JWTroemner.com

The Blog

  • Appreciating a moment

    If you’re reading this, then it’s because you have access to an internet connection. Maybe it’s on your phone, or in your home, or at your library, or through a friend. Maybe you live next door, or maybe you live oceans away from me. But no matter who you are or where you live, you’re… Read more

  • In Memoriam

    After what happened in Orlando this Sunday, I feel I need to say something. But I think it’s more important for me to step back right now. There are voices you need to be listening to right now, and they’re not mine. But I will say this: If you can donate blood, donate blood. If… Read more

  • The Importance of Place

    Where does a story take place? Sometimes, giving a story’s location is unavoidable. If a story takes place in outer space, on Mars, or in Wonderland, the laws of physics might affect the characters completely differently than they would on Earth. But sometimes it’s not so simple. I’ve had conversations with multiple authors about the… Read more

  • Denied: How you handle a ‘no’

    No. It’s such a simple word, but those two letters carry a lot of power. It’s almost inherently rooted in conflict and contradiction, a refusal to go along with the flow, whatever that flow may be. It’s a line in the sand, and that line can be as shallow as ‘do you want a taco?’,… Read more

  • The Labrador Test

    The Labrador Test

    I’d like to propose a new test. We’ve got a slew of them already. I’d like to add The Labrador Test: In which a female character can’t easily be replaced by an adorable dog that a male character is just so gosh-darn attached to. And dear God, I’m so sorry we still need for this… Read more

  • Exploring the California Nite Club

    Exploring the California Nite Club

    I was running errands when I passed a pair of workers heading in and out of an abandoned building in my area. I won’t pretend I wasn’t giddy. Men at work means I can usually ask nicely and get permission to wander around inside, so I officially won’t be trespassing (it also means that the… Read more