Stardate 12.29.2025
I recently crossed paths with an interesting man with a storied past. During our conversation, he mentioned that the significant other in his life is a professor in the university writing department. I laughed and told him that if she ever stumbles across my blog or one of my books, I’d be grateful if she would resist the urge to grade me. I’m untrained, self-taught, and I rarely stay inside the lines.
If I were to grade myself, my only solid A’s would be for showing up daily—and for writing straight from the heart.
Those “in the know” often say a writer must find a genre and stay there. My path hasn’t worked that way. I began with a memoir about my dad and his final days on Earth. I followed that with a novel about a fictional family that looks suspiciously like my own. I self-published a coffee table book about a volleyball inspired by Cast Away. I wrote Live Long and Prosper, which mostly chronicles my greatest strength: making mistakes and learning from them.
Now, I’m working on a coloring book about Wilson—and where he might have gone after he exited my life.
That’s a lot of creative territory without a clearly labeled box. Maybe that’s the point. Much of what I write is about wandering. And perhaps my purpose is to help the lost feel a little less alone while they find their way home.
So thank you—for your patience, your kindness, and your willingness to walk alongside me. As long as the writer’s mold is broken, I plan to keep moving forward. Soon, some of these stories will arrive by video. It feels a bit like a frog who dreamed of becoming a writer… and somehow did.
I’m coming out of the cocoon.
Stay tuned.
Have a great day.
🖖 Captain’s Addendum
Bones: “Michael, the man’s clearly broken every literary rule in the book.”
Spock: “On the contrary, Doctor. He has merely rejected artificial constraints in favor of authenticity. A most logical evolution.”
Bones: “So you’re saying there’s no cure for this?”
Spock: “Correct. Nor should there be.”
Michael’s Reflection:
I used to think I needed permission—to fit, to qualify, to belong. Now I see that calling doesn’t ask for credentials; it asks for honesty. When I stopped trying to sound like a writer and started writing like myself, the words began to breathe.
📖 Scripture for the Journey
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”
— Isaiah 43:19
🚀 Mission Log
Today’s mission wasn’t about finding a genre.
It was about trusting the voice God gave me—and using it, one imperfect day at a time.
Thank you for reading, for encouraging, and for making space for stories that don’t quite fit the mold. May you carry a little courage with you today—into prayer, into rest, and into whatever new thing is quietly taking shape in your life.
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