Category: advice

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+ advice, fantasy, Fiction, literature, Opinion, Science Fiction, Writing

Interspecies Romances in Fantasy: Where Do You Draw The Line?

by Unknown's avatar

    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?

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+ advice, fantasy, Fiction, literature, Opinion, Science Fiction, Writing

Writing Modern People in Fiction

by Unknown's avatar

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

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+ advice, fantasy, Fiction, literature, Opinion, Science Fiction, Writing

Private Life. Professional Appearance.

by Unknown's avatar

  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.

+ advice, fantasy, Fiction, literature, Opinion, Science Fiction, Writing

Silencing Critics, Validates Them.

by Unknown's avatar

Anyone who has read my blog, knows that I have had to field many questions regarding how to handle criticism and reviews. My advice has always been a hands-off approach of engagement. Discussion and dialogue are always the best way to understand another person’s criticisms and concerns. In the end, you may find out that the other person has a valid point that you … Read More Silencing Critics, Validates Them.

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+ advice, fantasy, Fiction, literature, Opinion, Science Fiction, Writing

Delaying the Inevitable.

by Unknown's avatar

  Hi Jim, I’m just about to publish, but I don’t think the book is ready. I set a release date so that everyone would be ready and excited, but now I feel like I’ve really roped myself into a corner. I want to do more work on the book, but I don’t want to disappoint my fans. What should I do? -Miles Hi … Read More Delaying the Inevitable.

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+ advice, Comic Book, Comics, fantasy, Opinion, Uncategorized, Writing

Contempt for the Contemptful Reader

by Unknown's avatar

  Dear Jim, I’ve read some of your other posts and was wondering if you had any advice for me. A lot of your other posts have taken stabs at identity politics. I think you and I fall on opposite ends of the spectrum, but I figured I’d give this a shot. For a long time, I’ve wanted to write a strong lesbian character. … Read More Contempt for the Contemptful Reader

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+ advice, fantasy, Fiction, literature, Opinion, Science Fiction, Writing

Unfinished Works and What To Do With Them.

by Unknown's avatar

  Hi Jim, I have a number of stories that I’ve just completely run out of steam on. I don’t want to finish them, I’m not enthusiastic about writing them anymore. I was wondering, what do you think I should do with them? I spent a lot of time on them and it seems a shame to just up and delete them. What do … Read More Unfinished Works and What To Do With Them.

+ advice, fantasy, Fiction, literature, Opinion, Science Fiction, Writing

Writing Time Travel: What Works and What Makes No Sense.

by Unknown's avatar

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.

+ advice, fantasy, Fiction, literature, Science Fiction, Uncategorized, Writing

Suspending Suspension of Disbelief!

by Unknown's avatar

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!

+ advice, fantasy, Fiction, literature, Science Fiction, Uncategorized, Writing

Dimensional, One Dimensional Characters

by Unknown's avatar

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

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+ advice, fantasy, Fiction, literature, Science Fiction, Uncategorized, Writing

Imperfection is Writing Perfection.

by Unknown's avatar

  Recently I’ve spoken about some characters and how aspects of those characters are ‘perfect’, ‘flawless’, or even ‘saintly’. How terrible things happen to these characters, yet they come away unscathed with no lasting physical or emotional scars. In other cases, they are just perfect throughout the entire story; always making the right decisions, never having to worry about ramifications, and never losing their … Read More Imperfection is Writing Perfection.

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+ advice, fantasy, Fiction, literature, Science Fiction, Uncategorized, Writing

Collab about Collaboration

by Unknown's avatar

Hi Jim, I was wondering if you’d ever done a collaborative work? If so, what’s your opinion on the best way to organize it? I thought it would be fun to work with someone on a story because they have a plotline that they’ve been working on, and I’ve got one that I think would go along well with it. I’m concerned about some … Read More Collab about Collaboration

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