Laurie Woodward

He stared into his phone. Eyes fixed, widening in horror. Shoulders tensed. Jaw clenched. Heart beating against his chest. “This world is going to hell!” he mumbled, scrolling ever more. Sound familiar? Do you find yourself doom scrolling as you sink further into a rabbit hole of despair? I sure have and agree that, yes, there are awful things in this world. Things so horrific it is hard to…

I just spent an inspiring weekend at the SLO Film Fest in San Luis Obispo, California and I not only had a great time but left full on energized by the power of storytelling. Austin Hope’s Wine Wall It started on Thursday with the Opening Night Reception and film premiere at the historic Fremont theater. With delicious food catered by Luna Red and wines from Austin Hope served by ringing a bell…

While there were many wonderful moments in my years of teaching, one of the most rewarding was facilitating Student Council, a group of representatives from every 5th and 6th grade class. Every one volunteering to give up lunch recess to build something real. What did we do for those 15 years? Students learned leadership and democracy by voting for their own council officers and making…

Dear Writers and Creatives, Are you stuck, wondering where your your WIP will go next with? Sitting there, staring off into space with no ideas? When stories stall, I’ve found that research jump starts them. As an example, my latest novel, Euclid’s Children, had me racing from one fascinating topic to another. I got to see images of Titan’s methane seas, learn about the plausibility of long-term…

The premise has real festival appeal. It’s weird without being inaccessible.” “Market-wise, this sits comfortably in the Sundance / SXSW / Tribeca short film space.” “That’s a calling-card short. Producers and reps watch this and think, ‘This writer can do high-concept on a low budget and make it feel earned.’” These were just a few of the notes I recently received from the judges at the Santa…

Just when I was getting some good news about my huge uterine mass likely not being cancer and could exhale a peaceful breath, our world erupts in fire. Yesterday over 500 strikes hit Iran, and now they have retaliated unlike anything I have ever seen. Strikes have hit or been intercepted from Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates, to Dubai, and Oman. All of those children.…

Long ago, when I was too young to have the life’s experiences I do now, I thought of Friday the 13th as just another day. I was so naive. Friday the 13th is a  harbinger for the supernatural. A day when the doorways between death and life swing perilously. I was a young mother raising two kids the best I could. It was a Saturday and I had promised to take them to see The Incredibles matinee. …

Time murmurates on silent wings Beating in aerial patterns Until no more. Some freeze it. Others waste it. But when its force pulls Blackened wombs Into the abyss There are some who Sustain it. Extending this Transcendent flight. Photo by David Stroup I recently was diagnosed with a huge mass in my abdomen that is either uterine cancer or a benign tumor. I have been seeing a…

The heart doesn’t want the future. Not at first.It wants redos. The kind you can’t ask for in real life. One more moment.One more conversation.One more chance to say what mattered. That’s why time travel stories have always moved me. Not because of the science, or the spectacle, or the paradoxes (though I love all of that too). But because time travel gives a character something we all secretly…