Fiction. There's so much possibility, isn't there? You can explore the good or the bad, all to your heart's content, and in most cases (unless you're a famous writer whose words are craved by millions) you can keep those stories to yourself if you so choose.

I must admit that I've written tons of stories that have seen only a pair or two of eyes (usually mine as well as a trusted friend who's been reading my stories for over a decade). I never thought it could or would go beyond that.

Online writing sites have changed that a little for me. I write and throw it out into the ether. Some people like it; some people don't; and others just don't care either way.

For the some who do regularly follow what I write, though, I've been tackling a loose project all centered around the idea of "taboo" relationships — or so it would seem — all driven by fictional scenarios from the first-person perspective.

I think it's pretty obvious what I do at this point: I take the inciting title and image, give you an impression of what the story might be, and then I twist it — to varying degrees — to undermine expectations. Sometimes it works, but sometimes it doesn't. And the stories themselves fly or fall — as is the case with any writer's gamble of putting words to a page and then releasing those words out into the world.

What I most want to convey through these stories is the feeling of how relationships intertwine and/or overlap — to negative or positive degrees. The stories are often just snapshots of larger scenarios. I don't want to take up someone's afternoon with these fictional jaunts; if you can read a story of mine on your commute or your lunch break, then I feel my endeavor has been a success.

I must admit that these stories are surprisingly difficult to write, especially as I go along with different iterations, because I don't want to repeat the same old things in every story. You can probably tell by this point that I (purposely) lose focus or assert attention elsewhere: for instance, a story may involve cheating, but the grander theme may be about, I don't know, loneliness and existential crises. Or questions of identity and roles in society and/or a family unit.

These stories aren't literature by any means, but I think it comes back to, again, the reader experience. If these stories find a nest among readers who appreciate them, then I'm happy.

No, you're not going to love every story; some you may even ignore or come away with a feeling like spite. But these are the stories I come to write when nothing else will sing on the page. They're not connected (maybe in the future they will be), but I imagine them in their own little sphere where the stakes are low — except when it comes to relationships (not just romantic ones) and the webs that branch out from there.

You may be tired of these stories, and that's okay. But if you want to continue along this journey with me, I hope you'll find something that resonates — even if it's just a little bit.

Wanna stick around? Something exciting may happen.