Category: Opinion

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Action Figure Collection Woes #Writing #Author #Advice

  So as most everyone knows… I’m huge into action figure collecting. There are two big ones I’m waiting for. The first and perhaps most important is a commissioned one-of-a-kind action figure. See I love Skyrim… but let’s face it, the figures that came out from the game kinda sucked! All they had was a Daedric lord and a fairly generic Dragonborn. Yeah sign me … Read More Action Figure Collection Woes #Writing #Author #Advice

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Audience/Reader Sensitivity #Writing #Author #Advice

Hi Jim, I have a problem I was hoping you could help me with a rather… sensitive issue. I’ve written a book that deals with a lot of cultural issues. I’ve gone to great lengths to keep my writing as inoffensive as possible, as I want people from all walks of life to be able to read it, enjoy it, and maybe find themselves … Read More Audience/Reader Sensitivity #Writing #Author #Advice

Top 10 Horror Movies #Writing #Author #Advice

Hello everyone and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! While I usually do some writing advice that often surrounds the Holidays, I couldn’t really find anything in the usual writer request mailbox. So instead, I thought I’d offer my top 10 favorite horror movies of all time list. Keep in mind, I’m not saying that these are the scariest movies, but they are horror films that I thoroughly … Read More Top 10 Horror Movies #Writing #Author #Advice

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Choosing a Name? #Writing #Author #Advice

Hi Jim,  I was hoping you could help me out. I’m trying to choose a name for my novel, but I can’t seem to figure out a good one. Every one I choose doesn’t really sum up anything about the story or seem to stick. Do you have any advice for choosing a title? Thanks, Aubri Hi Aubri, I do indeed. The best way … Read More Choosing a Name? #Writing #Author #Advice

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The Ins and Outs of Publishing, A Directory of Advice. #Writing #Author #Advice

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

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Linear Writing Rule? #Writing #Author #Advice

Hi Jim,  I was actually hoping you could help me out with a problem I was having. I’m currently writing a book that will be part of an established series. It’s been a pretty good run so far, but I’m worried because this next book actually takes place before the one I just published.  I got this idea fairly late in the game, but … Read More Linear Writing Rule? #Writing #Author #Advice

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The Devil in the Pages: How to Play Devils Advocate #Writing #Author #Advice

Hi Jim, I saw that you give out writing advice and was hoping you could help me. See I’m taking my first shot at writing a political satire story, but am finding it increasingly difficult to write from the perspective of someone I don’t agree with. It’s getting very hard to write without sounding superficial or condescending. Do you have any suggestions? Best- Maria … Read More The Devil in the Pages: How to Play Devils Advocate #Writing #Author #Advice

Fire Emblem: Tharja vs. Rhajat #Writing #Author #Advice

Hello all!! I know it’s been a while and yes, Raiya is coming along nicely. I’m hoping to get back to once-a-week pieces for now and become far more prolific again once Raiya is complete. So this will be the first piece… Tharja vs. Rhajat… Let’s take a look at these two, shall we? Hey WTF!!!??? They’re just recycled characters! Same voices, same personalities, … Read More Fire Emblem: Tharja vs. Rhajat #Writing #Author #Advice

Total Drama: The Ridonculous Review #Writing #Author #Advice

Oh… what does one say about this little gem of Canadian programming? Imagine pairing Jay and Silent Bob, Chris Farley and David Spade: Bill and Ted part of the cast of Police Academy: Your wise-cracking father and his tennis partner: and The Stars of Beauty and the Bitch: into teams and having them race for a prize of one million dollars… You’d have about as … Read More Total Drama: The Ridonculous Review #Writing #Author #Advice

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The Ins and Outs of Publishing, A Directory of Advice. #Writing #Author #Advice

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

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Stardust: Being a Review Within the Realms of Faerie #Writing #Author #Advice

The book, turned into a very popular movie that has quickly achieved cult status, was published in 1998. Originally it started out as a written story that was published in comic book form (sort of). Neil Gaiman, the author, wanted artwork displayed with the book and from what I read, convinced his friend Charles Vess to do the illustrations. It was published by… of … Read More Stardust: Being a Review Within the Realms of Faerie #Writing #Author #Advice

Escapism Exists For a Reason! #Writing #Author #Advice

Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while know how I feel about things like preaching in your story, out of context political diatribe, breaking the 4th well, inappropriately clashing reality with fantasy, and so on. Well… today I wanted to touch on a subject that I think is getting constantly overlooked and deals with pretty much all of the … Read More Escapism Exists For a Reason! #Writing #Author #Advice