Category Archives: About Writing

A Book Hangover!

Posted on March 30, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

 This past weekend I read a great book and I have a book hangover! I’ve experienced such an event many times in the past, but I’ve never attempted to write about it. So . . . I googled the words … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Achieving Writing Perfection, All About Writing, Almost Dead, Better Fiction Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Book Hangover, Character Driven Writing, Connecting With Your Reader, Developing a Writing Career, Developing Better Writing Skills, Developing Writing Skills, Good Books Create Emotions, Growing As A Writer, James J. Murray Blog, New Book Release, Plot Development, Proper Use of the Written Word, The Art of Storytelling, The Art of Writing, The Writings of James J. Murray, Writing Skills, Your Favorite Book, Your Last Book Hangover? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mysteries vs Thrillers

Posted on March 23, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

A few years ago, mysteries were the hot genre. It seemed as if everyone was reading a mystery novel. The thrill of guessing “Who done it!” was the excitement that kept me, and many others, reading book after book. More … Continue reading →

Posted in A Mystery Novel, A Thriller Novel, About James J. Murray, About Writing, Accuracy in Writing, Achieving Writing Perfection, Adrenaline Rush, All About Writing, Better Fiction Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Character Driven Writing, Designing Murder Plots, Developing Better Writing Skills, Developing Story Arcs, Developing Story Plots, Developing Storyline Ideas, Developing Writing Skills, Difference Between Mysteries and Thrillers, Growing As A Writer, James J. Murray Blog, Mysteries and Thrillers Compared, Mysteries Vs Thrillers, New Blog, Plotting Murder Scenes, Prescription For Murder Blog, Proper Use of the Written Word, Role of Suspense in Mysteries, Role of Suspense in Thrillers, Story Development, The Art of Storytelling, The Art of Writing, The Writings of James J. Murray, Tools of Fiction Writing, Writing Skills, Writing Techniques | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Hydrofluoric Acid – The Flesh Eater

Posted on February 24, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Last week’s blog was about an interesting acid that’s corrosive enough to destroy DNA evidence. A whimsical Facebook post—as a joke—by one of my friends regarding “how to get rid of the body in the basement” made me think of … Continue reading →

Posted in A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, A How To Blog on Murder Weapons, About James J. Murray, About Murder, About Writing, All About Murder, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Bloodless Death Scenes, Breaking Bad Acids, Breaking Bad Poisons, Chemical Poisons, Chemicals Used For Murder, Difficult to Solve Murders, Dramatic Murder Weapons, Flesh Eating Acids, How To Write A BloodLess Murder Scene, Hydrofluoric Acid, Hydrofluoric Acid and Murder, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Interesting Murder Weapons, James J. Murray Blog, Killing a Villain in a Novel, Killing Off Characters in Your Novel, Lethal Chemical Poisons, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, Murder Weapons, New Blog, New Methods of Murder, Plotting Interesting Murder Scenes, The Science of Murder, Tools of Murder, Unique Murder Weapons, Ways to Murder, Writing Dramatic Murder Scenes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Create An Action-Packed New Year!

Posted on January 6, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Before you roll your eyes at yet another lesson about New Year’s resolutions, here are some practical suggestions to help you 1) make realistic goals, 2) plan them logically, and 3) keep yourself on track to meet those goals. First … Continue reading →

Posted in A New Year's Greeting, A New Year's Wish, About James J. Murray, About Running, About Writing, Achieving Perfection, Blog Writers, Blogging, Change in the New Year, Changing Your Life in The New Year, Create a Better You, Creating New Habits in The New Year, Developing Better Life Skills, Forging a Better Life, Growing As A Writer, Happy New Year, How To Change Bad Habits, How to Create a Better Life, How to Create a More Enjoyable Life, How to Create a More Productive Life, How to Create a More Satisfying Life, How to Implement New Year's Resolutions, How to Make New Year's Resolutions, Ideas for Creating Permanent Change, Life Skills, Making Change Permanent, Mastering Your Craft, Meaningful Change in The New Year, Modern Approach to New Year's Resolutions, New Blog, New Life Goals, New Year's Resolutions, Prescription For Murder Blog, Skills to Create a Better Life, The Writings of James J. Murray | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

PROLOGUES – To Use or Not To Use!

