Category Archives: Developing Better Writing Skills

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

Bobbie Cole – A Versatile, Adventurous Author

Posted on November 4, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

This summer I had the honor of working with a multi-talented and busy author of short stories, novellas and novels. Her name is Bobbie Cole and I met Bobbie through a mutual friend—another author, Diane Kratz, who I blogged about … Continue reading →

Posted in A Bobbie Cole Interview, A Guest Blog, A Mystery Short Story, A New Anthology of Short Stories, A New Short Story Collection, A New Short Story Release, About Bobbie Cole, About James J. Murray, About Murder, All About Writing, Blog Interviews, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bobbie Cole-An Author Interview, Character Driven Writing, Developing Better Writing Skills, Flicker - A Short Story, Flicker by Bobbie Cole and Diane Kratz, Flicker-A New Short Story, Growing As A Writer, Guest Blogging, James J. Murray Blog, Learning the Art of Writing, Mastering Your Craft, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, New Blog, New Book Is Published, New Book Release, New Short Story Anthology, New Short Story Collection, Plotting Short Stories, Prescription For Murder Blog, Short Stories of Suspense and Mystery, Short Story Development, The Art of Storytelling, The Art of Writing, Tools of Fiction Writing, Writing Skills, Writing Techniques | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

From Fan Fiction to Profiles of Murder

Posted on October 7, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Several years ago I met an interesting writer online. There seemed to be an instant connection since we both liked cats—particularly black cats. More importantly, we were both struggling to find our niche in the ocean of new writers waiting … Continue reading →

Posted in A Diane Kratz Interview, A Guest Blog, A New Anthology of Short Stories, A New Short Story Collection, A New Short Story Release, About Diane Kratz, About James J. Murray, About Murder, All About Writing, Blog Interviews, Blog Writers, Blogging, Designing Murder Plots, Developing Better Life Skills, Developing Better Writing Skills, Developing Storyline Ideas, Developing Writing Skills, Diane Kratz-An Author Interview, Fiction Based on Facts, Flicker by Diane Kratz, Flicker-A New Short Story, Growing As A Writer, Guest Blogging, James J. Murray Blog, Learning the Art of Writing, Mastering Your Craft, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, New Blog, New Book Is Published, New Book Release, New Short Story Anthology, New Short Story Collection, Plot Ideas and Where They Come From, Plotting Short Stories, Prescription For Murder Blog, Profiles of Murder -Diane Kratz, Profiles of Murder Blog, Short Story Development, The Art of Storytelling, The Art of Writing, Tools of Fiction Writing, Writing is Murder Blog, Writing Skills, Writing Techniques | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Apostrophes And Their Use With Proper Nouns

Posted on July 29, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

This may seem like a silly subject to write about, but I must admit that I’ve had trouble using the apostrophe appropriately in the past, especially regarding its use with proper nouns that end in “s”. I’ve written a similar … Continue reading →

Posted in "Cuffed" by James J. Murray, A Free Short Story Offering, A New Short Story Release, About James J. Murray, About Writing, Accuracy in Editing, Accuracy in Writing, All About Writing, Apostrophe Use, Apostrophe Use with Nouns Ending in S, Apostrophe Use with Plural Nouns Ending in S, Apostrophes and Proper Nouns, Appropriate Apostrophe Use, Blog Writers, Blogging, Chicago Manual of Style and Apostrophes, Developing a Writing Career, Developing Better Writing Skills, Developing Writing Skills, Grammar and Punctuation, Growing As A Writer, Medical Treatments Using LSD, Obsession with Proper Usage of the English Language, Proper Punctuation in Writing, Proper Use of Apostrophes, The AP Style and Apostrophes, The Art of Writing, The Associated Press Rules for Apostrophes, The Misuse of Apostrophes, The Misuse of Apostrophes with Nouns Ending in S, Tools of Fiction Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Dialogue: The Good and The Bad!

Posted on April 1, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Last week’s blog was all about character development and using the 3P model to consider physical, psychological and philosophical qualities to flesh out characters. Getting to know a character deep down is necessary before you can turn that character loose … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Accuracy in Editing, Accuracy in Writing, All About Writing, Authors' Social Media Support Group, Better Fictional Character Development, Blog Writers, Blogging, Characteristics of a Fictional Character, Creating Interesting Fiction Characters, Developing a Writing Career, Developing Better Writing Skills, Dialogue Techniques, Good and Bad Dialogue Techniques, Good Dialogue Development, Growing As A Writer, How Fictional Characters Should Speak, How to Write Dialogue in Fiction, Learning the Art of Writing, Proper Use of the Written Word, Protagonist Development, The Art and Craft of Dialogue Writing, The Art of Writing, Tools of Fiction Writing, Writing Better Dialogue, Writing Dialogue, Writing Skills, Writing Techniques | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Fictional Character Development Techniques

