top of page
The Art of Storytelling



Naming Conventions
Image: AI generated image of a billboard displaying the word 'Name.' As a storyteller, naming characters is one of the most difficult...
jrblackburnsmith
Jun 143 min read
6 views
0 comments


Scary People
Image: AI generated cartoon of scary people. One of the risks that storytellers face as they craft a character is building realistic...
jrblackburnsmith
Jun 73 min read
4 views
0 comments


Sneak Peek!
Image: A sneak peek at the cover of The Devil's Interval coming late summer 2025. I am super excited to share a sneak peek at the cover...
jrblackburnsmith
Jun 12 min read
15 views
0 comments


Aspiring Writers
Image: an AI generated picture of an aspiring writer. My six-year-old grandson recently sent me a book for my birthday. I was thrilled to...
jrblackburnsmith
May 253 min read
17 views
0 comments


See Something, Say Something
Image: AI generated image of a bomb "If you see something, say something" has been the unofficial motto of the United States since 9/11....
jrblackburnsmith
May 102 min read
16 views
0 comments


Building Character(s)
AI Generated image of a character escaping from a book. Creating believable, relatable characters may be the hardest part of...
jrblackburnsmith
May 52 min read
10 views
0 comments


Faith
Image: The Northern Lights over Ohio during the summer of 2024. With Easter approaching it seemed like a good time to address the...
jrblackburnsmith
Apr 192 min read
13 views
0 comments


Give them a Week
Image: AI generated image of a man mowing the lawn. As I face the task today of getting my mower running and ready for the season, I...
jrblackburnsmith
Apr 122 min read
18 views
0 comments


Powerful Words
Image: AI generated image of words When my daughter was eleven, in the fall of 1999, she was given a school assignment to write and...
jrblackburnsmith
Apr 63 min read
16 views
0 comments


Erasure
AI generated image of Frankenstein's monster using an eraser. I would call myself a storyteller more than an author. I'm much more...
jrblackburnsmith
Mar 303 min read
15 views
1 comment


The Sin of Omission
Image: AI generated image of the seven deadly sins (I know, there are nine. Apparently, AI cannot count. There is an old maxim that goes...
jrblackburnsmith
Mar 213 min read
12 views
0 comments


Blowin' in the Wind
Image: Rooster, an acrobatic Boston Terrier who has perfected the 360 Handstand for marking his territory. If he doesn't pay attention to...
jrblackburnsmith
Mar 163 min read
21 views
0 comments


Tidbits
Image: An AI picture of an ice-skating turkey Capturing natural observations is a great activity for someone who wants to practice their...
jrblackburnsmith
Mar 83 min read
7 views
0 comments


Obfuscate
Image: AI created image of a word tornado As a storyteller, I depend on the power of words to make change. Writers much better than I...
jrblackburnsmith
Mar 52 min read
8 views
0 comments


For the Birds
AI image of a Red Tail Hawk hovering over a field of tall grass. The songbirds and buzzards have returned. Winter is over, no matter what...
jrblackburnsmith
Mar 13 min read
9 views
0 comments


The Art of Writing Letters
Image: An AI generated image of a handwritten letter When I left home for college, leaving my girlfriend (now wife) behind to finish high...
jrblackburnsmith
Feb 223 min read
11 views
0 comments


Based on a True Story
Image: An AI generated cartoon of Truth I use a significant amount of data in my work and my co-workers expect me to know all the...
jrblackburnsmith
Feb 163 min read
13 views
0 comments


Seven Words You Cannot Say...
Image: Hushing someone If you are of a certain age, you can remember the comedian George Carlin whose most famous act was "Seven Words...
jrblackburnsmith
Feb 83 min read
21 views
0 comments


Chaos
AI generated image of Chaos. It's not me, it's the computers! I do not want this blog to become a weekly rant about politics, but after...
jrblackburnsmith
Feb 11 min read
13 views
0 comments


The Fallacy of Merit
Image: AI generated image of a person wearing an oversized Crown. There has been a lot of talk from the new administration about...
jrblackburnsmith
Jan 253 min read
23 views
0 comments
bottom of page