Matthew Arnold Stern's Blog, page 2

Why I fight

Social media has come to a consensus: “We are all cooked! The bad guys are winning! The good guys are going on Colbert and saying the system is broken! We might as well give up!” All of that may be true except for the giving-up part. But how do you keep fighting when everything seems […]Related posts:White Lies and broken menStar Wars MemoriesHow to fight back

Basing the hero on yourself

In my work in progress, I’m not only basing the villain on myself. I’m basing the hero on myself too. It’s easy to base the villain on yourself because we are the first to point out our flaws. Basing the hero on yourself is much harder. Some writers use self-inserts for wish fulfillment. If you […]Related posts:How to write about heroes (and be one)Tips on writing in first-personStar Wars: When villains are more likable than the heroes

California must lead, not leave

I’m a native Californian. I was born and raised here, and I’ve lived here my entire life. I started a family and raised our children here. Almost all my novels are set here. There is no other place where I’d rather be. So, you’d think I’d join the trend of striking my American flag and […]Related posts:Why I publish independently“…Then, why are you looking for an agent for your next book?”I’m not surrendering the Dodgers to MAGA

The end of American innocence

All of us have a time in our life when we lose our innocence. The illusions that comforted us and gave us a sense of identity are shattered, and we face a harsh and unforgiving reality. For me, that was when my mom had the last of her major strokes that left her paralyzed for […]Related posts:The two paths to fameYour identity, your selfProtecting our children’s innocence

My most villainous villain

There are a lot of things I’m excited about with my new work in progress. One of them is my villain. I hate this villain so much, I can’t wait to mete out the punishment he deserves. I talk about him in a recent TikTok post. @maswriter I have created an abominable villain for my […]Related posts:Dystopias and utopiasBasing the villain on yourselfThe villain’s journey

It’s OK to be afraid, but…

The outrages come so fast and frequently these days, it’s hard to keep track of them all. Before we got into an unnecessary and potentially devastating war with Iran, we were talking about protests and the dangers that come with them. I experienced those dangers firsthand when I attended a town hall with US Representative […]Related posts:Lessons from a town hall meetingThe antidote to doomscrolling2016 Parody: All We Talked About Was Trump

Protest isn’t peaceful

The No Kings Day protests were inspiring. Millions turned out in thousands of protests in large cities and small towns, blue states and red states. All with a clear message: Our country rejects corrupt totalitarianism. But a mistake a lot of us make (including me) is to call these protests “peaceful.” They were certainly non-violent, […]Related posts:Where I lost KingsWhat Martin Luther King can teach you about public speakingTrump Means Freedom!

Don’t mess with Los Angeles

Let’s make a few things clear. They were always looking for a reason. Mere intimidation isn’t enough for bullies. They want to “make an example” and “send a message.” Mostly, they nut over causing others physical pain. They weren’t going to be happy until there was blood on the ground. A lot of people’s blood. […]Related posts:“So why don’t you run for city council?”No NFL in LAIs there a right way to write a novel?

Your words are not your own and other lessons from going viral (again)

I can make a dozen posts about my writing and not get any views. But I make one post about Taylor Swift… Getting over 125,000 views on Threads is as close to going viral as a small fry like me can get. While I’d rather get that kind of attention for my books, there are […]Related posts:More songs to raise your spirits (European edition)Writing for yourself is writing for othersTaylor Swift, Travis Kelce, and high school

AI reconsidered

Last year, I wrote about ways generative AI can help writers without infringing on others’ copyright and our creative expression. Much has happened since then. Now, the creative community has gone into a full-blown rebellion against generative AI. Agents, publishers, authors, and readers are busy sussing out writing that is AI-generated. They look for signs […]Related posts:How AI can help writers40 things I learned in 40 years about technologyTips on writing in first-person