Inkwell
Live
An AI-assisted writing studio for long-form thinkers.
Track characters, structure ideas, and stay faithful to the architecture of your story. Built for novelists and storytellers who want tools that understand narrative.
Open→What I'm Building
These projects fall into four areas of life where clarity matters most: creating, leading, deciding, and finding our way forward.
Create
Tools for writers and storytellers.
Inkwell Jr
Private beta
A writing studio for young storytellers.
Help younger writers explore creativity and build narrative confidence. Writing should feel like discovery, not homework.
Join waitlist→Henry Hail and the Whittier Kids
Live
A middle-grade mystery adventure series.
Follow Henry and his friends as they uncover hidden history, secret societies, and long-buried mysteries. Perfect for readers ages 8-12.
Open→Lead
Tools for leaders and organizations.
Nexus
In use with clients
Fundraising intelligence for nonprofits and mission-driven teams.
Understand donor behavior, prioritize relationships, and run more effective campaigns. Built for organizations that want to fundraise with clarity.
Request access→Waymark Leadership Development
Coming soon
Leadership development shaped by reflection, clarity, and wise action.
A developing platform for leaders who want to communicate better, think more clearly, and lead with greater steadiness and intention.
Storytelling by Waymark
Coming soon
Storytelling tools and frameworks for leaders, teams, and organizations.
An emerging body of work focused on helping people communicate with greater coherence, resonance, and trust.
Decide
Tools for reflection and judgment.
Margin
Live
A reflection and decision journal for clearer thinking.
Use writing as a tool for clarity. Small moments of reflection shape wiser decisions over time.
Open→Adventure
Tools for travel, exploration, and better trip decisions.
Wayfinder
Live
A travel planning tool for more confident decisions.
Find stronger options, weigh tradeoffs clearly, and plan trips with less noise and more confidence.
Open→DisDave
Live
A Disney trip planning tool for families who want clarity before they book.
Compare dates, crowds, costs, and priorities so the trip works in real life, not just on paper.
Open→What ties these together
These projects live in different categories, but they grow from the same instinct: helping people slow down enough to think clearly.
Sometimes that means shaping a story.
Sometimes it means leading an organization or making a difficult decision.
Sometimes it simply means planning a trip well enough that the experience actually feels like rest instead of stress.
In every case, the goal is the same: creating a little more clarity so people can move forward with confidence.
Good tools don't rush decisions.
They create the conditions for better ones.
Why This Matters
Most software pushes people to react faster and decide faster. But the most important work in life and leadership rarely benefits from speed alone.
Writing a book. Leading an organization. Making a decision that shapes the next five years of your life.
Those moments require clarity, not speed. The tools below are experiments in building software that helps people slow down enough to think well.
How I Build
I build software slowly and deliberately. Most of these products begin as tools I want to use myself before growing into platforms others find useful.
I care about calm interfaces, systems thinking, and software that respects people's attention rather than competing for it.
Calm InterfacesAttention AwareSystems Thinking
Built with modern web tools including Next.js, TypeScript, Supabase, and Tailwind.
About Dave
I'm Dave Hail, a writer, builder, and strategist working at the intersection of storytelling, leadership, and thoughtful software.
These projects grow out of one instinct: building tools that help people slow down, think clearly, and act wisely.
Interested in one of these tools, or want to connect?
Email Dave