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

When people learn that I write fiction, they often ask how I develop the concepts for my main characters. The answer is simple: from observing people in their everyday lives. The long answer, however, is much more complex. While it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Accuracy in Editing, Accuracy in Writing, All About Writing, Better Fictional Character Development, Blog Writers, Blogging, Character development, Character Development Techniques, Characteristics of a Fictional Character, Counterfeit Drugs and the Internet, Creating Interesting Fiction Characters, Developing Better Writing Skills, Developing Effective and Compelling Fictional Heroes, Developing Writing Skills, Fictional Character Development, Growing As A Writer, Learning the Art of Writing, Pharmacists as Protagonists, Protagonist Development, Steps to Developing Great Fictional Characters, The Art of Storytelling, The Art of Writing, Writing Skills | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Makings of a Hero

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

There’s nothing better than a memorable protagonist in any story, and the good guy in a murder mystery saves the day by solving the crime and bringing the perpetrator to justice. So for the next couple of weeks, I’d like … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Accuracy in Writing, All About Writing, Better Fictional Character Development, Blog Writers, Blogging, Character Development Techniques, Characteristics of a Fictional Character, Creating Unique and Interesting Character Flaws, Developing Better Writing Skills, Developing Effective and Compelling Fictional Heroes, Developing Writing Skills, Fictional Character Development, Growing As A Writer, Learning the Art of Writing, Protagonist Development, Protagonists, Steps to Developing Great Fictional Characters, Story Development, The Art of Storytelling, The Art of Writing, Writing Skills, Writing Techniques | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Chemical Weapons At A Glance!

Posted on November 19, 2014 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Although my blogs are eclectic in that I sometimes write about pharmacy issues, at other times I blog about interesting methods to kill off characters in novels and sometimes I write about…well, about writing. Since many of my blogs involve … Continue reading →

Posted in A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, A How To Blog on Murder Weapons, About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, About Murder, About Writing, Blog Trends, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Categories of Harmful Substances for Humans, Characteristics of Killing, Characteristics of Murder, Chemical Weapons Discussions, Chemicals Used For Murder, Choosing How a Character Should Die in a Story, Creating Emotional Drama in a Murder Scene, Deciding How to Kill Off a Character in a Novel, Developing Better Writing Skills, Drugs For Murder Plots, Drugs Used For Murder, Harassing Agents and Murder, How to Choose a Murder Weapon for a Plot Idea, How To Write A BloodLess Murder Scene, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Incapacitating Agents and Murder, Interesting Murder Weapons, Killing a Villain in a Novel, Killing Off Characters in Writing, Lethal Agents and Murder, Murder Weapon Groupings and Categories, Murder Weapons, Murder Weapons Discussed, Murder With Drugs, New Methods To Kill Characters in Your Novel, Plot Development, Plot Ideas and Where They Come From, Plotting Murder Scenes, Poisons Used For Murder, Prescription For Murder Blog, Tools of Murder, Unique Murder Plots, Ways To Kill, Ways to Murder, Why Women Own Guns, Writing Death Scenes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Laughing Man

Posted on August 13, 2014 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

It’s been said that the best fiction is based on fact. And, no matter how large or small that tidbit of information is, it plants the seed that the writer develops as the story arc. It’s the spark that creates … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Accuracy in Writing, Airplane Murders, All About Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Character Development Techniques, Characteristics of a Fictional Character, Developing a Writing Career, Developing Better Writing Skills, Developing Story Arcs, Developing Story Plots, Developing Storyline Ideas, Fiction Based on Facts, Fiction Based on Real Life, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Interesting Event and Ideas Develop into Short Stories, Mastering Your Craft, Plot Ideas and Where They Come From, Plotting Short Stories, Short Story Development, Sources of Story and Plot Ideas, Story Development, The Art of Storytelling, The Art of Writing, Tools of Fiction Writing, Writing Skills, Writing Techniques | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Inert Gases Can Lead To Murder!

Posted on August 6, 2014 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Awhile back, I saw an interesting murder plot on television. The scenario involved a wealthy man who had his home office designed such that it was similar to an impenetrable vault—both for security and privacy purposes. The room was so … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Murder, About Writing, All About Murder, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Bloodless Death Scenes, Characteristics of Killing, Characteristics of Murder, Chemicals Used For Murder, Deadly Inert Gases For Fire Suppression, Developing Better Writing Skills, Difficult to Solve Murders, Fire Suppression Systems Used for Murder, Halon Gas and Murder, How To Write A BloodLess Murder Scene, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Inert Gases and Murder, Inert Gases and Murder Plots, Instruments of Death, Killing a Villain in a Novel, Killing Off Characters in Your Novel, Murder without Evidence of Foul Play, New Methods To Kill Characters in Your Novel, Plotting Murder Scenes, Secure Room as a Murder Weapon, The Science of Murder, Tools of Murder, Unique Murder Plots, Ways To Kill, Ways to Murder, Writing Death Scenes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments