About

I’m a ghostwriter who helps tech executives find their voice, and I’ve also published seven books of my own, including Deep Freewriting and Writing from the Inside Out.

This has taught me to see the difference between manufactured and authentic expression, and what voice looks like when it’s real versus when it’s performed.

I’ve been successful with both the commercial work and my own books, despite not having a massive following and not optimizing for reach. I say this to give proof that the artisan path still works: make work you believe in, always be discovering yourself, trust that the rest follows.

What TMMW is

This is where I write about sustained attention as a creative practice.

I’m interested in what’s worth doing versus what’s merely optimizable. Increasingly, I believe it’s essential to choose obsolete practices like writing by hand, meditating, and working in uninterrupted spans of time. I’m fascinated by what we’re trading away when we assume that everything should be frictionless, instant, algorithmically viable.

What I explore

Ancient wisdom applied to modern problems. Creative practice as transformation. Not just self-expression, not just therapy, but the massive inner shifts that happen when you are devoted to something for hours, days, years.

Sovereignty in an age of optimization. How to think for yourself when the algorithm wants everyone identical, how to stay yourself when everything trains you toward sameness.

What makes expression genuinely yours. The authority that comes from lived experience, sustained practice, and valuing natural expression.

The Understory

Each article ends with The Understory, a space to share works-in-progress, what you’re making before it’s polished. In a work-in-progress, a person’s voice can really shine through. You’re welcome to share via comments or chat.

What you get

Weekly articles, personal narrative that opens into cultural criticism. Observational, philosophical, sometimes ornery. Writing about creativity by being in the process.

Free subscribers get all articles.
Paid supporters keep this work independent: no sponsors, no brands, no optimizing for anyone but you.

If you make things or if you suspect that life itself might be a creative act, this is for you.

Work with me

I work one-on-one with writers who want to hone their sovereign creative practice. Not their personal brands. A practice you can sustain without performing.

I also take on select ghostwriting projects. I love helping people find their authentic voice and get their ideas into words, whether it’s them writing it or me.

Drop me a line if you’d like to explore working together.

—Stephen