Posted on December 16, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Fiction writers often use prologues to set up their story—possibly with an actual murder scene or with a scene that gives valuable historical information to help the reader understand the villain or hero. But are these preambles to the real … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Accuracy in Editing, Accuracy in Writing, Achieving Writing Perfection, All About Writing, Better Fiction Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Correct Use of Prologues, Death of The Prologue?, Developing Better Writing Skills, Developing Story Arcs, Developing Story Plots, Developing Storyline Ideas, Developing Writing Skills, Growing As A Writer, How to Use Prologues, James J. Murray, James J. Murray Blog, Learning the Art of Writing, Mastering Your Craft, Misuse of Prologues, New Blog, Obsession with Proper Usage of the English Language, Prescription For Murder Blog, Prologue Use and Misuse, Prologues, Prologues in Modern Fiction Writing, Proper Use of Prologues, Proper Use of the Written Word, Role of The Prologue, Story Development, The Art of Storytelling, The Art of Writing, Tools of Fiction Writing, Use of Prologues, When Not to Use Prologues, Why Use Prologues | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Commas, Em Dashes, and Ellipses—Their Proper Use!

Posted on December 9, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

In a recent blog I discussed how to properly use the three types of dashes in writing. Today, I’d like to further the discussion on punctuation marks used specifically to clarify or to emphasize a point. They are the comma, … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Accuracy in Editing, Accuracy in Writing, Achieving Perfection, All About Writing, AP Style of Ellipsis, Blog Writers, Blogging, Chicago Style of Ellipsis, Comma Use, Correct Use of Punctuation in Fiction Writing, Developing Better Writing Skills, Developing Writing Skills, Difference Between Commas, Ellipses Use, Ellipsis Use, Em Dash Use, Em Dashes and Ellipses, Growing As A Writer, Halon Gas and Murder, How to Use Commas Properly, How To Use Ellipses Properly, How to Use Em Dashes Properly, James J. Murray, James J. Murray Blog, Learning the Art of Writing, Mastering Your Craft, New Blog, Obsession with Proper Usage of the English Language, Prescription For Murder Blog, Proper Punctuation in Writing, Proper use of Commas, Proper Use of the Written Word, Punctuation Marks, Punctuation Rules, Rules of Punctuation, The Art of Writing, Tools of Fiction Writing, Writing Skills, Writing Techniques | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Mad About Mushrooms

Posted on December 2, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

The general term “mushrooms” includes a wide variety of fungal plants. They typically have a domed cap on a stalk and many have gills on the underside of the cap. Among the various mushroom species, many are considered nutritious and … Continue reading →

Posted in A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, A How To Blog on Murder Weapons, About James J. Murray, About Murder, About Writing, All About Murder, Amanita Muscaria Mushrooms, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Botanical Murder Weapons, Botanicals That Kill, Deadly Mushrooms, Deadly Plant Poisons, Designing Murder Plots, Dramatic Murder Weapons, Drug Poisoning, Ideas for Murder Scenes, James J. Murray, James J. Murray Blog, Killing With Poisonous Plants, Lethal Mushrooms, Methods of Murder, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, Murder Weapons Discussed, Murder With Poisonous Plants, Muscimol, New Blog, New Methods of Murder, Plant Poisons, Plants That Kill, Plants Used For Murder, Plotting Interesting Murder Scenes, Poisonous Mushrooms, Poisonous Plants, Poisonous Toadstools, Poisons and Murder, Poisons Used to Murder, Prescription For Murder Blog, Tools of Murder, Unique Murder Weapons, Ways to Murder, Writing Dramatic Murder Scenes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Why A Writer Should Be Thankful!

