One of my current goals as a science fiction and fantasy writer is to eventually get into Writers of the Future. This has been a target for me ever since one of my literature teachers in college won and was published by them. If you can survive the brutal competition and professional-level judging, you can proudly … Continue reading Tips Straight from the Horse’s, er Judge’s Mouth
Author: JM Williams
Author, historian, teacher, veteran. A man full of stories.
No Such Thing as Too Many – 3LineTales Week 69
Tommi dashed up the blue-carpeted stairs, only looking back once to make sure the robbers were following close behind. With a pull of a rope, a thousand tiny yellow caltrops scattered across the floor, catching the barefoot thieves by complete surprise; one fell over, both howled in pain. And to think, just this morning his mother … Continue reading No Such Thing as Too Many – 3LineTales Week 69
Best Books to Read to Improve Your Writing
Fellow author and blogger Jamie Todd Rubin recently posted with his advice on what writing manuals to read to improve your writing. In his post Best Books on Writing he offers works by three writers, Asimov, King and Red Smith. I thought I'd add my thoughts. On Writing by Stephen King is likely known by … Continue reading Best Books to Read to Improve Your Writing
My Writing Process, or Dirty Dancing with the Muses
Some people are plotters, some people leave their characters adrift in hopes they will do something interesting. Stephen King is in the latter camp, adamantly a member of the let-the-characters-do-their-thing party. I imagine Tolkien must have been a plotter, and a big one. He started out building a language and then wrote a story for it. I'm … Continue reading My Writing Process, or Dirty Dancing with the Muses
SHARE: 8 Unstoppable Rules For Writing Killer Short Stories
So like the last share, this is another article I came across in one of my Facebook groups that I almost never pay attention to. The article 8 Unstoppable Rules for Writing Killer Short Stories by Charlie Jane Anders offers a lot of good advice. This advice is more applicable to genre stories like science fiction and fantasy, but if … Continue reading SHARE: 8 Unstoppable Rules For Writing Killer Short Stories
SHARE: Tips for novelists
The first rule of write club is: don't talk about write club! The second rule of write club is: there are no rules! (Which, of course, negates rule one, and more interestingly, itself, which then un-negates rule one...) I follow a bunch of blogs and Facebook groups that discuss writing. More often than not, the discussion is not very … Continue reading SHARE: Tips for novelists
REBLOG: How to Outline a Scene like a Pro
Such a great outline for checking your scenes, I had to share! Thank you for the advice, Amy. Amy Walters is an author and blogger who often blogs about writing techniques and tips. It would definitely be worth your time to jump over and check out what she has to say on the topic of … Continue reading REBLOG: How to Outline a Scene like a Pro
REBLOG: Post of the week – A voice in the water
Thank you, David, for your great reading of my story! For those of you who don't know, David Snape is a blogger who has does a regular guest writing spot. Last week he posted my story A Voice in the Water. Yesterday, he chose it for his guest post of the week, and read the story … Continue reading REBLOG: Post of the week – A voice in the water
The Danger with Self-Publishing, or Why Collaboration is Essential for new Writers
I'm a traditionalist. I'm a military vet and a historian for gods' sakes, so my head is very much stuck on the tried and true. As an author, I have been putting all my focus on traditional routes for publishing--getting my short stories in mags and ezines, and finding a proper agent for my book. … Continue reading The Danger with Self-Publishing, or Why Collaboration is Essential for new Writers
A new story, exclusively on Bewildering Stories!
So I totally forgot to post the link to my new short story on Bewildering Stories! Oops! The story "The Might of a Shaman" is set in a stone age, fantasy-lite world where spirits might be real and danger certainly is. It is a setting I have written a couple other stories in and will likely … Continue reading A new story, exclusively on Bewildering Stories!
JM Williams 