James Master's Blog, page 18

November 28, 2021

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 ›
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Published on November 28, 2021 21:21

November 27, 2021

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 ›
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Published on November 27, 2021 22:07

November 21, 2021

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 ›
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Published on November 21, 2021 19:56

November 19, 2021

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 ›
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Published on November 19, 2021 21:40

October 29, 2021

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 ›
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Published on October 29, 2021 22:30

October 22, 2021

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 ›
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Published on October 22, 2021 21:05

October 16, 2021

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 ›
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Published on October 16, 2021 18:18

October 9, 2021

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 ›
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Published on October 09, 2021 19:40

October 2, 2021

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 ›
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Published on October 02, 2021 05:50

September 26, 2021

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 ›
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Published on September 26, 2021 22:15