Blog
Endings, Pt. 3: The Final Battle
Welcome back to my series on endings! Today, I want to talk about the importance of what I'm calling the final battle, which is really where your protagonist and antagonist finally deal with the major conflict head-on. Your hero fights the dragon, summits the...
Endings That Linger, Pt. 2: Character Arcs
Personally, one thing that I often find most compelling (or most upsetting) about an ending is how it goes about addressing the changes its major (and minor) characters have experienced over the course of the story. This is true in every form of fiction, but...
Endings That Linger, Pt. 1: Bookending
After drawing it out forever because I didn't want it to end, I finally watched the series finale of The Next Generation this past fall. I was a little apprehensive because I didn't really like a lot of the writing of Season 7 -- many of the episodes felt like they...
An Open Letter to My Friends Who Voted for Donald Trump
My dear friend, Thank you for taking the time to read this post, especially when you know it's likely to be filled with sadness and anger. I know this is uncomfortable, but I also know that you care about me. That's why we're friends. Thank you for your respect; I...
The Law School Diaries: What’s Your Excuse?
Greetings from beautiful, inexplicably 65-degree, Pittsburgh, PA! I write this from the porch of The Porch in Schenley Plaza, because I want you to vote. As you probably know, the US presidential election is tomorrow. You can check out some of my thoughts on our...
Who Is My Neighbor? Voting as an Evangelical
It's really only been this week that I figured out what, at base, so disturbs me about this election. There's plenty to choose from, sure. But beyond the actions of the candidates themselves, beyond the insane and horrible rhetoric, beyond the general polarization and...