Writing Dreamer

Writing Dreamer

mk swanson

What I'm Thinking About

The Hidden Apartment

I always wanted to live someplace weird.

Duke Barkin in Hot Houndette

Duke Barkin plays by one rule: never open the package. But when the cargo is Mai Daisi—a fast-talking, trouble-making houndette—the job turns into a high-speed disaster. Chased by gunmen, gators, and grifters, Duke’s got one shot to save a pack of stolen pups and keep his schedule intact.

Poetry Becomes Music

Access to Suno's band in a box inspired me to set a few of my old songs to music, and even write news ones—part experiment, part creative exercise.

He’s a Red Shirt, But I Love Him

Creating a short-term character who feels engaging and emotionally resonant can enhance your story's depth and keep readers invested.

Chaos Junkie for NaNoWriMo

Aboard a ship full of oddballs, drones, and big dreams, Sofi must outwit saboteurs, tackle unexpected spacewalks, and prove she’s more than just the misfit in the crew.

The Logic Trap

You might also think of a logic trap as a plot hole, a continuity error, or narrative inconsistency. But any way you name it, it causes your story to bog down, like a 1972 Lincoln Continental in beach sand.

How to Be a Good Writing Partner

Have you ever given harsh or unhelpful feedback? It’s easy to slip into the role of ruthless professor or critical editor instead of supportive writing partner.

Keep Your Mind in the Middle: an Aphorism for Ponies, Hurricanes and the News 

Sufficient unto the day is the trouble thereof. 

A Natural Writer

I rely on intuition, an ear for language, and my emotional responses to guide me through a story.

Short Stories, Scripts, Essays, Poetry

The Hidden Apartment

I always wanted to live someplace weird.
Read "The Hidden Apartment"

Duke Barkin in Hot Houndette

Duke Barkin plays by one rule: never open the package. But when the cargo is Mai Daisi—a fast-talking, trouble-making houndette—the job turns into a high-speed disaster. Chased by gunmen, gators, and grifters, Duke’s got one shot to save a pack of stolen pups and keep his schedule intact.
Read "Duke Barkin in Hot Houndette"

Nuclear Summer

Three days of thunderstorms, rainbows, ospreys carrying fish to their young, alligators lounging on logs in the Ocklawaha, hibiscus flowers blooming and dying overnight, the smell of four o’clocks, the hum of bees, the smell of ozone after lightning.
Read "Nuclear Summer"