by Jim
So a few days ago I was reading a the original ‘Little Mermaid’ by Hans Christian Anderson. I was curious about the story after my boys took a liking to the Disney version. I won’t spoil anything for anyone, but I highly recommend reading the original. It is superior in every way to the lax character development of the Disney version. Anyway, more on … Read More Are Narrative Stories Out of Date #Fantasy #Fiction #Advice
by Jim
“Dear Jim, I’ve been writing a novel for some time now, but it’s been a struggle. I’ve come on hard times recently with a friend. I’ve felt betrayed and hurt. The problem is that I’m afraid to write while I feel that way. I’m worried that it will affect my writing and change how the story goes. Do you think I should keep going … Read More Embracing the Dark Side… #Fantasy #Fiction #Advice
+ advice, Author, Book, Uncategorized, writer
by Jim
“Hi Jim, Just wanted to know how important you think word count is when writing a book? Appreciate it, John.” Well John, the short answer is that it is not important. It shouldn’t be a factor when you’re writing… usually. If you have your heart set on writing a novel and getting it published as a stand-alone book, then… yes word count may … Read More Why do we care about word count? #Fantasy #Fiction #Advice
+ advice, Book, Characters, Fairy Tale, fantasy, Fiction, horror, Inspiration, literature, Lord of the Rings, Movie, Novel, Opinion, Psychological, Psychology, rules, Writing
by Jim
What is it about the villain that’s so great? Why do we like villains so much… to the point where we want to see the villain more than the hero? Well originally, villains were just supposed to be a plot device. A simple element that was used to create a plot. There was no rhyme or reason to it. The villain was just a … Read More The Villain #Fantasy #Fiction #Advice
by Jim
Okay, so it looks like I’m still getting a lot of publishing questions. These are recurrent questions I get on a regular basis, and while I want to try to respond to everyone who reaches out to me, I don’t want my blog becoming redundant. So I think I’m going to repost this on a weekly basis from now on to help people navigate … Read More The Ins and Outs of Publishing, A Directory of Advice. #Writing #Author #Advice
by Jim
So this isn’t actually a question that someone asked. It’s something I’m currently encountering in a book I’m working on where a dragoness and a human male develop feelings for one another… and someone ‘suggested’ it might be bestiality (ugh!). Not only that, we see it in various other stories as well. In The Orville, we see an amoeba-like creature hitting on a human … Read More Interspecies Romances in Fantasy: Where Do You Draw The Line? #Writing #Advice #Fantasy
+ advice, Disney, Fairy Tale, fantasy, Fiction, Inspiration, literature, Movie, Music, Novel, Opinion, Princess, Psychological, Psychology, Romance, Uncategorized, Urban Fantasy, Worst, Writing
by Jim
Unfortunately, I have to say yes… hesitantly. Fictional stories can absolutely be harmful if taken the wrong way or interpreted incorrectly. A good example would be many of the Bible stories. The Bible was a good written by man for man. I can’t speak to who wrote the old testaments or how, but the new testament, at least as far as the Gospels are … Read More Can fictional stories be harmful?
+ advice, Fiction, literature, non-fiction, Reading, Writing
by Jim
“I’m curious, but what have you found one of the most difficult things that comes with writing?” -Steven Capps Hi Steven, There are a lot of hurdles to overcome in writing… a lot. This is just me personally, but the hardest thing for writing is finding the time to write and then pulling myself away from the keyboard when I need to. It is … Read More Writing’s Most Difficult Aspect #Fantasy #Fiction #Advice
by Jim
Okay, so it looks like I’m still getting a lot of publishing questions. These are recurrent questions I get on a regular basis, and while I want to try to respond to everyone who reaches out to me, I don’t want my blog becoming redundant. So I think I’m going to repost this on a weekly basis from now on to help people navigate … Read More The Ins and Outs of Publishing, A Directory of Advice. #Writing #Author #Advice
+ advice, grammar, literature, personality, Reading, Writing
by Jim
Hi Jim, I’ve been working on my story for a while and it takes me through a lot of dialogue along the way. I’m trying to write a modern story with slang and lingo that people today understand. However my spellcheck picks it up and gives me the ‘correct’ recommendations. I don’t want my writing to sound unprofessional, but I don’t want my characters … Read More Grammar in Dialogue? #Fantasy #Fiction #Advice
by Jim
I can’t believe I’m doing this… You’re a stronger person than I am if you can watch this video and still take this band seriously.All I’m going to say… When to listen: DON’T!!!! Hahahaha Just kidding. This is a psych out song. Don’t listen to it while writing. You kind of have to watch the video to really get the full effect. It’s sort … Read More Off My Writing Playlist #Writing #Author #Advice
by Jim
“Hi Jim, I’ve had a lot of ideas flying around lately, but not all of them are that great. Often times I find myself writing out some of my ideas only to almost immediately hit a road block. Then when I look over it again, I don’t know what I was thinking when I started writing. I don’t know how those thoughts could have … Read More When to start?
James Harringtons Creative Work 