Tag Archives: writing career

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

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

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

A Day to Remember and A Gift For You

Posted on July 24, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Today is one of those memorable days in my life! It was busy, frustrating, exciting and ultimately thrilling. So what happened you might ask? I’ve been writing novels and short stories for several years now. Three of my short stories … Continue reading →

Posted in "Cuffed" by James J. Murray, A Free Short Story Offering, A Mystery Short Story, A New Short Story Release, About James J. Murray, About Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Forged Prescription Short Story, Free Book Downloads, Free Short Story Download, Growing As A Writer, James J. Murray Blog, Prescription For Murder Blog, Prescription Forgers, The Art of Storytelling, The Practice of Pharmacy, True Crime Short Story | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 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

Why A Writer Should Be Thankful!

Posted on November 26, 2014 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Here in the United States it’s Thanksgiving time—Thursday, November 27th to be exact—and it’s a day of fantastic food feasts, with the bonus of a long holiday weekend ahead. But more importantly, it’s a time to reflect on what makes … 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, Happy Thanksgiving 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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 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

Why I Write!

Posted on June 23, 2014 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Welcome to the Writing Process Blog Tour! This is a Special Edition blog, and it’s a much different format from my usual blogs that include subjects of Murder, Mayhem and Medicine. So what is a Writing Process Blog Tour? Well, … Continue reading →

Posted in About Writing, Accuracy in Writing, Blog Interviews, Blog Rolls, Blog Trends, Blog Writers, Blogging, Charles Stubbs, Uncategorized, Web Of Deceit Blog, webofdeceit.org, Writing Process Blog Tour | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Apostrophes And Their Use With Proper Nouns

Posted on May 21, 2014 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”. It’s become a personal … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Accuracy in Editing, Accuracy in Writing, Achieving Perfection, 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, New Life Goals, 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, Writing Skills | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments