(C) 2020, JJ Shaun Sometimes when I write, I get lost in the story my characters are telling, much like when I read a good book. Other times, it’s like forcing every word through clenched teeth. Recent events have my head spinning. I’m sure I’m not the only writer whose mind is reeling with the … Continue reading Imagine A New (Hi)Story
(C) 2020, JJ Shaun Most of my ideas are set in some fantasy world or another. One notable exception is a story I wrote in college. The script I had penned for a class stayed with me over the decades. After reading It Can’t Happen Here, by Sinclair Lewis, a story idea began to percolate. … Continue reading When Characters Have More to Say
(C) 2019, JJ Shaun The series of stories I have in mind will take place in a variety of settings. I even started one of the stories a couple of years ago when the group I play online games with were thinking of writing in a different realm. When the group moved on to something … Continue reading Where Am I?
(C) Google Maps Now that I have my files back in place and the proper versions up and running, I’m able to get back to the twins and their predicament. I caught up with what Talbot has been up to and left the twins looking into the mouth of a cave that had an enticing … Continue reading Letting Characters Guide the Setting
(C) 2020, JJ ShaunTalking to my characters. As writers, we frequently stare at a blank page and struggle to find a place to begin our stories. We know what we want to write, we just don’t know where to start. I know I do, and judging by the social media comments, a lot of you … Continue reading Getting to Know Your Characters
(C) 2020, JJ ShaunPutting game tiles together to create a unique playing field. I’ve been getting more into the heads of my characters lately. The introductory tale of this series of short stories centers on three young members of an uber-rich family. They get caught up in a set of circumstances they never, in their … Continue reading Playing to Write
(C) 2020, JJ Shaun When I was in junior high, my best friend Sue tried to get me to keep a journal. I never got the hang of keeping a daily diary. Instead, I learned to write hard feelings on paper and just ignore the carefree days. I wish I had some of those early … Continue reading Snapshots in Time
The last few days I’ve been prying information out of my characters. After the initial round of talkativeness, they left while I got my notes caught up (and some of my reading). The twins came back to talk to me again last night. They let me know that they are modern kids, so I dove … Continue reading Interview with an Antagonist
I’ve spent the last week reading the notes and stories I’ve written over the years. I’ve also sketched out my new concept and researched a few ways to twist some existing ideas into something unique and different. As I began typing, I realized that I could launch my story into the looking glass from either … Continue reading Listen to Your Characters
(C) 2020, JJ Shaun I decided to go back and take a look at some of my old fan fiction to see how I can use those ideas as springboards into something new and improved. So, I spent the better part of the week writing the background for that concept. I had a sense of … Continue reading Idea Mash-Up
Tavern Tales
Poetry BLOG By Edge of Humanity Magazine
New Writing Engaging with the Sacred
J.J. Shaun 