Category Archives: Fictional Character Development

Tips on Writing That First Novel – and All That Follow (Part 3)

Posted on September 30, 2020 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

This is my final installment (Part 3) of my three-part series on a recent talk and interview I did recently about my latest thriller novel release. As I’ve mentioned previously, my local writers’ group—The San Antonio Writers Guild—invited me to … Continue reading →

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Tips on Writing That First Novel – and All That Follow (Part 2)

Posted on September 23, 2020 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

This is Part 2 of my three-part installment on a recent talk and interview about my latest novel release. As I mentioned last week, my local writers’ group—The San Antonio Writers Guild—invited me to be the guest speaker at their … Continue reading →

Posted in A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, A How To Blog on Murder Weapons, A Murder Mystery Novel, a New Horror/Thriller Novel, A New Novel By James J. Murray, A New Psychological Thriller Release, A New Thriller Novel, A Thriller Novel, A Writer's Psyche, About James J. Murray, About Murder, About Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scenes, Chemical Poisons, Designer Drug Deaths, Designer Poisons Used For Murder, Designing Murder Plots, Developing Story Plots, Developing Storyline Ideas, Developing Writing Skills, Dramatic Murder Weapons, Fiction Based on Facts, Fiction Based on Real Life, Fiction Writing - A Believable Lie, Fictional Character Development, Ideas for Murder Scenes, James J. Murray's LETHAL MEDICINE Novel, James J. Murray's THE SERIAL CHEMIST, Lethal Medicine Thriller Novel, Lethal Medicine-The Novel, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, Murder Mystery Novel, New Blog, New Book Is Published, New Book Release, New Publication, New Thriller, New Thriller To Download, Plotting Interesting Murder Scenes, Plotting Murder Scenes, Prescription For Murder Blog, The Art of Storytelling, The Art of Writing, The Psychology of Murder, The Science of Murder, The Serial Chemist, The Serial Chemist - A Psychological Thriller Novel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tips on Writing That First Novel – and All That Follow (Part 1)

Posted on September 16, 2020 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Recently, I was the guest speaker at the monthly meeting of my local writers’ group—The San Antonio Writers Guild—and they asked me to speak about the process of writing a novel, how I choose the plots for my novels, and … Continue reading →

Posted in A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, A How To Blog on Murder Weapons, A Murder Mystery Novel, A Mystery Novel, A New Novel By James J. Murray, A New Psychological Thriller Release, A New Thriller Novel, A Thriller Novel, A Writer's Psyche, About James J. Murray, About Murder, About Writing, Acids with Systemic Toxicity, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Chemical Poisons, Designer Drug Deaths, Designing Murder Plots, Developing Story Plots, Developing Storyline Ideas, Developing Writing Skills, Dramatic Murder Weapons, Fiction Based on Facts, Fiction Based on Real Life, Fiction Writing - A Believable Lie, Fictional Character Development, Ideas for Murder Scenes, James J. Murray's LETHAL MEDICINE Novel, James J. Murray's THE SERIAL CHEMIST, Lethal Medicine Thriller Novel, Lethal Medicine-The Novel, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, Murder Mystery Novel, New Blog, New Book Is Published, New Book Release, New Thriller To Download, Plotting Interesting Murder Scenes, Prescription For Murder Blog, The Art of Storytelling, The Art of Writing, The Science of Murder, The Serial Chemist, The Serial Chemist - A Psychological Thriller Novel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Why Do People Kill?

Posted on October 17, 2018 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

It’s a simple question, but people have been struggling to find the answer for centuries. In a previous blog I discussed the core legal definition of murder, but I asked this very question as I researched the subject. Law enforcement officials are … Continue reading →

Posted in a killer gene, About James J. Murray, About Murder, About Writing, All About Murder, All About Writing, Better Fiction Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Character Development Techniques, Characteristics of a Fictional Character, Characteristics of Killing, Characteristics of Murder, Creating Emotional Drama in a Murder Scene, Creating Interesting Fiction Characters, Creating Unique and Interesting Character Flaws, Deciding How to Kill Off a Character in a Novel, Deciding What Types of Fictional Characters Fit Into Your Plot, Defining Murder, Designing Murder Plots, Developing Story Arcs, Developing Story Plots, Developing Storyline Ideas, Fiction Based on Facts, Fiction Based on Real Life, Fiction Writing - A Believable Lie, Fictional Character Development, Ideas for Murder Scenes, James J. Murray Blog, Killing Off Characters in Writing, Killing Off Characters in Your Novel, Methods of Murder, Murder - The True Definition, Murder is Defined, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, New Blog, Plot Development, Plot Ideas and Where They Come From, Plotting Interesting Murder Scenes, Plotting Murder Scenes, Prescription For Murder Blog, Reasons Why People Kill, Reasons Why People Murder, Story Development, The Art of Storytelling, The Art of Writing, The Psychology of Murder, The Science of Murder, The Warrior Gene, Types of Fictional Characters, Unique Murder Plots, Why People Kill | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Changing Ordinary People into Heroes!

