As usual, I’m way behind on linking to Derailed Trains of Thought, the monthly podcast about storytelling I co-host with Timothy Deal. So, instead of trying to catch up, I’ll just leave a few updates here and encourage you to subscribe to the podcast through one of the myriad of…
You lie in bed. You can see by the dim lights of the street lamp outside your window. It casts long shadows upon the ceiling, and you look into the black pools gathered above. You are not afraid of the dark. That is a childish fear. Your daughter is afraid…
The following is a flash fiction I wrote for the Children of the Wells web project. It connects to characters introduced in The Rules Change. “Delia Coonhill is asking to see you, Governor.” Governor Vac looked up from his papers. He was a man not often shocked, but the soldier’s…
Blank screen. Endless possibilities. I can write anything. Go! (…) (Er….) An Epic Tale of Beauty Once upon a time…. (Yeah, that’ll work.) Once upon a time, there was a poet of great renown who was commissioned by a king to create an epic that embodied all that was noble…
I finally had a chance to watch The Wind Rises, the last film by famed animation director Hayao Miyazaki, His films are always filled with beauty, wonder, and a desire for simplicity, and they are considered masterpieces of animation for good reason. What I didn’t expect going into this final film was…
Look, I’m no fan of turkey. I mean, sure, it’s tasty enough, but give me mashed potatoes, and I’m set. Always mashed potatoes, in a great big heap, with some gravy. And maybe some of that green bean casserole, officially the best use of green beans on the planet and…
That’s right, I, Nick Hayden, will be out in public, ready to sell and discuss my books. This Saturday, November 8, I’ll be at the Allen County Public Library for their annual Author Fair from 12-3pm. It was a good time last year, and this year I have plenty of…
Sometime in September, while I was working on a nonfiction project, I had the hankering to write a bit of fiction. I asked for some numbers on my Facebook page. With those numbers I located a song off OCRemix, my favorite Internet music site. The song ended up being this…
Last Sunday, Natasha and I biked around the lake near our house, kids in tow. One section of path went beneath tall trees, with little foliage below. The sun shone through the leaves above. In an instant I missed my old walks through my parents’ woods. So later that day,…
In the first part, I focused on how and why I read such monstrous books. Now I want to touch briefly about their effect on my writing. I think my early attempts at novels, especially Trouble on the Horizon, were unconsciously guided by the large plots, numerous characters, and wide world…
After many ages, I finally finished reading The Way of Kings. If you don’t know, The Way of Kings is a 1000-page fantasy novel by Brandon Sanderson, the first in what is expected to be a 10-book series of giant novels. I should mention that my favorite series of books is The Wheel…
It’s almost seven and the grandstand’s filling up fast. I’ve never been on this side of the fence, looking up at the crowd. Joe is next to me, elbowing Brad and saying something about Bethany that makes my face burn. I’d never say it myself, but she does look good…