About Me

Every story begins with a spark…

…an idea that won’t let go. A line of dialogue that invades your dreams. A scene that pops into your brain.

A voice that says, “This matters. Write it. Say it. Get it out there.”

For me, that spark came long before I had the skills to capture it or the words to describe it.

The Girl with a Box of Books

I grew up as a military brat who lived at the end of a runway with the sounds of jets in my head.

My father was a US Air Force pilot, and we moved…a lot. Every few years (or often, every year), we packed our entire lives into brown cardboard boxes and started again.

Since books weigh a lot, we were allowed one box each. Just one.
It always fascinated me which books made the cut and which were left in the donate bin. Why did I care about some characters enough to make room for them? And why was it easy to leave some behind?

I learned early that stories had to earn their place.

The Writer Who Needed to Know Why

Why do we love some stories and not others? Why do some characters embed themselves in our heads and others fade before the end credits?

That question followed me through a degree in writing and music.
Into writing rooms and editing bays.
Onto sets, into boardrooms, and deep into the world of narrative theory and the neuroscience of story.

I’ve written for Disney, NASA, Nordstrom, PBS, National Geographic, and so many others. I’ve produced and directed films, written and doctored books and scripts, ghostwritten speeches, and shaped stories behind the scenes for over 30 years.

But no matter what form the story took, the important questions stayed the same:

Did the story connect and move people?
Was there a point?
Did it achieve narrative transport?
Did anyone care?

The answers to those questions are what I help clients figure out about their writing.

What I Know

Here’s what I’ve learned from a lifetime chasing story:

Story isn’t just structure
It’s not marketing or fancy covers
It’s not just language or style

It’s how the brain makes sense of the world.

When you understand how story works on a neurological, emotional, and narrative level, your writing stops feeling flat or forced.

You stop trying to do what “should” work.
You stop trying to force your voice to fit someone else’s mold.
And you start writing in a way that reflects the world you see and feel.

That’s what I teach: how to be you on the page, screen, and stage.

My Method

I simplify story into its component parts and teach how they work together to create magic.

I do this using:

The F.A.B.L.E. Framework: to bring clarity and connection to every draft

Rhythm, Cadence & Flow: to make your words sound like you

The Neuroscience of Story: so your writing works with the brain, not against it

Throughlines & Emotional Logic: to help your readers (or audience) feel your story

It doesn’t matter if you are writing fiction, creative nonfiction, speeches or sales copy. Story is at the core. It’s the base of everything.

Who I Help

I work with people who want to put pen to paper or fingers on keys. Not those who rely on gimmicks, templates, AI, or other shortcuts.

Writers who want to share their ideas and stories.
Writers who want their words to mean something.
Writers who have something to say and want to make sure it connects.
Writers who may feel stuck or silenced or overwhelmed.

If you have done all the things. Read the books and blogs. Taken the courses. Watched the videos and still feel lost. Figments & Fables is here for you.

You are not alone.

“But I’m Not a Writer”—Not true. If you write, you are a writer.

The Invitation

If you’re ready to understand how story really works and to write words that matter, start here: