Essays, Art and Plays by Dan

I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to grow as a creative human being. Not just as someone who writes poems or scripts, but as someone trying to make each moment count.

Here’s what I’m practicing these days, as I keep stumbling my way forward:

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1. Showing Up, Even When the Muse Has Other Plans
Some days the words flow like music. Other days they hide like shy actors backstage.
But even a single line is progress.

2. Feeding Myself Words & Worlds
The books I read.
The people I notice.
The lessons I learned from other cultures, from fatherhood, from every place I’ve called home.
Everything goes into the ink.

3. Watching Humanity Like Theater in Motion
I’ve met so many characters in life—students, farmers, diplomats, travelers, children—
each one a story waiting for a stage.

4. Letting First Drafts Sound Like Bad Banjo
Because messy is honest. And honest is where the good stuff starts.

5. Playing with Form Like Trying New Instruments
Banjo strings. Blues harmonica reeds.
Haiku. Monologues.
You never know what will catch fire.

6. Sharing Before the Spotlight Feels Safe
Courage isn’t confidence—
it’s offering your voice even when it stutters.

7. Welcoming Feedback with Gratitude (and Sometimes a Winced Smile)
Because writing, just like music, is better when shared.

8. Protecting My Creative Time
A quiet half-hour?
That’s a standing ovation in waiting.

9. Catching Sparks When They Fly
A phrase at the grocery store.
A cloud passing by overhead.
A harmonica riff that feels like a heartbeat.
I grab it before it disappears.

10. Creating for Meaning, Not Applause
I write to connect—to experiences, to others, to myself.
Not for perfection. Not for permission.

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Still Writing. Still Rewriting.

I’m still learning.
Still learning lines—both the ones I write and the ones I live.
Still trying to translate the blues in my bones into something that resonates.

And every time I surprise myself on the page—every time a character takes on breath or a poem finds its music—I feel a little closer to the voice I’ve been chasing for decades.

If you’re also finding your way through the wild, wonderful struggle of creativity,
know this:

We’re in the same cast, playing the same sincere song.

Let’s keep going.
One true note.
One brave line at a time.