Remember my earlier post about how I live my life as a human doing, not a human being? Two auto-immune diseases have slowed me down, but that doesn’t mean I’m dead. I’m above crawl-speed, I just haven’t returned to warp-speed yet.
So! First thing to share is that if you’re a Trek fan, I’ll be joining the TrekFan.org weekly watch-along tonight (Friday, July 10th) at 9:30pm, ET. They run a 24/7 chat room and tonight’s episode is… you guessed it: Rascals. While I’ve mentioned the story before behind how our script changed into a transporter-accident trope, there’s other elements that never made it off the page and onto the screen. I’ll talk about those tonight as well as other aspects of the writing process. Hope to see you there. It’s a text-driven aka Internet Relay Chat system. Should be fun.
San Diego Comic Con is in full swing and while it feels odd not to be there this year, there’s something to be said for hanging out with a bunch of fellow Trek fans, sipping a nice glass of something cold, and geeking out over a much-loved franchise. The Scribe Awards will be presented tonight at SDCC and I’m looking forward to seeing which of my fellow (and amazing) media tie-in writers receive the awards. It’s been a great honor to be nominated for “Perceptions.” The other nominees craft such outstanding work that it’s all a bit humbling.
My latest Stargate SG-1 novel is moving along. Formerly known as “Enemy of My Enemy,” it’s since been retitled to “The Many & the Few.” That will all make sense what you’ve had a chance to read it. For right now, I can say that progress isn’t at lightspeed, but it’s happening. I just finished a scene between Sam and Vala. Both of these women have wonderfully strong personalities. They’ve each got such great agency — such individuality and ability to do the right thing. It’s a treat writing the two of them together especially since I’ve always felt that Vala had so much untapped potential that went far behind the old trope of “the ‘whore’ with the golden heart.” She’s direct. Smart. Witty. Sam’s a great role model and friend for her, and with Janet Fraiser gone (sigh), Sam needs someone to talk to and no, not about what you might think – hello, Bechdel Test anyone? Sam doesn’t need to talk about guys with Vala. She needs to talk about life, the universe, what’s at stake. Each of these characters has distinct insights. It’s about time the two had a serious discussion while planning how they’re going to save Earth and the galaxy at large.
That’s about it from this end of the galaxy. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to step through the Stargate’s event horizon and slack off for a bit. Okay, not the horizon. My swimming pool. But if I scrunch my eyes just right, I can pretend I’m stepping through the gate instead of just getting wet and going for a swim.
Ready to Stop Circling and Start Rewriting?
If you've got a draft and a diagnostic full of red flags, you don't need more coffee and willpower. You need a plan, a structure, and a room full of writers doing the work alongside you.
The Screenplay & TV Pilot Rewrite Workshop runs July 11 through September 26, 2026 — twelve Saturdays, 2:00 PM ET, live on Zoom. Small group. Real feedback on your actual pages, every week. A six-phase framework that moves from structural diagnosis all the way through line-level polish.
You'll leave with a rewritten script. Not a half-finished revision. A rewritten script. Registration is now open.
Ready to Build Dialogue That Actually Works?
All of this is easier said than done. (Yes, pun intended.) Which is why we do it together, live, with your actual characters.
Build-A-Dialogue is a free three-hour workshop — Saturday, June 6th, 2:00–5:00 PM ET, live on Zoom. No theory lectures. No homework. Just writing.
Hour 1: Voice. Hour 2: Subtext. Hour 3: Conflict. You'll leave with completed exercises, a Character Voice Sheet you can reference for your entire manuscript, and a Subtext Diagnostic for testing any scene in your current work. Registration now open.