J.J. RichardsonMay 24 minWhat's Wrong with Ideal Heroines?If everything else is idealized in fiction, why can’t women be, also?
J.J. RichardsonApr 46 minSincerityHow can we impart knowledge, wisdom, and kindness to our relatives, friends, neighbors, and coworkers, without sincerity?
J.J. RichardsonMar 135 minThe Ubiquitous IA common problem beginning authors have when writing in first person is to overuse the word, “I.”
J.J. RichardsonDec 19, 20217 minAll About Copyrights and PatentsI have assembled this summary where all pertinent information regarding copyrights and patents is found.
J.J. RichardsonOct 7, 202110 minTop-10 ParagraphsWhy are there numerous sites devoted to Top-10 Movies, Top-10 Fiction Books, and Top-10 NFL players, but none for Top-10 Paragraphs?
J.J. RichardsonJul 28, 20215 minTantrum MoviesIt’s a tragedy when a moviemaker causes the story’s theme to become the story itself and dominate over the plot like a pack of wolves.
J.J. RichardsonJun 30, 20214 minStop Asking Me QuestionsIf you ask your readers too many questions, they may end up feeling let down or even abandoned.
J.J. RichardsonMay 31, 20214 minHow to Get My Characters to ActFew articles are written about how to get fictional characters to act. This article explains how to do it.
J.J. RichardsonMar 12, 20213 minThe Future of StorytellingReciting tales has been a part of human life from the earliest discovered cave drawings until the present day.
J.J. RichardsonFeb 2, 20216 minA Brief History of Science Fiction I offer only the fun bits. Enough for you to be popular at parties, but not sufficient to pass a college course in literature.
J.J. RichardsonJan 5, 20216 minHow to Make Fiction Magical A story that is not relatable is of little use to anyone no matter how clearly it is written.
J.J. RichardsonDec 8, 20203 minDon't Make Me Ask WhyCritiquing other people’s manuscripts of fictional works is fun for me because I start off with a declaration saying, “My comments are my...
J.J. RichardsonNov 21, 20202 minWe've Talked About ThisWhen I’m reading a story, and one character says to another, “We’ve talked about this,” my mind is thrown from the story.
J.J. RichardsonAug 16, 20206 minThe Contrived Confrontational ArgumentIf you want your readers to hate your scenes, make every character behave foolishly.
J.J. RichardsonAug 10, 202011 minWhy Don't Horror Movies End?If you’ve spent any time studying the rules of writing fiction, you’ll know that stories must have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Howeve
J.J. RichardsonJul 22, 20204 minTop-7 VillainsWhy am I having difficulty picking ten villains? I believe it's because fiction must be entertaining, and that includes its villains.
J.J. RichardsonMay 17, 20203 minTop-10 MoviesMy twenty-one-year-old son asked me to pick my ten favorite movies of all time. He didn’t tell me why, so I cannot tell you the reason.
J.J. RichardsonFeb 19, 20205 minSlippery Smooth WritingIf you accelerate or decelerate unevenly while driving a vehicle, your passengers will feel jerked around. Don’t jerk your passengers.
J.J. RichardsonFeb 16, 20205 minUnmoving Movie TrailersThe last forty times my wife and I watched movie trailers at a theater, she whispers to me, “They’ve shown too much.”
J.J. RichardsonJan 18, 20202 minFunny RocksGiven the growing number of satirical (humorous) websites that provide highly realistic but fake news articles, I thought I would try my...
J.J. RichardsonJan 18, 20206 minWhat is Good Fiction?When your prose is effective, your readers will become someone else in a different time and place.
J.J. RichardsonOct 20, 20195 minThe Muse of SoundtracksIf you want to immerse yourself in a creative and unique atmosphere that sends you far away to a distant land, then listen to a soundtrack.