Posted on June 21, 2017 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

In last week’s blog, I discussed fiction novel character development techniques. I ended the blog by stating, “Make your characters real and believable by first making them real to you.” An evolving fiction plot is not very interesting unless there … Continue reading →

Posted in A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, A Jon Masters Novel, About James J. Murray, About Writing, Accuracy in Editing, Accuracy in Writing, Achieving Writing Perfection, All About Writing, Better Fiction Writing, Better Fictional Character Development, Blog Writers, Blogging, Character development, Character Development Techniques, Character Driven Writing, Characteristics of a Fictional Character, Creating Interesting Fiction Characters, Creating Unique and Interesting Character Flaws, Designing Murder Plots, Developing a Writing Career, Developing Better Writing Skills, Developing Effective and Compelling Fictional Heroes, Developing Story Plots, Developing Storyline Ideas, Developing Writing Skills, Fiction Based on Facts, Fiction Based on Real Life, Fiction Writing - A Believable Lie, Fictional Character Development, Growing As A Writer, Ideas for Creating Permanent Change, James J. Murray Blog, Learning the Art of Writing, Life Skills, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, New Blog, Pharmacists as Protagonists, Proper Use of the Written Word, Protagonist Development, Published Novel by James J Murray, Publishing A Novel, Steps to Developing Great Fictional Characters, Story Development, The Art of Storytelling, The Art of Writing, The Writings of James J. Murray, Writing Skills, Writing Techniques | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Fictional Character Development 101

Posted on June 14, 2017 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

As many of you know, I’ve recently published my third novel. Click HERE to Review or Buy! While deep in the process of promoting that book, I can’t help but look to the future and begin another one. In last week’s blog, … Continue reading →

Posted in A Jon Masters Novel, A New Novel By James J. Murray, A Thriller Novel, About James J. Murray, About Writing, Accuracy in Writing, All About Writing, Better Fiction 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, Creating Unique and Interesting Character Flaws, Developing Better Writing Skills, Developing Effective and Compelling Fictional Heroes, Developing Story Plots, Developing Storyline Ideas, Developing Writing Skills, Fiction Writing - A Believable Lie, Fictional Character Development, Growing As A Writer, Ideas for Creating Permanent Change, Imperfect Murder The Novel, James J. Murray Blog, James J. Murray's IMPERFECT MURDER Novel, Learning the Art of Writing, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, New Blog, New Thriller, New Thriller To Download, Pharmacists as Protagonists, Proper Use of the Written Word, Protagonist Development, Published Novel by James J Murray, Publishing A Novel, Steps to Developing Great Fictional Characters, The Art of Storytelling, The Art of Writing, The Writings of James J. Murray, Writing Skills, Writing Techniques | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Making of a Hero in Fiction

Posted on February 8, 2017 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

There’s nothing better than a memorable protagonist in any story, but the good guy in a murder mystery or thriller is the one who saves the day by solving the crime and bringing the perpetrator to justice. As I develop … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Accuracy in Writing, All About Writing, Better Fiction Writing, Better Fictional Character Development, Blog Writers, Blogging, Character Development Techniques, Character Driven Writing, Creating Interesting Fiction Characters, 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, James J. Murray Blog, Learning the Art of Writing, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, New Blog, Protagonist Development, Protagonists, Steps to Developing Great Fictional Characters, Story Development, The Art of Storytelling, The Art of Writing, Writing Skills, Writing Techniques | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Are Antagonists Also Anti-Heroes?

Posted on August 17, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

The other day a person whom I admire posed an interesting question to me? What is the difference between an antagonist and an antihero? I have to admit that I paused a good while to consider my answer before spouting … Continue reading →

Posted in A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, About James J. Murray, Accuracy in Writing, Achieving Writing Perfection, All About Writing, An Antagonist vs The Antihero, Antagonist Development, Better Fiction Writing, Better Fictional Character Development, Blog Writers, Blogging, Character development, Character Development Techniques, Character Driven Writing, Characteristics of a Fictional Character, Creating Interesting Fiction Characters, Creating Unique and Interesting Character Flaws, Deciding What Types of Fictional Characters Fit Into Your Plot, Defining The Use of Antagonists vs Antiheroes, Designing Murder Plots, Developing a Writing Career, Developing Better Writing Skills, Developing Effective and Compelling Fictional Heroes, Developing Story Plots, Developing Storyline Ideas, Developing Writing Skills, Elements of Fictional Characters, Fictional Character Development, James J. Murray Blog, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, New Blog, Plot Development, Plot Ideas and Where They Come From, Prescription For Murder Blog, Protagonist Development, The Writings of James J. Murray, Tools of Fiction Writing, Types of Fictional Characters, Villains vs Antiheroes, Writing Skills | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 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