Posted on November 25, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Here in the United States it’s Thanksgiving time—Thursday, November 26th to be exact—and it’s a day of fantastic food feasts, with the bonus of a long holiday weekend ahead. More importantly, it’s a time to reflect on what makes our … Continue reading →

Posted in A Holiday Wish, A Writer's Thanksgiving Blog, About James J. Murray, About Writing, All About Writing, Being Thankful Every Day, Being Thankful For Your Life, Blog Trends, Blog Writers, Blogging, Developing Writing Skills, Fiction Based on Facts, Fiction Based on Real Life, Growing As A Writer, Happy Thanksgiving Blog, Holiday Cheer, James J. Murray, James J. Murray Blog, Learning the Art of Writing, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, New Blog, Prescription For Murder Blog, Special Perks of Being A Writer, Thankful For Being A Writer, Why A Writer Should Be Thankful!, Writing As A Special and Rewarding Career | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Hyphens and Dashes – The Dread of Misuse!

Posted on November 18, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Hyphens and dashes are two distinctly different punctuation marks and a proper understanding of each will avoid embarrassing mistakes in your writing. Will anyone get MURDERED as a result of using the wrong one in the wrong place? No, but … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Accuracy in Editing, Accuracy in Writing, Achieving Perfection, All About Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Developing a Writing Career, Developing Better Writing Skills, Developing Writing Skills, Dreaded Misuse of Hyphens and Dashes, Em Dash Use, En Dashes and Em Dashes, Grammar and Punctuation, Hyphens, Hyphens and Dashes, Hyphens and Dashes and Their Misuse, James J. Murray, James J. Murray Blog, Learning the Art of Writing, Mastering Your Craft, New Blog, Obsession with Proper Usage of the English Language, Proper Punctuation in Writing, Proper Use of the Written Word, Punctuation Marks, Punctuation Rules, The Art of Writing, The Proper Use of Hyphens and Dashes, The Writings of James J. Murray, Tools of Fiction Writing, Use of Dashes, Use of Hyphens, Writing Skills, Writing Techniques | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Venom – Lethal Toxins or Medical Miracles?

Posted on October 21, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Most of us are afraid of venomous creatures—those creepy, crawly animals with fangs or stinger tails, not to mention those slithery snakes with lethal incisors dripping venom. We don’t want to be anywhere near them, and rightfully so since the … Continue reading →

Posted in A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, About Murder, About Writing, All About Murder, Beneficial Venoms, Benefits of Scorpion Venom, Benefits of Snake Venom, Benefits of Spider Venom, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Centipede Venom as a Drug, Chemical Poisons, Chemicals Used For Murder, Deadly Scorpion Venom, Deadly Venoms, Deathstalker Scorpion Venom, Deathstalker Scorprion, Designer Poisons Used For Murder, Designing Murder Plots, Dramatic Murder Weapons, Drugs From Venom, Drugs Used For Murder, Healing Venoms, How To Write A BloodLess Murder Scene, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Instruments of Death, Interesting Murder Weapons, Israeli Yellow Scorpion Venom, James J. Murray, James J. Murray Blog, Lethal Chemical Poisons, Lethal Scorpion Venom, Medical Uses of Venom, Medical Uses of Venoms, Methods of Murder, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, Murder Weapons Discussed, Murder with Neurotoxins, Neurological Poisons, Neurotoxin Poisons, Neurotoxins and Murder, New Blog, New Methods of Murder, Paralytic Nerve Toxins, Paralytic Poisons and Murder, Poisonous Scorpion Venom, Poisons and Murder, Prescription Trends, Scorpion Venom, Snake Venom as a Drug, Spider Venom as a Drug, The Science of Murder, Venom-Lethal Toxins or Medical Miracles, Venoms That Kill | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment