by Jim
Hi Jim, I have a rather unusual one for you. I’m trying to write a romance story dealing with two completely different species. However one of the characters who is going to be part of the relationship is only about 13 years old. Her race essentially reaches maturity at six years old, though they still look physically young and only live for … Read More Writing Unorthodox Relationships
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
By now it should be plainly obvious to everyone how I feel about J.K. Rowling. However, in case you’re not, I’m no fan of hers. I find her writing to be somewhat simplistic, her characters extremely archetypal, and her plotlines to be the literary equivalent of swiss cheese. She also seems to go back and retcon details thus creating even more holes in her stores! … Read More Unpopular Opinion: Harry Potter is a terrible protagonist
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
Hi Jim, I was in the process of writing a sequel to my novel and was actually curious about something. Reading through your posts, you seem to have a bit of a bias against direct sequels. I was just wondering if you could explain why? Thanks, Rana Hi Rana, Sequels have their place in a limited capacity IMHO. Unfortunately, because of the nature of … Read More Why No Direct Sequels?
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 just finished reading Soul Siphon and was wondering why you were so disappointed with the book that you never wrote a sequel. Do you ever plan on writing one? Also, why does Mary seem to be a lot more fleshed out than any of the other supporting characters? Thanks, Mike Hi Mike, I’m thrilled that someone has finally come forward after … Read More A Soul Siphon Question!?!? #Writing #Author #Advice
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
James Harringtons Creative Work 