James Master's Blog, page 18

The Habitual Writer

A messy desk. In the bedroom, a clean path from the bed to the door. Stacks of unread books line the ground and/or bookcase. An empty social calendar. Piles of dirty clothes. A well-used coffee pot. An overused laptop.  If... Read More ›

Failure as a Writing Tool

Around this time every year, I’m either really satisfied with myself or angry with myself. It’s not because it’s the weekend after Thanksgiving and I’ve gorged myself on too much food. And no, it’s not the fact that I may... Read More ›

Review of Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)

When I was a child, I wanted to be a Ghostbuster when I grew up. Heck, if I was given the opportunity today to put one of those uniforms and strap on a proton pack I wouldn’t hesitate.  I think I... Read More ›

Writing Tips, part 1

Have you ever seen these memes with Captain America with the caption “So, you want to be a…” and then it’s a funny saying or profession? Well, I almost included a meme like that only it would say “So, you... Read More ›

Why scary stories are important 

For the last month, I’ve been writing about scary story elements because it’s October and that’s what you do when Halloween comes around. When I was trying to come up with a topic for today’s rant (that’s what I call my column),... Read More ›

Zombies: A Perfect Monster?

I don’t know if it’s just me, but I like rooting for the monster. For the most part anyway. If you think about it, most monsters are only doing what their nature tells them to do. How can we hate... Read More ›

What Makes a Good Ghost Story

I was reading a book earlier in the month and it looked as if it was going to be about a married couple on a vacation in Scotland. They were staying at a chapel that had been repurposed into a... Read More ›

Books: A Different Type of Terror

Last week, I made a bold claim that books can’t be scarier than movies. And I stand by that claim. However, for the sake of argument let’s try and work out how a book might be scarier than a film.... Read More ›

Can Books be Scary?

In my opinion, no.   I’ll see you all next week.  Oh, you’re all still here? What was that? You want a reason? Hmm, I guess that’s a reasonable request. Fine. Since it’s the start of October and Halloween is at the end of... Read More ›

Review of Billy Summers

Have you ever traveled down a river and just let the current carry you? If not, then have you ever tried something like a lazy river ride at a water park? There’s something peaceful about just sitting back and letting... Read More ›