent sixteen years writing copy instead of fiction, which it turns out, isn’t a consistent source of income either.

Oh, and I’m still a copywriter too…

I’m no longer interested in SEO bloating, keyword stuffing, manufactured urgency, or any of the other manipulative tactics businesses use to lure the consumer into a purchase they didn’t actually want or need.

If your content strategy is “stuff keywords into 800-word blog posts,” I’m not your guy. If you sincerely care about the product or service you’re offering, I’m happy to help you share your story so the right people can find you.