Writing Tips

J.J. Richardson

Sep 137 min read

Unmet Expectations

The idea that stories must have an exciting, action-packed beginning is false.

J.J. Richardson

Oct 15, 20225 min read

Subtlety—Speaking the Real Truth

Subtlety allows readers to think something else is going on, something hiding, something faintly suggested.

J.J. Richardson

Oct 10, 20228 min read

Description: Up-close and Personal

Beginning writers must learn that their readers can’t visualize what the author sees and feels unless the author tells them.

J.J. Richardson

Sep 27, 20226 min read

Obsession with Violence

What happens when opposing views come into conflict? That’s when trouble appears.

J.J. Richardson

May 2, 20224 min read

What's Wrong with Ideal Heroines?

If everything else is idealized in fiction, why can’t women be, also?

J.J. Richardson

Apr 4, 20226 min read

Sincerity

How can we impart knowledge, wisdom, and kindness to our relatives, friends, neighbors, and coworkers, without sincerity?

J.J. Richardson

Mar 13, 20225 min read

The Ubiquitous I

A common problem beginning authors have when writing in first person is to overuse the word, “I.”

J.J. Richardson

Dec 29, 20215 min read

Ideal Pace

To keep a steady pace, you must keep an unsteady pace.

J.J. Richardson

Dec 19, 20218 min read

All About Copyrights and Patents

I have assembled this summary where all pertinent information regarding copyrights and patents is found.

J.J. Richardson

Dec 6, 20215 min read

Patient Persuasion

Central to all human interaction is persuasion.

J.J. Richardson

Oct 7, 202111 min read

Top-10 Paragraphs

Why 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. Richardson

Jul 28, 20216 min read

Tantrum Movies

It’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. Richardson

Jun 30, 20215 min read

Stop Asking Me Questions

It's your job as the author to answer questions, not the reader's.

J.J. Richardson

May 31, 20214 min read

How to Get My Characters to Act

Few articles are written about how to get fictional characters to act. This article explains how to do it.

J.J. Richardson

Apr 6, 20212 min read

The Assumption Mark

The rules of English grammar provide us with question marks, exclamation marks, and quotation marks, but no assumption mark.

J.J. Richardson

Mar 12, 20213 min read

The Future of Storytelling

Reciting tales has been a part of human life from the earliest discovered cave drawings until the present day.

J.J. Richardson

Feb 2, 20216 min read

A 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. Richardson

Jan 5, 20216 min read

How 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. Richardson

Dec 8, 20204 min read

Don't Make Me Ask Why

Critiquing 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. Richardson

Nov 21, 20202 min read

We've Talked About This

When 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. Richardson

Aug 16, 20206 min read

The Contrived Confrontational Argument

If you want your readers to hate your scenes, make every character behave foolishly.

J.J. Richardson

Aug 10, 202014 min read

Why 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. Richardson

Jul 22, 20206 min read

Top-7 Villains

Why am I having difficulty picking ten villains? I believe it's because fiction must be entertaining, and that includes its villains.

J.J. Richardson

May 17, 20205 min read

Top-10 Movies

My 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.