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Jim Potter, Author

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Back Story

October 11, 2017 by Jim Potter Leave a Comment

·  Going Backward in Order to Go Forward  · "422 to 409." "409, go ahead." "If you want to stop by, you can take some more photographs for us." "No thanks, I've got other plans. Do you have enough help without me?" "10-4." I should have been thankful for the offer, instead it only reinforced my unwillingness to be a part of one more grisly scene of death. My shift was over. I had paid my dues. I just didn't have it in me to look at one more dead body. As I pulled into my driveway, only … [Read more...] about Back Story

Filed Under: Blog posts Tagged With: back story, creative writing, fiction, flashbacks, literary fiction, writing

Mix Things Up

October 4, 2017 by Jim Potter 2 Comments

·  Braiding  · Braiding means weaving information into the story, especially characters, like a hairdresser weaving strands of hair into one strong braid. In my novel, Taking Back the Bullet, I focus on three main characters and their families. Out of thirty-four chapters in the book, I use the first nine chapters introducing the fictional characters. The first two chapters are set in Prairie Grove, Kansas, where the reader meets jailer Tom Jennings and artist Jesse Thomas. In the … [Read more...] about Mix Things Up

Filed Under: Blog posts Tagged With: back story, braiding, characters, creative writing, fiction, literary fiction, literature, weaving, writing

Getting to Know Your Characters

September 27, 2017 by Jim Potter 2 Comments

·  Who Are These People and What Are They Doing In My Head?  · I'm having so much fun thinking about the fictional characters coming alive since the last blog!  In the blog titled "More Seeds to Sow," I introduced you to a veteran with PTSD who relied on a flock of ducks to help keep him calm; a woman who was nearly evicted from her home but was able to adopt out her two dozen beardless dragons in time; and a criminal duo who landed in jail after their third armed robbery in which the woman … [Read more...] about Getting to Know Your Characters

Filed Under: Blog posts Tagged With: character development, characters, creative writing, fiction, imagination, literary fiction, writing

More Seeds to Sow

September 20, 2017 by Jim Potter 2 Comments

·  Fourteen Therapeutic Pet Ducks, 24 Bearded Dragons, and a Masked Batman Caper  · "You can't make this stuff up!" I tell other writers. We're all in agreement. If you want any ideas for your writing, you don't need to read fake news online. Just take a few "real" headlines and start writing. Free-writing is one form used by writers to get started. You just take a topic, start writing, and see where it leads you.  Today I'm using three brief AP news stories as examples of how topics … [Read more...] about More Seeds to Sow

Filed Under: Blog posts Tagged With: Batman, bearded dragons, brainstorming, creative writing, fiction, free-writing, literary fiction, pet ducks, writing

Seeds to Sow

September 13, 2017 by Jim Potter Leave a Comment

·  Questions to Ask  · Recently, in a Hutchinson News article, there was a story about a long-time bar being forced to close due to dwindling customer support. The owner was sharing a lot of memories with the reporter, but there was one that I knew immediately would fit into many a novel, maybe one of mine. Surprise! It's not a drunken fight scene. The owner recalled how when she and all her female employees took the night off to attend an event, they left a few male employees in charge at … [Read more...] about Seeds to Sow

Filed Under: Blog posts Tagged With: creative writing, fiction, literary fiction, literature, questions to ask, story, writing

Seeds to a Story

September 6, 2017 by Jim Potter Leave a Comment

 ·  Listen, Read, Write, Repeat  · If you're a writer, or want to be a writer, do you save story-starters?   Do you file newspaper clippings, save Pinterest images, or write down bits of overheard conversations, certain you'll use the comments or pictures in future dialogue? Maybe your file is labeled, "Save - to Use Later." I'm reading the Hutchinson News, and I glance at the obituaries and see the name, "Billy Goodenough." I don't know him, but his name just sticks in my … [Read more...] about Seeds to a Story

Filed Under: Blog posts Tagged With: Billy Goodenough, Colville Confederated Tribes, creative writing, fiction, literary fiction, story starters, writing

Creative Writing

August 23, 2017 by Jim Potter Leave a Comment

·  Fake News  · Today the media talks about the alarming impact of "fake news." No doubt that in our instant, mass communication world, one fraudulent or deceptive story can cause massive confusion with grave consequences. Check out this "exaggeration" post card from 1937 showing a rather large grasshopper that died of lead poisoning. Similar manipulated, tall-tale images had been in circulation since the early 1900's, the Golden Age of Postcards. The popularity of early cards was due … [Read more...] about Creative Writing

Filed Under: Blog posts Tagged With: creative writing, exaggeration postcards, fake news, fiction, literary fiction, postcards, tall tales, writing

Research in Writing

July 19, 2017 by Jim Potter Leave a Comment

·  Read and Travel  · If you write fiction, have you created a place for your characters to hang out? Writing is a combination of reading, travel, and imagination. Research and fact-checking are crucial. If you've used a travel guide or app, then your readers depend on you, the writer, to be accurate with locations and recommendations. If you write non-fiction, then consider the impact on others if they follow your advice about exotic tours, five-star restaurants, and comfortable … [Read more...] about Research in Writing

Filed Under: Blog posts Tagged With: authorship, creating characters, creative writing, fiction, novels, writing, writing skills

Welcome!

June 14, 2017 by Jim Potter 4 Comments

·  Welcome to my blog!  · I'm writing from south-central Kansas. For those of you more familiar with our geography, my wife and I live outside of Hutchinson. It's known as "the Salt City" for the many salt mines that were once active. Kansans know it as the home of the State Fair, the National Junior College Basketball Tournament, and the Cosmosphere & Space Museum. But, I'm not trying to recruit people to move here. Instead I'm excited about sharing stories with you.  Future blog posts … [Read more...] about Welcome!

Filed Under: Blog posts Tagged With: blog, creative writing, fiction, literary fiction, writing

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Jim Potter, Author

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New Blog Post

Publishing My Children’s Book in Six Months: Draft Status

  (To  listen to the audio of this blog, click above on the white triangle to the far left.)   Draft Status Copyright 2023 © by Jim … Read More about Publishing My Children’s Book in Six Months: Draft Status

Recent Blog Posts

  • Publishing My Children’s Book in Six Months: Draft Status February 2, 2023
  • Publishing My Children’s Book in Six Months: Choosing a Title January 26, 2023
  • Publishing My Children’s Book in Six Months: Multitasking January 19, 2023
  • Publishing My Children’s Book in Six Months: Networking January 12, 2023
  • Publishing My Children’s Book in Six Months: Introduction January 5, 2023

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Interviews with Jim Potter

Video interview with James Lowe outside Bookends Bookstore July 21, 2022

Print interview with author Bill Bush September 1, 2022

Print interview with author Cheryl Unruh February 28, 2019

Hutchinson Magazine Article

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