by Jim
I have a love/hate relationship with this movie. Admittedly, it get’s a lot of the historical details wrong and… if anything, oddly appears to condemn all of the atrocities committed by the Crusaders, while ignoring the ones committed by Saladin and the Ayyubid Sultanate. It ignores the underlying reason why the crusades happened and really made Saladin far more altruistic than he actually was. … Read More From My Writing Playlist
+ advice, Author, Characters, fantasy, Science Fiction, write, Writing
by Jim
Choosing to write characters that you hate into your story is a very bad idea. In a previous posting I talked about how you have to step outside of your comfort zone and often write a character that has views contrary to your own. Indeed this is a very good way of creating relate-able characters and keeping a dynamic story line going. However, that … Read More Author’s Advice pt. 14
by Jim
Admittedly, I’m not big on the voice of the lead singer. He kind of put me off the band for a while. The release of the album ‘The Last Stand’ changed all that. These songs are amazing and it’s hard for me to resist a band with good music where the subject matter is history! When to listen: World building. Sabaton likes to tell … Read More From My Writing Playlist
by Jim
Don’t let writing consume your life. So you’re writing, you have a great idea and you want to get the whole thing down while it’s fresh in your mind. It’s perfect and if you don’t write it down right now, you’ll lose it. I get it, I’ve been there. There is certainly nothing wrong with taking that moment to get that info down, but … Read More Author’s Advice Pt. 13
by Jim
I’ve said it before, Yanis Popadopoulis is a Greek God of vocals. His range is insane. When to Listen: This is a hauntingly beautiful ballad. Honestly, it’s helping me write a novella about Qira’s internal struggles after the events of The Orphans of Haven. Readers, Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or … Read More From My Writing Playlist
by Jim
So… one thing I’ve always struggled with is how long each chapter should be. A few paragraphs, a few pages, what? The definition from Webster: Full Definition of CHAPTER 1 a : a main division of a book b : something resembling a chapter in being a significant specified unit <a new chapter in my life> 2 a : a regular meeting of the … Read More Author Advice Pt. 12
by Jim
NEW AVANTASIA!!! LOVE IT! When to Listen: I think this is an intro song. When you’re writing the prologue or just introducing characters. Readers, Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me. jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post. I have been writing for several years, have … Read More From My Writing Playlist
+ advice, Artist, Author, awful, bad, Belief, Book, Characters, chase, demon, Divinity, Fairy Tale, fantasy
by Jim
Don’t be afraid to mix and merge. So you have a fairly successful series going, but now you’re experiencing writers block. You have fragments of two or three sequels written, but don’t know where to take them. You’ve even considered starting on a third, but haven’t gotten anywhere with it. You really like the first two and would love to continue one of them, … Read More Author’s Advice Pt. 11
by Jim
I love Beast in Black. I’ve been following them since their first album and Yanis for longer than that. Highly recommend this band. When to Listen: General playlist. This song has a ton of adrenaline-inducing power to it and keeps me motivated to write.v Readers, Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or … Read More From My Writing Playlist
by Jim
It’s NEVER too late to start over. Are you working on a piece you’ve just lost all love for? Are you writing something that you really didn’t want to write in the first place? Do you really not care whether your newest piece get’s done or not? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, STOP! Close out of what your writing … Read More Author’s Advice Pt. 10
by Jim
I love Beast in Black. Nothing else need be said. This album is epic!!! When to listen: General playlist. It’s pure energy. I love it! Readers, Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me. jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post. I have been writing for several … Read More From My Writing Playlist
+ advice, Artist, Author, awful, bad, Belief, Book, Characters, Children, Directing, Fairy Tale, fantasy, Fiction
by Jim
Exposition is out of style and no one likes it. This is my personal opinion based on what I’ve seen from my readers, as well as myself. There is no bigger turnoff to reading than seeing a huge, page-long, paragraph describing a person, place, or thing. I understand that sometimes they are needed and you do need to break up dialogue and action scenes, … Read More Author’s Advice Pt. 9
James Harringtons Creative Work 