Writing

I’ve been writing for a while, mostly fiction. Much of my fiction was written in the Halo fan fiction realm; there are a few other samples, mostly material written after I stopped writing fan fiction. There are also some non-fiction pieces that exist for various reasons, some written for school projects; I have linked a few of the more interesting ones.

My current writing is generally moving away from my old style, once prominent among my fan fiction; that was action-heavy, with weakly-developed characters and rather cowardly attempts to avoid transitions and passages I wasn’t any good at. As a result, my writing tended to be all very similar. What I’m trying to work on now is more grounded stories that explore things I actually know about and/or care about, using techniques and delving into ideas (or depths of the same ideas) that I was scared of before. Lots of experimenting. Not easy.

More forthcoming as I dredge them up, decide what to post, or in some cases, finish writing them.

Fiction

• The Fluorescent Lights Flickered: An oddball pseudo-action story—read, then read this description for help. Yes, I know that if I have to explain it it’s not very good.
• Flash Fiction: Flash fiction (~250 words) written for creative writing class. My first attempt at moving away from pure action writing.
• Monologue #1: A dramatic monologue written for creative writing class.
• Monologue #2: Another, looser monologue written for creative writing class.
• Scene: An isolated scene of domestic troubles, for creative writing class
• Story #1: A full—short—story for creative writing class.
• Story #2: Another story for creative writing class.
• Baby: A short story based on a concept from a friend. Grim.

Non-fiction

• College essay: The essay I used, with appropriate customization, for my college applications. Something of an attempt, rose-colored but not fabricated, to explain my sub-par grades.
• Diablo II Macroeconomy: A macroecon term paper I wrote on the economics of Diablo II Battle.net.
• Mod code: A code of moderation for online chat groups—this one’s for IBO IRC, but the ideas can be applied generally.
• Public records report: A write-up of a high school project involving information-gathering research on a randomly-chosen individual.
• The Selfish Gene: A general summary and write-up of Richard Dawkins’s The Selfish Gene done for a high school biology class.
• The Life and Accomplishments of James Bowie: History paper on the life of historical figure James Bowie, for a high school history class.
• UseofForce.us: A breakdown of self defense law in the US. All content on this site is written by me.
• Examining the Ontological Argument: A paper arguing against St. Anselm’s ontological case for the existence of god, written for philosophy class.
• Utilitarianism and the Transplant Surgeon Objection: A paper arguing against the “transplant surgeon” objection to utilitarianism, written for philosophy class.
• Nozick, Happiness, and the Experience Machine: A paper discussing Robert Nozick’s “Experience Machine,” written for philosophy class.
• MMR Vaccination: Individual Risk/Benefit Analysis: An amateur research review analyzing overall positives and negatives on both sides of the debate surrounding the MMR vaccine. Heavily cited.
• Propositional Content as a Millean Defense of Artistic Expression: A paper arguing for protection of artistic expression under JS Mill's defense of free speech, written for philosophy class.
• Graspability in your Local Village: A simple explanation of a basic principle of usability when designing for the web.
• Structural Assumptions in Philosophical Arguments: A paper examining some low-lying structural differences in a couple of philosophical takes on “consciousness,” namely those of Nietzsche and Kant, written for a philosophy class. This isn’t comprehensive, and the general topic is something I mean to write more about in the future, but this should serve as an okay beginning.