Tag: science fiction

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Being Preachy Doesn’t Sell.

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.

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Star Wars Rebels, is that it???

    [Spoilers Ahead, Ye Be Warned] So the 45 minute series finale is over. We’ve seen where everyone ended up and how events unfolded. The Rebels successfully freed Lothal. The only fates that are not known are Admiral Thrawn, Ezra Bridger, and Sabine Wren. So now that the rest of the Ghosts are off doing there own thing, what happens to Ezra and … Read More Star Wars Rebels, is that it???

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Interspecies Romances in Fantasy: Where Do You Draw The Line?

    So this isn’t actually a question that someone asked. It’s something I’m currently encountering in a book I’m working on. Not only that, we see it in various other stories as well. In The Orville, we see an amoeba-like creature hitting on a human woman. She rejects his advances of course, but that got me thinking. So the question stands… in Fantasy, where does … Read More Interspecies Romances in Fantasy: Where Do You Draw The Line?

Ahsoka Tano proves JJ and Kathleen Have No Clue What They’re Talking About…

“‘Their problem isn’t Star Wars, their problem is being threatened…  Star Wars’ is a big galaxy, and you can sort of find almost anything you want to in ‘Star Wars,’…If you are someone who feels threatened by women and needs to lash out against them, you can probably find an enemy in ‘Star Wars.’ You can probably look at the first movie that George [Lucas] … Read More Ahsoka Tano proves JJ and Kathleen Have No Clue What They’re Talking About…

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Writing Modern People in Fiction

Hello, Jim– I was wondering if you had any insight to offer on a dilemma I’m facing in a current novella draft: The story is a blend of Alternate History and general scifi, set in a world where a much more aggressive Space Race and Cold War has led to the establishment of a joint USA-USSR colony on the Moon by the late 1990s, … Read More Writing Modern People in Fiction

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Private Life. Professional Appearance.

  Hi Jim, Since starting writing both my books and my blog, I’ve been getting a lot of friend requests to my primary social media accounts. Part of me doesn’t want these people to have access to my personal information and the things I talk about with my friends… I’ve heard of being doxxed for their opinions, stalked, etc. However I really don’t want … Read More Private Life. Professional Appearance.

Silencing Critics, Validates Them.

Anyone who has read my blog, knows that I have had to field many questions regarding how to handle criticism and reviews. My advice has always been a hands-off approach of engagement. Discussion and dialogue are always the best way to understand another person’s criticisms and concerns. In the end, you may find out that the other person has a valid point that you … Read More Silencing Critics, Validates Them.

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Delaying the Inevitable.

  Hi Jim, I’m just about to publish, but I don’t think the book is ready. I set a release date so that everyone would be ready and excited, but now I feel like I’ve really roped myself into a corner. I want to do more work on the book, but I don’t want to disappoint my fans. What should I do? -Miles Hi … Read More Delaying the Inevitable.

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Can Skynet Truly Be Stopped?

“It’s in your nature to destroy yourselves.” -T-800, Terminator 2 So I recently rewatched a few of the Terminator movies and the Sarah Connor Chronicles and I have reached one inescapable conclusion… Terminator 3 got it right… At the end of the movie, John Connor comes to the conclusion that it wasn’t humanity’s job to prevent judgement day, just simply to survive it so … Read More Can Skynet Truly Be Stopped?

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Unfinished Works and What To Do With Them.

  Hi Jim, I have a number of stories that I’ve just completely run out of steam on. I don’t want to finish them, I’m not enthusiastic about writing them anymore. I was wondering, what do you think I should do with them? I spent a lot of time on them and it seems a shame to just up and delete them. What do … Read More Unfinished Works and What To Do With Them.

Question: Did Palpatine Truly Care About Darth Vader?

  I’ve seen a lot of information and theories flying around about Senator/Chancellor/Emperor Palpatine (Darth Sidious). There are theories that Darth Vader was a means to an end, that Darth Vader was disposable and the Emperor would do away with him as soon as someone else came along that might be better, or even worse, that Palpatine was some kind of celestial being (possibly … Read More Question: Did Palpatine Truly Care About Darth Vader?

Writing Time Travel: What Works and What Makes No Sense.

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.