James Tobin, Author

An Invitation

4/1/2023

(Image found at http://www.shutterstock.com)

Ever feel slightly alienated as a reader? Ever think that the thought process required to write a novel is something locked up in an ivory tower—guarded by a dragon, too, perhaps? Do you ever stop, mid-sentence, and say, “I couldn’t ever do that!” as with powerful prose and elegant phrasing your favorite author writes with seeming caprice?

As a young, emerging voice in the world of letters, I certainly grappled with doubt as I worked to author my several novels. Knowing, however, the sweetness of finally completing a novel, I picture that I am a sensible source of advice—which fact informs this post. “James’s Thoughts” aims to become a sort of crossroads between passion and uncertainty, drive and hesitancy. In short, a sort of literary rest stop where aspiring writers can “refuel,” exchange ideas, and the like.

My entire ethos as a writer of fiction is an appeal to the transformative, uplifting, and edifying nature of literature. Yes, I say “literature,” and I stand by that term, for literature stands the test of time, a shade of something eternally real and of tremendous power. And it is in the process of crafting literature that the depths of the psyche and soul may be drawn from.

“James’s Thoughts” will grow according to its aim by virtue of the genuine and heartfelt approach by which it seeks to reach the readers of my fictive works. That approach can be captured in two words, simple, yet profound: “Join in.” As a man who has studied much of the fields of anthropology, religious studies, and metaphysical philosophy, my fictive work is thereby inspired; often, my work dabbles in many esoteric concepts and imagery.

Now, that shouldn’t make you seize, as does your favorite author’s wordsmithery. Neither should this approach to writing literature appear abstruse. My “arsenal,” so to speak, is available to you; for you do have a mind, and your experience is your subject material. Whether you deal with demons or angels, the banal or profound, you have the material. The only thing preventing you from manifesting your art on the blank page is, as it turns out, not yourself—as the old cliché goes—but a lack of communion or fellowship with others on this blissful path.

And “James’s Thoughts” offers, or hopes to offer, just that: an open forum for the literary-minded.

It would be a great pleasure, too, to watch ideas hatch organically around these posts. Of course, I will post regularly; your input and journey, however, are valued most highly, too.

So, explore this blog and provide some thoughtful feedback.

I have assisted several writers in the past as they worked toward writing short stories and novels. Fostering communion with your fellows is a surefire means of setting your mind ablaze.

I wish you all the best along your path!

Regards,

James Patrick Tobin

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