Tag: Advice

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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!

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?

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…

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?

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Writing on High

Hi Jim, I often find myself writing a great deal when I’ve either had a lot to drink or right after smoking weed. Do you find either helps or do you know of anything else that helps spark your creativity? You don’t have to openly admit to anything illegal, but I read a while back that some of Stephen King’s best work was done … Read More Writing on High

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‘Good’ Writing.

Hi Jim, I was wondering if you could tell me what makes up a good fantasy story? Thanks, Sarah. Ahem… Hi Sarah, That is such a subjective… subject… that I’m not sure I can give you a definitive answer, but not for not trying. So I’m going to give you a few suggestions based on what I’ve seen work effectively. Anti-Hero. Include an antihero … Read More ‘Good’ Writing.

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A Better Blogger

Can you give some advices about how to get traffic towards your blog? How do you get so many followers on this app? By the way, your posts are really good😊! –Simmone Hi Simmone, Great question. The best way to think about WordPress, or any other blogging page is to think about it as a community. The more you put in, the more you’ll … Read More A Better Blogger

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Death’s Work-Around

Hello Writers, Did you recently kill off a character? Do you regret it? Do you want to get that character back but are too good to simply resurrect the character? Well we’ve got a lesser known, yet equally cheap gimmick for you; take the character from another reality! At the low cost of your writing credibility, you can have you character back without any … Read More Death’s Work-Around

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Levying Criticism

So I’ve gotten this question a lot ever since I posted my piece of how to handle criticism. From people wondering how to write criticism without insulting the creator or their work. The best I can offer in the way of advice is to just be respectful, be constructive, and avoid hyperbole. For example: “This book sucks!” <This is not constructive. “I didn’t care for … Read More Levying Criticism

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Powering Through!

I’ve got a question about writing. I’ve currently got a novel in the works but I am currently finding it hard to continue. How do you power through the finishing stories?  -Bahanehm Hi Bahanehm, Good question. I actually get asked this one quite a bit. Its a little hard to answer without knowing exactly what’s stopping you, so I’ll try to give a few … Read More Powering Through!

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Too Soon Tragedy

Hi Jim, I wanted to ask you about writing about tragic events. Example, let’s say you’re writing a story that’s taking place in the modern day and then something happens, does that alter your writing? Let me give you an example… Part of one of my stories is set in Berkeley California. There was a major riot out here and part of the area … Read More Too Soon Tragedy

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Writing Reality

I have wondered this myself, as my novel is set in real places in Colorado… I do have a question along the same lines: How important in fiction-dystopian writing is geographical accuracy and specificity? People living here would know the difference and could be distracted by inaccuracies. People that are not familiar with the area may get lost in the details. And maybe the … Read More Writing Reality