Category Archives: The Art of Writing

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

Is the Future of Entertainment a Pharmaceutical?

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

At a recent Wall Street Journal conference (WSJD Live 2016), Netflix CEO Reed Hastings speculated that the future of entertainment might be something OTHER than watching and interacting with the screen of an electronic device. Netflix, an entertainment industry innovator … 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, Blog About Poisons in Fiction Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Chemical Entertainment, Chemicals Used For Murder, Deciding How to Kill Off a Character in a Novel, Designing Murder Plots, Developing Story Plots, Developing Storyline Ideas, Entertainment of the Future, Future Sources of Entertainment, How to Choose a Murder Weapon for a Plot Idea, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Interactive Entertainment, James J. Murray Blog, Killing Off Characters in Writing, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, Murder Weapons Discussed, New Blog, New Methods of Murder, Pharmaceuticals as Entertainment, Plot Ideas and Where They Come From, Plotting Interesting Murder Scenes, Plotting Murder Scenes, Prescription For Murder Blog, The Art of Writing, the perfect murder weapon, The Psychology of Murder, The Science of Murder, Tools of Murder, Unique Murder Plots, Writing Dramatic Murder Scenes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lying for a Living!

Posted on October 26, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

FICTION => A Believable Lie -> Taking a small bit of truth or fact and evolving that into a web of deceit, dishonesty or lethal acts (at least in my novels). That’s what we do as fiction writers. We lie … Continue reading →

Posted in A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, About James J. Murray, About Writing, All About Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Characteristics of Killing, Creating Emotional Drama in a Murder Scene, Creating Interesting Fiction Characters, Developing Better Writing Skills, Facts About Lying, Fiction Writing - A Believable Lie, How Dishonesty Can Escalate, How Lying Affects The Brain, James J. Murray Blog, Life Skills, Lying and Brain Activity, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, Neuroscience, Neuroscience and Murder, New Blog, Plot Ideas and Where They Come From, Practice Makes Perfect, Prescription For Murder Blog, Studies on Lying, The Act of Lying, The Art of Writing, The Psychology of Murder, The Science of Murder, Writing Skills, Writing Techniques | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

WRITING vs RUNNING

Posted on October 19, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

This month I’m running two marathon races. When I mention that fact to people who don’t run, they usually ask, “Why?” I’m not completely sure of the answer! Maybe the simple truth is that it’s because I can and I love … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Running, About Writing, Achieving Writing Perfection, All About Writing, Being Thankful For Your Life, Better Fiction Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Character Development Techniques, Connecting With Your Reader, Create a Better You, Developing a Writing Career, Developing Better Life Skills, Developing Better Writing Skills, Developing Running Skills, Developing Technologies, How to Create a Better Life, James J. Murray Blog, Learning the Art of Writing, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, New Blog, Practice Makes Perfect, Prescription For Murder Blog, Preventing Human Errors, Published Novel by James J Murray, Skills to Create a Better Life, The Art of Storytelling, The Art of Writing, Training for a Running Race, Writing Skills, Writing Skills and Running Skills, Writing Techniques | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Foods Can Kill

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

I often write about poisons and toxins that kill, but what better way to kill someone than with a substance that’s lethal but not so easy to detect. Such scenes make for good fiction reading, but a devastating reality is … Continue reading →

Posted in A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, A Non-Murder Plot, About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, About Murder, About Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Characteristics of Killing, Children and Food Allergies, Common Food Allergies, Deadly Food, Designing Murder Plots, Developing Effective and Compelling Fictional Heroes, Dramatic Murder Weapons, Food Allergies on the Rise, Foods and Lethal Allergic Responses, Foods That Kill, Foods Used For Murder, How to Choose a Murder Weapon for a Plot Idea, How To Write A BloodLess Murder Scene, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Interesting Murder Weapons, James J. Murray Blog, Lethal Agents and Murder, Lethal Food Allergies, Lethal Substances Used For Murder, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, Murder Weapons Discussed, Murder With Food, New Blog, New Methods of Murder, New Methods To Kill Characters in Your Novel, Nutrition and Murder, Peanut Allergies, Peanut Oil as a Poison, Plotting Murder Scenes, Prescription For Murder Blog, Severe Allergies Used For Murder, Severe Food Allergies, The Art of Writing, the perfect murder weapon, Tools for Murder, Unique Murder Plots, Unique Murder Weapons, Ways to Murder, Writing Dramatic Murder Scenes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Whey is Way Cool These Days!

Posted on August 10, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Whey, the tart liquid by-product when making cheese and yogurt, is often sold as a protein source in many nutritional supplements used for bodybuilding and in meal replacement products. It’s also used to enrich baked goods and to produce bread … 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, All About Murder, Bertha's Revenge, Biological Poisons, Blog Trends, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Botanical Murder Weapons, Chemical Poisons, Chemicals Used For Murder, Creating Emotional Drama in a Murder Scene, Designer Poisons Used For Murder, Designing Murder Plots, Dramatic Murder Weapons, Drug Poisoning, How to Choose a Murder Weapon for a Plot Idea, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Instruments of Death, Interesting Murder Weapons, James J. Murray Blog, Killing a Villain in a Novel, Killing Off Characters in Writing, Killing Off Characters in Your Novel, Methanol Poisoning, Methods of Murder, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, Murder Weapons Discussed, New Blog, New Methods of Murder, New Methods To Kill Characters in Your Novel, New Uses For Whey, Plotting Interesting Murder Scenes, Prescription For Murder Blog, The Art of Writing, The Science of Murder, Tools of Murder, Unique Murder Plots, Unique Murder Weapons, Ways to Murder, Whey and Alcoholic Drinks, Whey and Gin-Making, Whey and Murder, Whey and Vodka Making, Whey-Based Alcohol, Writing Death Scenes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Practicing Your Profession

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

For much of my life I was a practicing pharmacist. Each day I would draw on my professional experience and use every tidbit of education to make appropriate clinical decisions. Like so many other professionals, I was doing the work … Continue reading →

Posted in 000 Hour Rule, About James J. Murray, About Writing, Accuracy in Writing, Achieving Perfection, Achieving Writing Perfection, All About Writing, Almost Dead, Better Fiction Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Developing Writing Skills, James J. Murray Blog, Lethal Medicine-The Novel, Mastering Your Craft, Practice Makes Perfect, Practicing Your Profession, Prescription For Murder Blog, The Art of Storytelling, The Art of Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

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

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