Jim Stitzel
Jack-of-All-Trades, Master of WordsExcerpts from Life
Morning Routine
The alarm goes off for... what? The fifth time? Sixth? I've lost track, partly because I have a tendency to sleep through alarms. I can recall at least two before this, though, so I'm sure there are a couple I "missed." Without opening my eyes, I reach over and hit...
Baby Steps Toward Mental Health
This tiny tablet is the first step of the next stage of my search to find mental wellness. (How sad is it that I kinda love the color?) Those of you who also suffer from mental illness may recognize that little pill as buproprion, an off-brand of Wellbutrin. This is...
Fear, Faith, and Writing Dark Fiction
Several years ago, someone once asked me how I resolved having faith in God with writing dark fiction. Much of the fiction I've written over the years has put characters in dark, hopeless corners where death, either their own or someone they loved, or worse was...
Fiction
Rain
The rain started today. Again. And it wasn't just a little sprinkle, either. It was a positive deluge, as is normal on this planet. We have 240 days in our yearly cycle, and it rains here for 239 of those days. We get one day of dry and sunny every year, and I missed...
Vortex
"The next 30 minutes will change everything!" I shouted, as the vortex whirled and swirled in front of us. We'd created the thing using archaic technology that somehow came together to form a whirlpool of light -- purple and pink and orange. We didn't know that it...
The Mountain
"Getting old," the mountain grumbled. It had been sitting in place for thousands of years. Weather had eroded its face, so that it was pockmarked and worn. Snow capped its head, while trees adorned its feet. "Time to go for a walk," it rumbled to itself. It lifted its...