Author Archives: Jason McDonald

When Real-Life Feeds Fiction

Every writer finds inspiration in some some sort of real event or memory. It is the nature of the beast.

That is not to say that we use our lives in totality and turn every single aspect into a plot point or scene in one of our books.

No, not at all.

But, we need reference points, or at least, most of do. We do not all write about our lives and entangle it in our works. Though, I would be hard-pressed to say that I do not include tidbits of my world in my novels.

The Depths of Research

First person research.

It is one thing to pick up a book (surprise!) and read descriptions and information that you then decide to use as background or pieces of the puzzle to your writings.

It is another thing to dive headfirst into the weeds so to speak and get your hands dirty.

Well, for the last few weeks, I have been silent. Not a word written since my last blog post. That includes work on my #wips. I have been neck deep in research, activities, tasks, and utilizing my hands, all in the name of my craft to ensure that what I write about it grounded in knowledge and my own expertise tackling subjects I will use in my plots and stories.

It is something I have always done.

Plot Location

The plot location can make or break a story.

So, some people say.

There are different viewpoints on whether detailed locations add or distract from a book. Get into too much detail that it takes away from the actual story trying to be presented.

My humble opinion? I believe it all depends on you, the writer, and what you want to come across for your readers. Dive in and sell it so they feel like they are right there. Or, tease the descriptions with enough to paint an outline they can fill in themselves.