Author: Jim Devitt

Jim Devitt’s debut YA novel, The Card, hit #1 in three separate categories on the Kindle Bestseller list in early January and was a finalist in the Guys Can Read Indie Author Contest this past summer. Devitt currently lives in Miami, FL with his wife Melissa and their children. Learn more about Jim at his blog and his Amazon author page.

Is It Okay for Our Stories To Be The Same?

I saw an article the other day that uncovered striking similarities between several country music hits. The blog, Saving Country Music, posted about the mashup from Greg Todd which you can view below:

Sir Mashalot (Greg Todd) took six different current hit country songs and combined them at the same key and tempo. The result produced an eerie combination of, in its rawest form, the same song.

Just recently, I was working on a jingle with a producer/songwriter. After weeks of back and forth with the producer, I gave up. He wasn’t willing to change. I bagged the project about a month ago. Why? It sounded like everything else on the radio.

The combination of these two events got me to thinking about the writing industry. You can find millions of new books each year. Yet, the majority of them read like the same book. Once you scrape away the window dressing — “tweak them with tempo and key” — you’ve got the same book.

Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Continue reading “Is It Okay for Our Stories To Be The Same?”

Ten Things (Plus One) To Think About for 2015

Making 2015 betterIn my last post, I shared some topics to help you create a list for writing success in 2015. Let’s take it one step further today. Writing is just one part of our lives. For some, it’s a huge part. Regardless if you write all the time or write when you get that rare moment, your passion of creating words into art intertwines with your financial, health, social, and life issues.

So, without grandstanding or much ado, here’s a few nuggets to think about as we begin 2015. Continue reading “Ten Things (Plus One) To Think About for 2015”

A Writer’s Wish List – Getting Better in 2015

A writers wish listAs a kid, I put my best writing skills to work this time of the year. No, I didn’t create the perfect Christmas card message — I perfected the ultimate Christmas List! As the holidays neared, I would craft the best descriptions of the toys that I wanted, cut out pictures and list the optimum places to find Jimmy’s Wish List entries.

Nowadays, I don’t create the master wish list anymore, but I still make lists. This time of the year is a great time to think about the future. Putting into words the things you want to improve on, change, or learn is a great step toward making them a reality.

Here are some great things to include in your wish list for the upcoming year. I’m sure many of you have some of these in place, but hopefully you’ll find a few nuggets that were lacking in the past year. Continue reading “A Writer’s Wish List – Getting Better in 2015”

Facebook Changing Privacy Settings in 2015

Facebook Privacy setttings changing in 2015On January 1, 2015, Facebook is changing its terms of service to include new privacy issues that allow users to control their information. Of course, in Facebook speak, that means that you must be a rocket scientist in order to interpret the terms of service and how to control the new privacy settings. Continue reading “Facebook Changing Privacy Settings in 2015”