Category: Science Fiction

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Another Drakin Question? #Writing #Author #Advice

Hi Jim, I wanted to ask you about An Empire of Ashes. I was curious… how did Nayeli keep her true identity secret from Joaquim? Given the fact that they seemed to have been so intimate for as long as they were, wouldn’t he have figured it out sooner? Thanks, Mike Hi Mike, Good question. Honestly, I wrestled with that one for a while … Read More Another Drakin Question? #Writing #Author #Advice

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Writing a Hook? #Writing #Author #Advice

Hi Jim, I’m currently trying to write a query for publishing agents. Do you have any advice for me on writing a hook? Thanks, Jane Hi Jane, YES! I can help with this, though that isn’t really the way I got published, I do have some experience with this. Still, take my advice with a grain of salt as again, I didn’t get published … Read More Writing a Hook? #Writing #Author #Advice

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RIP Max Von Sydow #Celebrities #MaxVonSydow #RIP

This is a sad one for me. Today, an extremely underrated actor passed away. According to the BBC: “His family announced “with a broken heart and infinite sadness” that the Swedish-born actor died on Sunday.” Admittedly, I don’t know as much about his background as I did about people like Christopher Lee, Leonard Nimoy, and Carrie Fisher (damn, it’s been a tough couple of … Read More RIP Max Von Sydow #Celebrities #MaxVonSydow #RIP

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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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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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Writers, GET OFF TWITTER!!! Pt. 2 (Yes, we’re still on this!) #Writing #Author #Advice #Twitter

Hi Jim, I was hoping you could help me. I have a growing social media following, which I’m really happy about. My writing is getting traction and a lot of attention, and I’m hoping to be published soon!! Unfortunately, with such a huge following, comes conflicts on my wall. I try to follow and share stuff I like, but before long, really offensive things … Read More Writers, GET OFF TWITTER!!! Pt. 2 (Yes, we’re still on this!) #Writing #Author #Advice #Twitter

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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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How much should I advertise before My book is complete? #Advice #Writing #Literature #Fiction #Nonfiction #Rebranding

I just discovered your blog because you “liked” my poem. I have previously self-published short stories and had a couple of short stories published in literary journals. I am re-branding myself and “relaunching” myself so to speak into the literary world. Am I able to mention these other short stories to potential agents if I published them under a different pseudonym? Also, I want … Read More How much should I advertise before My book is complete? #Advice #Writing #Literature #Fiction #Nonfiction #Rebranding

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Are Villains Necessary? #Advice #Writing #Literature #Fiction #Nonfiction

I’ve actually heard debates about this quite often. Do you need a philosophical ‘bad guy’ in a story in order to create a working plot and tell a story? The answer is, simply put, it’s complicated. Let’s think about this for a moment, does every story need a Maleficent? Do they need, at the very least, a one-dimensional villain with little to no backstory … Read More Are Villains Necessary? #Advice #Writing #Literature #Fiction #Nonfiction

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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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Revisiting Dead Works#Advice #Writing #Literature #Fiction #Nonfiction

Hi Jim, I have a whole library of stories that I’ve never been able to finish or I didn’t think I wanted to publish. I spent a great deal of time on them and every time I look at them, I feel like it was completely wasted. Sometimes I’ll go back and write a few more lines or make edits. Should I try to … Read More Revisiting Dead Works#Advice #Writing #Literature #Fiction #Nonfiction

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STOP Blaming the Audience #Writing #Author #Advice #Movies #BirdsofPrey

So this is going to be an op-ed more than an advice piece, so feel free to skip if you’re not up for that. Recently in Hollywood, the Comic Book world, and even the literary world, we’ve seen a trend where a new piece of material is put out and bombs. Instead of going back to writer’s table to figure out what went wrong, … Read More STOP Blaming the Audience #Writing #Author #Advice #Movies #BirdsofPrey