The Ideas Behind The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. Le Guin

I am impressed and I am depressed, but I am not dispossessed.

Impressed: Whether it is Le Guin's use of words, her parse, straightforward style, or her sheer insight, there were many times while reading The Dispossessed when I felt the gnawing of self-doubt. Many times when I said to myself: "I could never write that good."

Hence, depressed, after being impressed.

But I’m not dispossessed and I'll tell you why.

Your Novel is a Failure...

What to do when you realize: "Holy crap, my novel that I have worked so hard on is a failure!"


The plot has too many holes in it, or the protagonist isn't engaging enough, or it's just plain poorly written. What do you do now?


First, take a deep breath. Cry a little. Then get back to work.

Characters and Dilemmas

In ground warfare terms, per the US Army’s FM 3-21.8, Infantry Rifle and Platoon, Chapter 1: Fundamentals of Tactics, it is not only essential to create a problem for your enemy—namely by shooting at them—but to create a dilemma. Namely, shooting at your enemy, cutting off routes of egress, and dropping artillery, bombs, mortars and whatever else you can on them in order to defeat your enemy or force them into a choice you (the author) want them to go in.

So too in fiction.

Why Write?

To explore the soul, the will, the heart. To exercise the courage to continue on.

In our era, there are very few places left to explore. The edges of the map were filled in a long time ago.

Nowadays, it seems there are only a few—a talented, qualified, or wealthy few—who can obtain the permission necessary to board a rocket ship, pilot a rover, jet off or sink into the unknown. Maybe it's always been that way...

11 Lessons Learned from The Hunger Games

I read The Hunger Games a few months ago and jotted down some notes on what lessons I could pull from Suzanne Collins work. Here they are:

Authors and their agendas

Ever get to that point in a book where you feel like the author never truly intended to write just an entertaining story? Like the author has ulterior motives and they're just using the story to sell some of their own ideas?


We see much of this in allegories (though perhaps, depending on how you define an allegory, they can be either good or bad, righteous or evil, or simply the use of symbolism). But what I'm talking about is that itch along the back of your spine, while you're reading, which says, 'Oh, this author's up to something here...'

Hemingway's Big War Novel

Hiya! Today, I share some thoughts from when I read Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls. Spoiler: Despite being a combat veteran myself, I'm not that into it...


Issue 1: For all of Hemingway's simplicity of language, for which he is much renowned and idolized, For Whom the Bell Tolls is convoluted with side conversations, explorations of Spanish culture, and with people talking and talking and talking. As enlightening as all of this is, it does not move the story along very quickly by our modern tastes nor does it, I think, truly enlighten us, the readers, in a manner that action, reaction and consequence can (active elements of a story). Not to say these active elements aren't in Hemingway's novel, but it seems he is forcing a lot of subject matter and themes (such as death, Christianity and other ideas of war) through his character's dialogue. Thus requiring a lot of dialogue lines and a lot of extra reading and, I'm daring to say it in a piece about Hemingway, extraneous words.

Kudos 1: For all of Hemingway's absence of active elements in his plot, the absence of the actual conflict (the war) throughout the beginning of the story actually does strike me as somewhat real.

Purpose of this blog

Thanks for joining me and welcome to my blog.


I started this blog because I don't really have anyone to talk to about reading, writing and literature. I talk to my spouse about it but there's just so much territory to cover that I have a tendency to drive her batty. Plus, we've got a real life going on and only so much time to spend together at the end of the day.


And, like most people, I've got a pretty boring day job that has nothing to do with literature whatsoever. I start talking books with my colleagues and they start looking around for an escape route...


So I started this blog!


The purpose of this blog is: Sharing. Discussion. Elucidating ideas.


My blog site is a place where both budding new authors and experienced literary pros can come, meet and discuss anything related to reading, writing or literature. There are other blog posts on "how to become a bestselling author" or "how to write a novel in 7 easy steps"...


That is not J.G.P. MacAdam Online.


Here, we get at the meat of storytelling and craft (and, honestly, isn't that the only way to become successful as an author—to tell just a damn good story?)


I'm trying to connect with people from all ranges of the spectrum, so feel free to sign-up for my email list or you can jump right in and send me a message with an idea or a topic about what you would like to see posted or discussed on my blog. Or send me a message about anything really. I'm prompt, responsive, and always professional.


Thanks!