Tag: Novels

Writing tips, how to write well, good writing behavior
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Becoming a Better Writer

Josh Robert Nay

Throughout this blog’s existence, I’ve shared everything from why reading is important to the problems with illiteracy, so today I thought I’d do something for my fellow writers out there, particularly the aspiring writers. Listed below, you’ll find some tips on how you can become a better writer. Please feel free to reach out to me on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram with your own tips! Punctuation, Grammar and Spelling Pay attention to punctuation, especially to the correct use of commas and periods. These two punctuation marks regulate the flow of your thoughts; overusing them or not using them enough can

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A Year and Two Months Later, and Yes I’m Still Writing

Josh Robert Nay

Yeah it’s been awhile — long while — since I’ve posted on my personal blog. Yes, I’m definitely still writing. In fact, those who follow me via my Twitter account know firsthand that I’m writing a lot. Of course, a quick peek at TruTower.com will suffice as proof aplenty. I know quite a few of you are wondering what is happening with regard to my books, poetry, and short stories. I can’t give you an exact timeframe, but rest assured I will be working on these projects again. Right now, I’m really concentrated on TruTower. It’s the beginning, a first

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Where & How Did You Learn to Read? What Makes It Enjoyable?

Josh Robert Nay

It’s always amazing to hear different stories from people about how they learned to read and how they got to the point where they enjoy every single turn of the page. In my case, it was my father who got me into reading — and later, this fueled my ever-growing love for writing as well. He used to watch Star Trek: The Next Generation almost every single day. It wasn’t long before I got into the franchise and began watching it with him. This fascination with the Star Trek franchise later grew beyond the television show, leading me down the

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Top Hat Horror Story, Scary Novel, Frightening Book
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New Short Stories, Maybe A Novel Coming Soon

Josh Robert Nay

I am nearing completion on a brand new short story tentatively titled The Top Hat. The short story is actually based on a series of nightmares I had years ago as a child, nightmares that I can still remember as clear as day. The Top Hat will begin a series of short stories based on these nightmares. I have outlines already completed for the other stories in the series, and I intend to combine them all into a novel rather than publish them individually (though I am considering the latter). Right now, I’m keeping them all under wraps until they’re

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Thinking and Rethinking … I Need Coffee

Josh Robert Nay

Some of you may have been wondering what I’ve been up to for the past month or two. Some of you haven’t. Either way, I think I’m going to write this entry. Most of my time has been spent on TruTower.com. It has been a wonderful experience writing for the tech blog, and I’m definitely looking forward to continuing. I heartily invite all of you to like the page on Facebook: www.facebook.com/trutower. Aside from TruTower, I’ve been working on a short story here, a poem there, but nothing new to report on the publication side. It’s not that I’ve stopped

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My Epic Fantasy, My Intentions, and My Wheat Thins

Josh Robert Nay

Wizards and Kings … probably my most epic fantasy series of all. It has been around 4 years in development. The back story, the books, the characters … all of it has been developed in depth. Some people might think that’s overkill, but I feel that if a series is truly going to be epic, an equally epic amount of development for the series is needed. Holes and gaps need to be filled in. Characters need personalities. Magics need to be created and/or destroyed. That’s not saying Wizards and Kings is not a “standard” type of fantasy either. It has

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The Novel Frontier Begins

Josh Robert Nay

A new short story, more content, more pages … it has been a very fruitful and busy couple of days. Accomplishments have been made with little or no setbacks, and I could not have been happier with the results … The Wild Wild Mind Anyone who had ever read my work knows I’m more of a psychological writer. Most of my writing, while it may not always be extremely deep, has much to do with the characters in their mind than their actions. I try to put a little mixture of both in so as not to make the stories

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Winding Down to the End of July

Josh Robert Nay

Here’s a quick breakdown of my to-do list for July: I promised a short story for all the Western genre lovers out there. That is definitely forthcoming. In fact, I plan on having the story finished by the end of this week. I promised two new poems. Delivered! However, I will also be delivering more this week and next. I promised to have a rough draft of a novel. Delivered, although the actual rough draft is for my eyes only. The final draft is pending editor/publisher approval and changes, so it could be very different from the rough draft. I

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Nothing But Novels, Novels, Novels!

Josh Robert Nay

By the end of July, I plan on shifting my focus from poetry and short stories to novels and novelettes almost entirely. That’s not to say I won’t be releasing new poems and short stories by any means. It means that the novels will take center stage over the poems and short stories. Yeah, August is definitely Novel Month around here. I already have a project in the works for Tor, and definitely plan on releasing more for them after. I am also finally beginning a series that I have been developing for the last four years. That series is

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Creating a New World

Josh Robert Nay

Obviously, a lot of thought goes into creating a new world and characters to inhabit it. First, you have to develop the world, the basis of its existence, its history, its map layout … every aspect you can to make the world come to life not only in your eyes, but in the eyes of those who read your work. For example, I have spent the last four years developing my upcoming tentatively-titled Wizards and Kings series. I have developed multiple aspects, including some of its ancient history. I probably won’t use a great deal of it, and some of

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