After far too much time spent tinkering with every little visual element, Warden Writing is now live!

Welcome to the website. Feel free to check out Dragon Robber, my first short story, or browse through the other projects and artworks across the site. There’s tons of cool stuff to see.

Thanks for stopping by. Really. I spent a lot of time on this website and the stories within it, so you taking time out of your day to check it out means a lot to me.

So what exactly is this place?

I’m not fully decided on it, and I suspect it’ll change over time. But initially, I wanted a place where I could put my writing up for others to read. That’s the core of it. These days, there’s a lot of hoops to jump through to get your writing into the hands of readers, no matter which path you take. I’m working on the traditional route right now, but it’s a long road ahead. So in the meantime, I wanted to get started on something.

The problem with novels

I’m a novel guy. Up until now, all of my writing time was spent working on novels. And while novels will always be my preferred medium, I found that solely writing novels limited me in several ways. For one, a novel is a commitment to a single (or a few) story premises. New story ideas strike me all the time, inspired from everywhere – from other stories, of course, but also from history books, observations during travel, and so much more. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to turn an idea into a story but discarded it because I was too busy working on a novel.

Short stories are the perfect vessel for these experimental ideas. In preparation for launching this website, I’ve now split my time between shorts and novels. In doing so, I’ve opened up a new outlet for exploring ideas that I discover while navigating through this crazy thing we call life.

Another big problem with solely writing novels is that it’s fairly lonely. Writing by nature is a solitary exercise, but by only writing novels, there’s even fewer opportunities for interactions with readers. You can go months and months before anyone puts eyes on your prose. Months and months without any feedback and chances to improve your craft. At the risk of sounding too much like a software developer, short stories offer a quicker feedback loop and more iterative style to hone your writing. Waterfall vs. Agile. Urgh, I said it. But I refuse to make sprints in JIRA.

And finally, reading a novel is a big commitment of time and energy, doubly so if you’re asked to provide constructive criticism on it. Not everyone has this kind of time all the time, myself included. Short stories posted on a website are a far more accessible way for readers to check out my writing. And simply having someone read some words I wrote is one of the best feelings out there.

A journey, not a product

So there you have it. I’ve posted a few other things on this website, including descriptions of current and previous projects, artwork, and more. But the core of it will be sharing my short stories with you. I’m not sure how this place will grow and change over time, but the goal is not to create a product or achieve a specific outcome. It’s a journey – one I’m excited to share with you.

Thanks again and see you in the stories!