Jack Campbell Jr.

Tag: Writing

  • Storks Eat Babies: Taking the Myth out of Submission

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    I read a lot of writing blogs. I can find some useful nuggets of information in any blog, whether it is a new technique, a new idea, or just some good, old-fashioned inspiration. Writing websites tend to lean toward the romantic. It makes sense. We are writers. Writing is an art, and arts are often thought…

  • The Evolution of Gentleman Jack

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    Recently, I sold my short story “Take It Home” to eFiction Magazine. It was a monumental occasion for me. It’s not the first story I’ve sold, not by a long shot, and it isn’t even the best story I’ve written. “Take It Home” was originally titled “Gentleman Jack,” and I wrote it in the first…

  • My Macabre Mentor

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    My Macabre MentorWriters get bombarded with no shortage of tips and advice. Writing is something that everyone does a little bit differently, yet countless books, classes, and workshops have been made in an attempt to isolate the working parts that build a better writer.This week, The Confabulator Cafe asked us for the best and worst…

  • Minor Moments

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    It is human fate to have our dreams and to chase them throughout our lives. But dreams are fleet-footed. They tease our hope then slip through our fingers time and again. But, in the end, the chase and those minor moments of success are what will matter. I’ve been thinking a lot about dreams lately.…

  • Test-Takers Don’t Change the World

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    NOTE: I am not a resident of Florida. But while these results do not affect me, nor my child, personally, I believe they are symptomatic of  an issue that does. Recently, the State of Florida noted a significant drop in student test results for their writing basic skills test. The drop was contributed to a…

  • Diversify Your Writing Assets

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    Script Frenzy is coming up next month, giving me an excuse to dust off those screenwriting skills that haven’t seen the light of day for way too long. I’ve noticed that it is not nearly as popular as its NaNoWriMo sibling. I get it. Writing a book is every writer’s dream. It seems so easy…

  • Writing from a parallel universe.

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    “Let your soul stand cool and composed before a million universes.” – Walt Whitman I was mentioning to another writer this week how much I enjoy the use of parallels in fiction, particularly speculative fiction.  By parallel, I mean something that the reader can relate to their modern life, or the way the world currently…

  • The Need for Criticism

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    To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing. – Elbert Hubbard There are a few things that every writer should have.  When you get down to it, that is a pretty substantial comment.  Writing is largely individual and like many arts, is at least partially subjective.  That being said, there are things we…

  • Beneath the Avalanche of Previously Read Pages

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    I  have a very good memory for images and phrases.  I have largely relied upon that memory when it comes to one of my favorite hobbies, used book stores. I will find a book by an author I like, or simply something sitting in the $1.00 bin that looks interesting.  I will then mentally compare…

  • You Are Not a Beautiful and Unique Snowflake

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    Listen up, maggots. You are not special. You are not a beautiful or unique snowflake. You’re the same decaying organic matter as everything else. – Tyler Durden in Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club Writer’s are a fragile bunch.  We are primarily solitary creatures, except when we are gathering with other writers to talk about writing.  We…