Subtlety—Speaking the Real Truth
Subtlety allows readers to think something else is going on, something hiding, something faintly suggested.
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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.
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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.
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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
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J.J. Richardson
Jul 22, 20205 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.
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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.
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J.J. Richardson
Feb 16, 20205 min read
Unmoving Movie Trailers
The last forty times my wife and I watched movie trailers at a theater, she whispers to me, “They’ve shown too much.”
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J.J. Richardson
Feb 11, 201910 min read
Unfinished Business
If my mother were to haunt me from the next world (which would be a surprise because she is alive), I know what her incantation would be.
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J.J. Richardson
Jul 23, 20182 min read
Why Sidekicks Outshine Main Characters
I've noticed throughout my study of literature that sidekicks and supporting characters are more interesting than their main counterparts.
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J.J. Richardson
Dec 28, 20175 min read
Characterization
The subject of characterization has brought me stress for many years because everyone has a different idea of what characterization means.
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J.J. Richardson
Jul 20, 201712 min read
How to Write a Novel
I’ve read hundreds of websites and more than twenty books meant to help authors write novels. Most of them didn’t help me.
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J.J. Richardson
Nov 29, 201610 min read
Avoid Clichés Like the Plague
Isn’t it true that many Hollywood movies lately are remakes, sequels, or based on fifty-year-old comic books?
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