Category: advice

Another Song Added To My Writing Playlist

I love Battle Beast. They’re a very 80s-style Heavy Metal Band with a very distinct sound. You really hear their full capabilities here: I WANT THE WOOOOORRRRLD!!! Oh Hell Yes!!! Readers, Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me. jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post. I … Read More Another Song Added To My Writing Playlist

Historical Accuracy in Writing

Hi Jim, I was wondering how important you feel it is to portray history accurately, even in a fantasy universe? Thanks, Mike Hi Mike, It really depends on how close to reality your story is. If you’re doing a sort-of ‘what if’ story, you can pretty much do whatever you want… to a point. I’d say no matter what the case, you really do … Read More Historical Accuracy in Writing

New Musical Inspiration From an ‘Old Friend.’

A lot of writers have a playlist of music to help them write and I am no exception. The tempo and mood of the music help them describe and convey emotion as we write what we hear. The lyrics guide us on the direction of the plot, the chorus gives us strength to continue, and the changeup inspires the story climax! With this in … Read More New Musical Inspiration From an ‘Old Friend.’

Does a Bad Guy Have To Be Evil?

I’ve heard this one before and the best answer I can give is… no. The bad guy or villain in a story does not necessarily have to be evil at all. When Chancellor Palpatine said that goodness is a point of view in Revenge of the Sith, despite how self-serving his remark was, he was actually right on many different levels. There are actual … Read More Does a Bad Guy Have To Be Evil?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

To all my N. American readers!!! To the rest of my readers, I wish you peace, love, and understanding… as well as hopefully a good fantasy novel! Now if you’ll excuse me, Black Friday sales start at midnight. Time to suit up for battle! Oh yeah, I’m ready! Watch yourselves, soccer moms! Readers, Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? … Read More HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

From One Universe To Another…

  Hi Jim, I’ve been writing for a very long time, but I need some advice. I’ve mostly worked on children’s books, but recently have started writing adult fiction. I want to use one of my characters from my children’s books in an adult setting, but I’m worried about how my audience will react to it. Some of my readers have grown up with … Read More From One Universe To Another…

Trump’s Election… Epiphany.

https://twitter.com/SethMacFarlane/status/796306781542592512 Seth MacFarlane… as a fellow creator/entertainer, my hat goes off to you on this one. Because while you and I don’t always find ourselves on the same side as every issue, I happen to be 100% with you on this one. Readers, as many of you have seen over times, I have done my best to be bipartisan about everything going on with … Read More Trump’s Election… Epiphany.

Ruining Fantasy?

I talk a lot about writing trends and would like to go into something that has been going on for a while now… There has been a push in more recent media circles to make fantasy and fiction more like reality… We’ve all seen this in some way, shape, or form. Be it people who let movies raise their children crying about Disney princesses … Read More Ruining Fantasy?

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Editorial vs. Factual

“…In terms of fictional writing I think it doesn’t really matter who the author is or what they believe in as it wouldn’t affect my view of their work in either a negative or positive way. I would happily read, for example, something by L. Ron Hubbard without caring for or knowing anything about scientology – knowing his beliefs make no difference to me … Read More Editorial vs. Factual

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Writing History?

Hi Jim, I just finished reading Soul Siphon and really liked your character, Mary. As I kept reading, she started talking about historical events that she was involved in, namely the Jack the Ripper killings. I’m not a history buff, so I decided to google the Whitechapel killings to get a little context. To my surprise, you took Mary directly from the history books! … Read More Writing History?

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Hated Character!

Hi Jim, You speak a lot about characters that you love, can you comment on how you write characters you hate? Thanks, Linden Hi Linden, Base them on someone you don’t like. … Yeah, that’s pretty much all I can say about that. Do you need to write a character that you want to be thoroughly dispised? Take someone you don’t like, someone you … Read More Hated Character!

The Nazis are Bad!

There seems to be a rather annoying trend… I won’t say recently because it’s been going on for years, which is why it’s getting annoying. This trend is something we see in all mediums and it follows the same basic formula: Bad Guy + Nazi Imagery = Effective Villain. That’s right… is your bad guy lacking in back story? Are they just not cutting … Read More The Nazis are Bad!