Over the years I’ve written for various publications (including myself and my own). I’ve written a fairly wide gamut of materials, from short fiction, to long fiction, to poetry, to screen plays, to ad copy, and yes, print journalism pieces. If there’s a medium of writing, I’ve probably dabbled in it.
Journalism
The most certain way to become a professional writer, and perhaps the lowest paid of all edited written mediums. I worked in both online and print journalism for several years. Below you’ll find samples of each ranging from things posted to my blog, to online magazines, and links to online versions of print magazines.
Online
The Media is Dead, Long Live the Media – reprint – This was a blog post that I wrote following Judith Miller being arrested for not giving up her sources. It has not been edited and should still be able to found on my old Blogspot blog, if you can be bothered to dig that up.
Saddam and Me – I, along with the rest of my generation, grew up with the ghost of Saddam hanging over me. However, when I joined the Army, that ghost got a lot more real. Though I never met the monster, I did take time to reflect on his life the day it ended.
The Saffron Revolution – As Burma was rioting, news was trickling out and the mainstream media was offering very little coverage. Thanks to the modern marvel that was the internet, I was able to watch, and in turn cover, the story as it unfolded. Warning – this article contains graphic photos.
Novella
By definition, a short novel. A couple of short stories that I’ve had planned could fall into this category. The one presented below, however, is a standout.
Tales of New Haven – 11,200 words – The obvious premise of this story is the destruction of a closed city as witnessed by those involved in the destruction. The story leaps from character to character, each taking part, or being affected by the destruction. The subliminal premise is that the world is not so much material, but made up of those who inhabit it. The narrative flows between seemingly unrelated characters and ends rather abruptly. Why so abrupt? Well, I was in high school when I wrote this, and I haven’t had the heart to go back and challenge the relative innocence.
Poetry
My literature professor at the Academy, one Lieutenant Colonel Smidt, was fond of saying that asking someone to write a poem on the spot was akin to asking someone to give birth to a red headed child on the spot. As a young infantry soldier, the odds would seem about the same. That being said, here’s a few that I don’t think suck.
Ruining You - This is a shorter poem that I wrote when I was leaving West Point. I find that it still has the same emotional resonance that it did when I wrote it.
Sarge’s List – One of the poems that I wrote before deploying to Iraq. The tone of the poem does well to capture the feel of a young solder yet to be tested by war, but guessing what wisdoms combat might grant.
Third and Main (Cigarettes) – To say that this poem is influenced by far too many pop songs would be an understatement. The poem, despite being structured into quatrains, works along a verse and chorus structures, which marks a strong break from all the other poems I’d written prior. This poem also bears the distinction of being the last piece of poetry I’ve written.
Short Fiction
Despite being the medium that most children learn to express themselves by writing in, the short story is an incredibly hard medium to write. However, as I’ve grown busier in life, the short story has been more and more appealing both to write and to read.
At the Top - 1170 words – This is a short story that I wrote during the war. At the time, two of the men I was serving with originally hailed from Seattle. They had an unnatural love for Mt. Rainier. I had to show them how silly their love was.
Coke or a Smile – 2800 words – This is a short story from a collection I was working on titled Radio Tokyo. All of the stories have a rock music theme to them. This is one of my favorites from the bunch.
Roadside Stand – 1942 words – Another short that I wrote during the war. This one was a mixture of being home sick, feeling like I was missing out, and a Cyndi Thomson album. Oh, and as the story suggests, a little too much Kerouac.
Bradley Robb likes TV and books, and has an intense dislike for cinnamon. Once, Bradley stopped a Soviet T-60 with his middle finger. Bradley writes speculative fiction and edits Fiction Matters, and never really got the hang of talking about himself in the third person.