matthewarnoldstern

[matthewarnoldstern]

A Commodore show and Katy Perry's touring debacle taught me the importance of listening to your readers.

[matthewarnoldstern]

The first novel I wrote in college taught me valuable lessons. One is learning to develop scenes. Another is to develop theme. In my case, it's about broken men—a subject that's important today.

[matthewarnoldstern]

We can only benefit from history when we study it honestly. That's why we shouldn't confuse history with nostalgia, especially are we're seeing the consequences of romanticizing the past.

[matthewarnoldstern]

A few days ago, I posted about how being a Dodgers fan feels like someone who bought a Tesla before 2024. What I intend to do next requires paragraphs instead of sentences to explain, so I cover it in this post.

[matthewarnoldstern]

President Trump means freedom! As long as you obey him without question, you’re free. /s

[matthewarnoldstern]

Can you separate the art from the artist? What about the product from the CEO?  In the case of Tesla, you can't.

[matthewarnoldstern]

What did we learn from the COVID pandemic? Not a damn thing.

[matthewarnoldstern]

Feel stuck doomscrolling? Put down your phone and do something. Here's why.

[matthewarnoldstern]

No, we can't "disagree and still be friends"

I used to believe we can still be friends with people who support Trump. Here's why I don't believe that anymore.

Years ago, I declared I wouldn’t unfriend people because of the opinions they shared on social media. I also said you can have characters in a story whose opinions you disagree with. (I have one such character in Christina’s Portrait.)  I even tried to reach out to folks across the aisle. I could understand if you voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020. You might have been able to make a case about…

[matthewarnoldstern]

Taxes and the social contract

When we file our taxes, there are things we expect from the government in return. And if they're not living up to their part of the social contract, we need to speak out.

I’ve been preparing tax returns since my first regular job out of high school. I was a volunteer tax preparer in college and worked for a few years as a bookkeeper for a CPA. I know my way around a 1040. More importantly, I understand the contract I’m making with my government. If I’m going to give them my hard-earned money, there are several things I expect from them in return: My tax money…

[matthewarnoldstern]

The war of art

If art is unimportant, why is it the first thing totalitarians seek to control? Lessons from the Kendrick Lamar halftime show, the Kennedy Center, and @gianna.branca.

If art is unimportant, why is it the first thing totalitarians seek to control? A couple of events last week show the importance of art. The first was Kendrick Lamar’s brilliant Super Bowl halftime performance, and the other was Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center. The latter seems as arbitrary and ego-stroking as his renaming of the Gulf of Mexico and declaring Canada “the 51st state.” But if…

[matthewarnoldstern]

Five must-haves when writing romance

In time for Valentine's Day, here are five tips for writing romance. The last one is the most important.

What makes for a good romance in fiction? We can all think of our favorite romances, but you need to break them down to write them well. Romance has always been a part of my books. My work-in-progress, Trevor and the Eight of Swords, is the first one where romance (albeit a dark one) is the focus. There are five things I found are must-haves in fictional romances. 1. We must care about the…

[matthewarnoldstern]

The Poverty Diet

Thanks to the president, we have a new way that is guaranteed to get you to lose those extra pounds fast! It’s called The Poverty Diet.

Getting to a healthy weight requires making permanent lifestyle changes over time. That hasn’t stopped Americans from looking for easy ways to drop extra pounds fast. Now thanks to the president, we have a way that is guaranteed to help you lose weight. It’s called The Poverty Diet. It’s hard to resist those high calorie foods when they are easy to get. Who can pass up those bags of cookies when…

[matthewarnoldstern]

How to fight back

We are not powerless. There are things we can do. And even the smallest things can make a big difference. Here are some ways we can fight back.

We’re almost a week into the new administration, and it is as bad as advertised. We’ve been hit with a barrage of executive orders, threats, and outrageous actions. The first of their grossly incompetent cabinet members have just been confirmed. It is natural to feel hopeless and powerless in the face of this. This is exactly what they want you to do. Their strategy is to overwhelm you until you…

[matthewarnoldstern]

The TikTok ban

The TikTok ban isn’t the end of the United States, but you can sure see it from here.

Yesterday, January 18, 2025, the Supreme Court ruled the United States government can ban any app for any reason. Today, it was TikTok. Tomorrow, it can be any app, even the ones Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk own. The United States has stripped people of their rights, property, and livelihood many times before. But the TikTok ban is the first time it has done this to so many people, including…

[matthewarnoldstern]

Your last good day

How would you spend your time if you knew today was your last good day?

How would you spend your time if you knew today was your last good day? We know it may be the last good day for a lot of people. Immigrants, members of the LGBTQ+ community, TikTok users. It may be the last good day for the rest of us, but we don’t realize it yet. We’re about to lose our whole way of life because some billionaires didn’t get that toy car they wanted when they were five. Even in…

[matthewarnoldstern]

What gives me hope

How can we be hopeful when there's no objective reason to be? Here's how I build hope in what will be a harsh and challenging 2025.

Something strange has happened these first few days of 2025. I feel hope. I know there is no objective reason to be hopeful right now. As I write this, the city where I grew up is being ravaged by wildfires. A number of my friends had to evacuate, and at least one of them lost their home. And we know things will get much worse as this year goes on. But then I think about some of the worst days of…