Category Archives: Achieving Perfection

Chasing Old Man Winter in the New Year!

January, this first month of the new year, always starts off with great hope and promise. Often, however, those feelings of optimism and expectation sour as the weather turns colder and the sun remains behind dark clouds for weeks on … Continue reading

Posted in A New Year's Greeting, A New Year's Wish, A World of Possibility, About James J. Murray, Achieving Perfection, Being Thankful, Being Thankful Every Day, Being Thankful For Your Life, Blog Writers, Blogging, Categories of Harmful Substances for Humans, Change in the New Year, Changing Your Life in The New Year, Creating Change in the New Year, Creating New Habits in The New Year, Developing Better Life Skills, Failed New Year’s Resolutions, Forging a Better Life, How To Be A Happier Person, How To Become More Optimistic, How To Change Bad Habits, How to Create a Better Life, How to Create a More Enjoyable Life, How to Create a More Productive Life, How to Create a More Satisfying Life, How To Have A Better Winter, How to Implement New Year's Resolutions, Ideas for Creating Permanent Change, James J. Murray Blog, Life Skills, Life-Altering Goals, Making Change Permanent, Meaningful Change in The New Year, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, New Blog, New Life Goals, New Year's Resolutions, Prescription For Murder Blog, SAD, Seasonal Affected Disorder, Skills to Create a Better Life, The Writings of James J. Murray, Winter Blues | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Chasing Away Old Man Winter

January, this first month of the new year, always starts off with great hope and promise. Often, however, those feelings of optimism and expectation sour as the weather turns colder and the sun remains behind dark clouds for weeks on … Continue reading

Posted in A World of Possibility, About James J. Murray, Achieving Perfection, Being Thankful Every Day, Being Thankful For Your Life, Blog Writers, Blogging, Change in the New Year, Changing Your Life in The New Year, Creating Change in the New Year, Creating New Habits in The New Year, Developing Better Life Skills, Failed New Year’s Resolutions, Forging a Better Life, How To Be A Happier Person, How To Become More Optimistic, How To Change Bad Habits, How to Create a Better Life, How to Create a More Enjoyable Life, How to Create a More Productive Life, How to Create a More Satisfying Life, How To Have A Better Winter, How to Implement New Year's Resolutions, Ideas for Creating Permanent Change, James J. Murray Blog, Life Skills, Life-Altering Goals, Making Change Permanent, Meaningful Change in The New Year, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, New Blog, New Life Goals, New Year's Resolutions, Prescription For Murder Blog, SAD, Seasonal Affected Disorder, Skills to Create a Better Life, The Writings of James J. Murray, Winter Blues | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

How to Action-Pack the New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2018! Now, before you roll your eyes at yet another lesson about New Year’s resolutions, here are some practical suggestions to help you make realistic goals and keep yourself on track to meet those goals. Take a … Continue reading

Posted in A Holiday Wish, A New Year's Greeting, A New Year's Wish, About James J. Murray, Achieving Perfection, Blog Writers, Blogging, Change in the New Year, Changing Your Life in The New Year, Create a Better You, Creating Change in the New Year, Creating New Habits in The New Year, Developing Better Life Skills, Forging a Better Life, Happy New Year, How To Change Bad Habits, How to Create a Better Life, How to Create a More Enjoyable Life, How to Create a More Productive Life, How to Create a More Satisfying Life, How to Implement New Year's Resolutions, How to Make New Year's Resolutions, Ideas for Creating Permanent Change, James J. Murray Blog, Life Skills, Life-Altering Goals, Making Change Permanent, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, New Blog, New Life Goals, New Year's Resolutions, Prescription For Murder Blog, Skills to Create a Better Life, The Writings of James J. Murray | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hyphens and Dashes – The Dread of Misuse!

Hyphens and dashes are two distinctly different punctuation marks and a proper understanding of each will avoid embarrassing mistakes in your writing. Will anyone get MURDERED as a result of using the wrong one in the wrong place? No, but … Continue reading

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Accuracy in Editing, Accuracy in Writing, Achieving Perfection, Achieving Writing Perfection, All About Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Developing a Writing Career, Developing Better Writing Skills, Developing Writing Skills, Dreaded Misuse of Hyphens and Dashes, Em Dash Use, Em Dashes and Ellipses, En Dashes and Em Dashes, Grammar and Punctuation, How to Use Em Dashes Properly, Hyphens, Hyphens and Dashes, Hyphens and Dashes and Their Misuse, James J. Murray Blog, Learning the Art of Writing, Mastering Your Craft, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, New Blog, Obsession with Proper Usage of the English Language, Proper Punctuation in Writing, Proper Use of the Written Word, Punctuation Marks, Punctuation Rules, The Art of Writing, The Proper Use of Hyphens and Dashes, The Writings of James J. Murray, Tools of Fiction Writing, Use of Dashes, Use of Hyphens, Writing Skills, Writing Techniques | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Create An Action-Packed New Year!

