by Jim
Hi Jim, I have a little problem that I was hoping you could assist me with. I’ve had quite a few people read my story and the overall criticism is that one of the characters isn’t believable. They keep saying that the way the character behaves and the things she does, don’t fit in with the story. This really bothers me as this is … Read More Suspending Suspension of Disbelief!
by Jim
I’ve heard, and said a lot of negative things about the writing of characters that are too one-dimensional. I don’t want it to seem like I’m against such a character, I’m not. There are a lot of great characters out there that are lacking in dimension. Perhaps one of the most famous examples would be the character Javert from Les Miserables. In fact, it … Read More Dimensional, One Dimensional Characters
by Jim
It’s said that if you bend but one shade of grass, you run the risk of altering history… I see a lot of stories, shows, and movies dealing in time travel, how it ‘works’ and the consequences of using it. I usually try not to write about it in my stories for a few reasons… One, time travel is a headache to figure out. … Read More Writing Time Travel: What Works and What Makes No Sense.
by Jim
Hi Jim! I’m hoping you can help me here as a lot of your posts have been about political ideologies making bad stories. I want to write a fictional story with a moral and a political message, but upon rereading what I’ve already written, I’m worried about it being too preachy. Do you have any advice for me? Thanks! Leah Hi Leah, Good question. … Read More Being Preachy Doesn’t Sell.
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
Hi Jim, I have a question maybe you can help with. I’m trying to write a fantasy novel dealing with biological warfare, but I don’t have a lot of scientific or medical knowledge. I don’t want it to sound like I have no idea what I’m talking about, but I want to try to explain the mechanics of how certain things work in the … Read More Expert Consulting on Fantasy?
by Jim
Hi Jim, I’m sure you’ve answered this before, but I can’t find it in any of your recent posts. I finished my book and just finished running spell check. Everything looks good and the only things it says I still have to fix are grammar errors that are part of the dialogue. Is that sufficient for submitting it to publishers? Thanks, Michel Hi Michel, … Read More Is Spellcheck Enough?
by Jim
Jim, I love the blog, and I read it as much as possible. I’ve always been a writer, it never really mattered what I was writing as long as I was writing. I’ve done lots of journaling and short stories but I really enjoy writimg comic books. I was curious if you had any tips as I have what I’ve been told are some … Read More Confident Writing, Learning to Let Go, Resources, Personal Writing Advice and Tips… and whatever else I could cram in!
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. 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 woman. She rejects his advances of course, but that got me thinking. So the question stands… in Fantasy, where does … Read More Interspecies Romances in Fantasy: Where Do You Draw The Line?
by Jim
Hello, Jim– I was wondering if you had any insight to offer on a dilemma I’m facing in a current novella draft: The story is a blend of Alternate History and general scifi, set in a world where a much more aggressive Space Race and Cold War has led to the establishment of a joint USA-USSR colony on the Moon by the late 1990s, … Read More Writing Modern People in Fiction
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
Hi Jim, Since starting writing both my books and my blog, I’ve been getting a lot of friend requests to my primary social media accounts. Part of me doesn’t want these people to have access to my personal information and the things I talk about with my friends… I’ve heard of being doxxed for their opinions, stalked, etc. However I really don’t want … Read More Private Life. Professional Appearance.
James Harringtons Creative Work 