E.R. COOK

Author. Artist. Dreamer.

  • 15 Minute Stories: The Box

    Today’s story started a little different. I wasn’t really finding any photos that were speaking to me. So, I decided to try something a little different and go with a writing prompt. The Prompt: “You receive a mysterious cardboard box. Written on the side in large letters are the words: Caution! May Bite.” THE BOX…

  • 15 Minute Stories: All that Glitters

    15 Minute Stories: All that Glitters

    The Prixiator surveyed his flock with a smug satisfaction. The pews were filled with the highest ranking families in the kingdom. The men were dressed in the finest silks, the whitest shirts, with gold watches and silver canes. The women were similarly decked out in whalebone corsets, silk, lace, gold, silver, and sparkling gems. All…

  • 15-Minute Story: Wolf Moon

    15-Minute Story: Wolf Moon

    He watched as the moons rose into the night sky. The first was full, the light shining brightly over the forest. Its light filtered down through the pine trees, bathing the ground in scattered shadows. The second moon was almost half-full, its light melding and blending with the first. The third was a slowly thickening…

  • What’s Up? Summer Edition

    What’s Up? Summer Edition

    Ever have one of those moments where life gets busy and you have to choose what to stop focusing on? The “I’ll call them next week” or “I’ll deal with that when things slow down” moments? Then you blink and you realize its been two months (or six) and you still haven’t done the thing?…

  • Learning my craft: 15 minute story writing

    Learning my craft: 15 minute story writing

    So they say that writing is a craft, and like any craft, it takes time to get good. You need to practice and learn new skills and techniques. Find out your strengths and weaknesses. There’s a lot of ways to do this for writing, according to the internet. But I recently remembered something I tried…

  • Playing with AI: a winter poem

    There’s been a lot of talk lately about AI being used for writing and creating art. Some are excited and intrigued by the new technology. Others are worried about copyrights and the death of creativity. I’m not really sure which side of the debate I fall on, mostly because I’ve not experienced using it. So,…

  • Life as a PTPW: When inspiration won’t strike

    Writer’s block is as old as time. In fact, it seems cliché to write about it. I don’t have any sure-fire cures, and there’s nothing I can add that you couldn’t find with a simple search. But what I can talk about is that for all we hear and talk about writer’s block, we don’t…

  • New Year’s Resolutions

    Yes, it is that time of year when you have to decide. Do you make a resolution, knowing that more than likely you’re going to give up on it after a week or two, or do you resign yourself to not making a resolution but feeling like you’re not accomplishing something anyway? I can’t tell…

  • Tis’ the Season: Mistletoe and Magic

    Tis’ the Season: Mistletoe and Magic

    I love Christmas. From a brightly lit tree to sparkling icicles and a fresh fallen snow to gathering together for a meal or spending time with family, Christmas was always magical for me. I love picking out that perfect gift for people, seeing their faces light up in surprise. Even now, away from most of…

  • Snowstorms and candles: Weather moods and writing

    I’ve gotten a gift this week. Twice I’ve woken up to snow. As I stepped into my cold office, lit the candles and looked out at the darkened landscape, I could just make out the small flakes drifting down in the early dawn light, muted gray by the clouds but allowing me to see the…