Hi, I’m Max and I write fantasy, science fiction, and all sorts of genre stories as well as essays on the craft. If you enjoy what I write below, I’d appreciate you sharing the piece or subscribing to my newsletter more than you know! Or support me at my ko-fi here!
Each of my stories is stand-alone. However, many are in a shared universe. If you want to check out a specific world…
You can click here to dive into the fantasy world of Breiar
or check out my complete novella The House in the North starting here.
or check out my whole catalogue to see what fits the mood of the day here
I don’t love every book that I read. That should be true of everyone, but on the contrary, I don’t hate them all either.
You won’t hear about the dislikes that I do have on this newsletter though. That simply won’t happen. All art has some value.
Again, for the crowd in back:
All art has value.
Caveat here – all human-made art. Nothing put out by the artificial intelligence of the day, however intelligent we may think it be.
Whatever art is out there, means something to its creator as well as the fans it has. And there are always fans out there. They may be few and they may be quiet but they are there.
Art is why we exist. It is the creation that we do following the meeting of our needs – or sometimes to the detriment of meeting those needs. So, when I come across a book that I have to put down partway through, or one I finish and do not like, or even one I throw across the room and say: “dammit, I can do better than that!” I don’t come to my typewriter ready to break down all the reasons why I don’t care for the piece to my many adoring fans here. The masses, all fifty-one of you, don’t need more negativity in your life, and neither do I. Someone worked hard on their art, and I guarantee someone else liked it. Who am I to espouse my opinion online and bring someone down?
I don’t wish to shame critique itself. Roger Ebert is truly a writer who helped get me into writing. His love of films led to his writing career. He surely spoke poorly of films he thought were not good. It was his job.
It is not mine.
He wrote a scathing 1-star review of Blue Velvet, a film by David Lynch that I’ve [discussed before]. It was a life changing film for me. It changed the way I see stories and how I tell them. It is magic distilled in the most horrific and beautiful way that any human has thought to put image to screen. It isn’t perfect but it is perfect for me.
I don’t disparage Eber for his opinion, or for his sharing of it. I definitely do not disparage him as strongly as I do the litany of critics now shouting into the online void. That isn’t fair. But it is honest.
Maybe I don’t even truly disparage them. They are making the art that they wish to, and I’ll try not to put that down.
But I will not partake.
This newsletter, and any written forum I hold in the future, will have this mission statement: I will work my hardest to not write in the negative. I wish to not write anything if I cannot write or find the positive in a story or piece. There is enough of that and my house will not produce any more for the world.
I will learn from those pieces I do not like, and I will try to share that knowledge here or elsewhere as I can, but not to the detriment of the artist.
The things I dislike will not get any airtime here. You may discover and enjoy (or hate) them on your own, and I hope you do the former. I hope you enjoy my recommendations as well. The more art enjoyed in the world, the better the world.
My mind goes to the man in black. I think online, we could use a few more clad in rainbows.
Thanks for giving that a read! If you like my art and want to drop a buck in my hat, I’d appreciate it more than you know. If you like it, and want to just keep reading for free, please do! Check out my latest (and maybe best) short story here!
And if you’d just like to hang out here: check out my other stories, leave a comment, and share with whoever you want to!
And here are some pieces I read recently that are worth checking out:
I’ve always loved Shea Serrano’s writing. His essays are just plain fun to read and his latest on Halloween (2018) does not disappoint:
As I begin outlining my largest project yet, I stumbled upon the perfect little infographic on world building by Simon K Jones. The detailed pieces listed after the graphic are worth falling down a rabbit hole and reading!
