“Hi Jim, I was just wondering what your thoughts were on using contractions in narration, for example having the narrator say ‘He wasn’t sure’ instead of ‘He was not sure’. I’ve been told that it’s too informal, and sounds too much like speaking, especially when the narration isn’t in the first person. (There is, of course, always the rather sneaky thing of getting rid … Read More Contractions Too Informal?
“When did the need for series and/or sequels start, anyway? I’ve been reading Diana Wynne Jones’ REFLECTIONS ON WRITING, and she isn’t shy about sharing her thoughts on series arcs (that is, she didn’t like them). If memory serves, out of the gazillion books she wrote, only three, maybe four had sequels. Even in the Chrestomanci series, Chrestomanci himself is not always a primary … Read More Are Sequels Really Necessary?
So you’ve written your story. Your characters are beloved, not only to you, but also your reading audience. Well now you’re writing the next part in your series and are ready to do the unthinkable… You’re going to have one of the characters turn on the others. One of your main good guys is now to become a villain and not just a villain, … Read More The Traitorous Main Character
Can I just ask… what the heck happened? When I first published my work, I got a lot of comments from readers, both positive and negative. Divinity in particular got positive and negative comments from die-hard Christians and atheists, and I don’t understand the negativity. I certainly can’t speak for the rest of the world, so if it’s different outside of the U.S. PLEASE … Read More Free Exchange of Ideas…
IV Tom kept himself in seclusion during the next few days. He went to class as much as he needed to in order to get by, but other than that, he barely came out of his room. Both Greggor and Jayme came by to see him often, but he almost never opened the door. He slowly became oblivious to the world around him. … Read More Magnifica: The Lost Sequel Pt. 4
I admittedly was a little hesitant to address this one because of the weight and political biases that go with it. So let me preface by saying that I don’t care who’s a republican or a democrat, man or woman, black, white, asian, etc. If you enjoy reading, you’re all right by me. In Magnifica, Lia’na is often abused for being an elf. Both … Read More Personal bias, dislike, and hatred.
III Weird things began to happen over the next few weeks. Toby and Lia’na disappeared and Gishan wouldn’t talk about it. He walked around like he was a dead man and barely even talked to anyone. One day at lunch, Tom was sitting with Greggor and Jayme when Gishan came in. Tom was talking to Jayme, “Did you hear about what happened in … Read More Magnifica: The Lost Sequel Pt 3
As a writer, this is something that I’ve explored for a long time now. Why does a bad person become bad? Why do they do bad things, what is the motivation? Just the other day, I was walking to my car from work. I was wearing my normal leather jacket. In Boston it’s very cold at this time of year. As I neared the … Read More What makes bad people tick?
I’ve looked through the different works and various forms of elves and what their half-breed children are like. Half Breeds in some stories look like their human parent, almost completely and I’ll explain why below… In other stories, they are mixed, though in most, they have slightly pointed ears, but otherwise look like humans. So far, there is one consistency; elven genes are recessive … Read More Half-elf description
I’m not kidding. Write when you’re sad, it’s when the best poetry comes out, often. Write when you’re angry… you’ll be surprised how much you get done rage writing… though you may have a lot of editing to do. Write when you’re frustrated, it’s therapeutic to take out your frustrations on your characters who have done nothing wrong to you. Yes, write in most … Read More Don’t write while sick…
It is with great pride and a little trepidation, that I announce that Divinity is now and forever Published!!! 450 pages James\Harrington ISBN-13: 978-0692336410 (Custom Universal) ISBN-10: 0692336419 BISAC: Fiction / Fantasy / Historical Synopsis: How could it come to this? Why would God let this happen to me? These were questions two very different souls in very different circumstances were forced to ask. … Read More DIVINITY… IS PUBLISHED!!!!