Tag Archives: storytelling

If I Started a Business Today—Books, Bourbon and Stories

Posted on September 28, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Last year, I imagined a business built around books, bourbon and belonging. A year later, the idea has changed. Maybe the dream isn’t the building first. Maybe it starts with the stories, the conversations and the people who gather around them. Continue reading →

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How Do You Write What People Actually Want to Read?

Posted on September 24, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

If I knew exactly how to write what people actually want to read, a lot more people would probably be reading this. So what does make writing worth someone’s time? Continue reading →

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The Most Annoying Movie Tropes (and Why They Drive Us Crazy)

Posted on September 6, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Some movie tropes are harmless shortcuts. Others are so lazy they make you stop watching the story and start noticing the writer pulling the strings. Continue reading →

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Stories Demand Sacrifice | A Short Story

Posted on September 5, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Steve Michaels is a struggling writer surrounded by failed ideas and discarded characters. But when those characters decide they have had enough of literary limbo, the price of finishing a story becomes frighteningly literal. Continue reading →

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A Christmas Story Over Dinner

Posted on July 24, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Atticus Finch and George Bailey might offer wisdom, but dinner with adult Ralphie Parker would offer something just as valuable: laughter, memories and stories worth retelling. Continue reading →

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The Ending I’m Not Ready to Reveal

Posted on June 25, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

A question about changing a book ending turned into a reflection on Stephen King, writing, and the surprising gift of knowing when my own story had finally landed. Continue reading →

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The Prompt I’d Forget Just to Answer Again

Posted on June 20, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

When a daily writing prompt asks almost the same question it asked two weeks earlier, the only reasonable response is to answer it again — with mock outrage, a little sarcasm and one more loving nod to Arthur. Continue reading →

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The Story Between the Lines: What the Label Doesn’t Say

Posted on June 13, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Before the famous label, there was a boy named Jasper and a man named Nate. One became the name the world remembered. The other helped teach the craft. Their story reminds us that the truth behind a legend is often fuller than the label can hold. Continue reading →

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The Story Between the Lines: The Silence Behind the Voice

Posted on June 6, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Before he became one of the most recognizable voices in the world, he was a boy named Jimmy who struggled to speak at all. His story reminds us that sometimes the thing the world remembers us for is the very thing we once thought was broken. Continue reading →

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The Sunday Pour: The Pour Across the Table

Posted on February 8, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Sharing a glass face-to-face is about more than what’s in the glass—it’s about presence. The whiskey gives us a reason to slow down, but what we’re really sharing is time, conversation, and the people across the table while we still can. Continue reading →

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