First off -> HAPPY NEW YEAR 2017! Now, before you roll your eyes at yet another lesson about New Year’s resolutions, here are some practical suggestions to help you 1) make realistic goals, 2) plan them logically, and 3) keep … Continue reading

Posted in A Holiday Wish, A New Year's Greeting, A New Year's Wish, About James J. Murray, About Running, About Writing, Achieving Perfection, Blog Writers, Blogging, Change in the New Year, Changing Your Life in The New Year, Create a Better You, Creating Change in the New Year, Creating New Habits in The New Year, Developing Better Life Skills, Forging a Better Life, Growing As A Writer, Happy New Year, How To Change Bad Habits, How to Create a Better Life, How to Create a More Enjoyable Life, How to Create a More Productive Life, How to Create a More Satisfying Life, How to Implement New Year's Resolutions, How to Make New Year's Resolutions, Ideas for Creating Permanent Change, James J. Murray Blog, Life Skills, Life-Altering Goals, Making Change Permanent, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, New Blog, New Life Goals, New Year's Resolutions, Prescription For Murder Blog, Skills to Create a Better Life, The Writings of James J. Murray | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

It’s Called “The Practice of Pharmacy”

I blog about dark and sinister subjects—the perfect drug as a murder weapon, ten ways to create a bloodless murder, and zombie invasions—to name a few. I appreciate your enthusiastic responses and certainly your readership. Today, however, I’d like to … Continue reading

Posted in A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, A How To Blog on Murder Weapons, About James J. Murray, About Writing, Achieving Perfection, Achieving Writing Perfection, All About Writing, Better Fiction Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Developing a Writing Career, Developing Better Writing Skills, Developing Writing Skills, James J. Murray Blog, Learning the Art of Writing, Mastering Your Craft, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, New Blog, New Life Goals, Patient Therapy Outcomes, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, Practice Makes Perfect, Practicing Your Profession, Prescription For Murder Blog, Preventing Human Errors, Skills to Create a Better Life, The Pharmacy Profession, The Practice of Pharmacy, Writing Skills | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Practicing Your Profession

For much of my life I was a practicing pharmacist. Each day I would draw on my professional experience and use every tidbit of education to make appropriate clinical decisions. Like so many other professionals, I was doing the work … Continue reading

Posted in 000 Hour Rule, About James J. Murray, About Writing, Accuracy in Writing, Achieving Perfection, Achieving Writing Perfection, All About Writing, Almost Dead, Better Fiction Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Developing Writing Skills, James J. Murray Blog, Lethal Medicine-The Novel, Mastering Your Craft, Practice Makes Perfect, Practicing Your Profession, Prescription For Murder Blog, The Art of Storytelling, The Art of Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Create An Action-Packed New Year!

Before you roll your eyes at yet another lesson about New Year’s resolutions, here are some practical suggestions to help you 1) make realistic goals, 2) plan them logically, and 3) keep yourself on track to meet those goals. First … Continue reading

Posted in A New Year's Greeting, A New Year's Wish, About James J. Murray, About Running, About Writing, Achieving Perfection, Blog Writers, Blogging, Change in the New Year, Changing Your Life in The New Year, Create a Better You, Creating New Habits in The New Year, Developing Better Life Skills, Forging a Better Life, Growing As A Writer, Happy New Year, How To Change Bad Habits, How to Create a Better Life, How to Create a More Enjoyable Life, How to Create a More Productive Life, How to Create a More Satisfying Life, How to Implement New Year's Resolutions, How to Make New Year's Resolutions, Ideas for Creating Permanent Change, Life Skills, Making Change Permanent, Mastering Your Craft, Meaningful Change in The New Year, Modern Approach to New Year's Resolutions, New Blog, New Life Goals, New Year's Resolutions, Prescription For Murder Blog, Skills to Create a Better Life, The Writings of James J. Murray | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Commas, Em Dashes, and Ellipses—Their Proper Use!

In a recent blog I discussed how to properly use the three types of dashes in writing. Today, I’d like to further the discussion on punctuation marks used specifically to clarify or to emphasize a point. They are the comma, … Continue reading

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Accuracy in Editing, Accuracy in Writing, Achieving Perfection, All About Writing, AP Style of Ellipsis, Blog Writers, Blogging, Chicago Style of Ellipsis, Comma Use, Correct Use of Punctuation in Fiction Writing, Developing Better Writing Skills, Developing Writing Skills, Difference Between Commas, Ellipses Use, Ellipsis Use, Em Dash Use, Em Dashes and Ellipses, Growing As A Writer, Halon Gas and Murder, How to Use Commas Properly, How To Use Ellipses Properly, How to Use Em Dashes Properly, James J. Murray, James J. Murray Blog, Learning the Art of Writing, Mastering Your Craft, New Blog, Obsession with Proper Usage of the English Language, Prescription For Murder Blog, Proper Punctuation in Writing, Proper use of Commas, Proper Use of the Written Word, Punctuation Marks, Punctuation Rules, Rules of Punctuation, The Art of Writing, Tools of Fiction Writing, Writing Skills, Writing Techniques | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Hyphens and Dashes – The Dread of Misuse!

Hyphens and dashes are two distinctly different punctuation marks and a proper understanding of each will avoid embarrassing mistakes in your writing. Will anyone get MURDERED as a result of using the wrong one in the wrong place? No, but … Continue reading

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Accuracy in Editing, Accuracy in Writing, Achieving Perfection, All About Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Developing a Writing Career, Developing Better Writing Skills, Developing Writing Skills, Dreaded Misuse of Hyphens and Dashes, Em Dash Use, En Dashes and Em Dashes, Grammar and Punctuation, Hyphens, Hyphens and Dashes, Hyphens and Dashes and Their Misuse, James J. Murray, James J. Murray Blog, Learning the Art of Writing, Mastering Your Craft, New Blog, Obsession with Proper Usage of the English Language, Proper Punctuation in Writing, Proper Use of the Written Word, Punctuation Marks, Punctuation Rules, The Art of Writing, The Proper Use of Hyphens and Dashes, The Writings of James J. Murray, Tools of Fiction Writing, Use of Dashes, Use of Hyphens, Writing Skills, Writing Techniques | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment