Eric E. Nagel

Reflections

Writing as a way of working things out — in the open, one week at a time.

Essays on the inner life, the practice of writing, and the world as it is.

Threads

All
Inner work
On writing
The world

  • Vibe Coding

    I thought ChatGPT was a game changer back when — it pales next to where AI is leaping now. This week I stepped into vibe coding, and a working tool came together in fifteen minutes.

    Read the essay →

The archive

  • System Failure

    We all suffer the consequences when a system fails. Its collapse never comes from one person — it comes when the whole apparatus rots from the inside out.

  • What Happened to Us?

    Something I wrote weeks ago and sat on, thinking it too harsh. I’ve decided it isn’t harsh at all — and that I can stand in my own truth.

  • Creative Writing Prompt #02

    Listen to a song you love, then write the poem it leaves behind. Mine came from ‘Still Waters’ — a journey toward a peace found only inside.

  • My Voice

    All my life I was told to swallow my emotions. To sit in silence is to sit in privilege — so here I am, finally using my voice.

  • Life

    There’s nothing like a medical emergency to make you think about life differently. I choose to show up with care, with compassion, as my authentic self.

  • I Remember

    Knowing and actualizing are two very different things. An unedited page from my journal — on what I remember, and what I don’t.

  • Look Inward

    Hundreds of hours lost to the scroll. This is my time to redirect them back into myself — starting with eighteen sentences that stopped me cold.

  • Creative Writing Prompt #01

    Write a poem without the letter E. Restriction as a way to stretch the vocabulary and expand the artistry.

  • Happy New Year

    Not resolutions this year, but goals — specific, actionable steps. And a year of creative writing challenges to keep the momentum.

  • Future

    Much has changed as I begin my 51st orbit around the sun. I am not what I once was — and I am choosing, at last, the change horizon.

  • Vision

    A creative pull I can’t ignore, and comfort found in the painting process. For the first time in my life, I feel free enough to call myself an artist.

  • Evolving

    A note to whoever’s reading: be patient with me. This site is a work in progress — and so am I.

  • Start, for real

    Two months ago I said I’d start, and didn’t. This time I choose to start — and to no longer be scared.

  • Start

    The start of something new. Not just starting, but the motivation, commitment, and follow-through it really takes.