jamesCglass

March as you know is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. Why? Because a lot of military campaigns began in the spring. Soldiers march. Right? Or did I make that up? Sounds good to me. Also, Mars the planet is named after Mars the god. Why? Because the planet looks red – it’s […]

One of the most difficult concepts for aspiring authors occurs when you bounce around from one character’s perspective to another, revealing the inner thoughts and feelings of multiple characters, without a proper scene break or clear signal. When you ping-pong back and forth between different characters’ viewpoints this is called head-hopping. Here’s a simple example. […]

Writers are notorious for their love of words. Because of this, we have a hard time targeting certain words as enemies. If you don’t take the time to dig deep in your manuscript, searching for enemy words, you risk weakening your story. This robs the reader of your full potential and they may decide to […]

What Does “Show, Don’t Tell” Mean? Good writing tends to draw an image in the reader’s mind instead of just telling the reader what to think or believe. Here’s a sentence that tells: Mr. Jeffries was a fat, ungrateful old man. That gets the information across, but it’s boring. Most writers who tell tend to […]

Writing constructively sounds simple enough, but the truth is, writing is tough. If the craft were easy, everyone would be doing it. This isn’t to say bad storytelling doesn’t exist because we’ve all come across terribly written stories. As an author, it’s good to understand when to write and when to wait. Let me be […]

For those of you who enjoyed Stone Cold, the next one in the series, Minutes to Midnight, is in the works. Now if I could only find my notes. Have you seen them? I need to quit blinking and finish my latest novel. Rebecca Watson isn’t happy her latest crime thriller isn’t finished. She told […]

Many people have a deep desire to write a novel but just can’t seem to get it done. Here are six tips that should help. 1. “Where do I begin my story?” This is the most common question I get from new writers. Most people who want to write a novel already have an idea […]

Figuring out how to get stuff done as a writer can be the most frustrating part of the writing. We all have personal weaknesses that draw our focus away, wasting valuable time. Sometimes, it’s more helpful to put our focus into short term goals rather than long-term projects. Sometimes we need to take time off […]

As I sit in my favorite chair, drinking coffee and working on my current novel, I realize I’m truly blessed. Although this year has been challenging, I have a loving family, great friends, and a supportive writers group, albeit online for the time being.   Writing never came easy. In fact, it had been elusive. […]

Are you in the process of writing a novel? Crime or suspense thriller? Or some other popular fiction you hope will grab readers attention? Besides a great character and a fascinating plot, you need to keep readers engaged and eagerly turning the pages. ALL genres of fiction, and not just thrillers, need tension and intrigue—and […]