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WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

Helping writers become bestselling authors

Unique Writing Resources: Helpful Checklists and Tip Sheets

October 5, 2015 by ANGELA ACKERMAN

Whether we plot or pants (or do something in between), the drafting stage is where we work to put core ideas onto the page.

It’s a lot of fun because creativity is cranked up and our imaginations are set loose! After all, we know we’ll be back to improve everything later.

Of course, it’s this “improve everything” bit that can really cause us to struggle, because the more we learn about writing, the more we see all the moving parts that must work together to create a compelling story.

  • Our plot must be specific to our characters and their goals, and no matter what we throw at them (conflict), it has to push the story forward.
  • We need to describe the world and events within it so that readers feel part of it, but not be so heavy-handed with description that reading becomes a chore (pacing).
  • And then there are the stars of the show, our characters. Generic, hollow beings are forgettable, so ours must be designed with depth and purpose. They need dreams, desires, fears, and past hurts. Their personalities need to come across as interesting and genuine. Along with a million other things, primary characters should feel realistic, pulling at readers emotionally so they become invested in their goals and the journey.

(This trifecta of Plot, Character, and Setting is also just the beginning.)

The point? All those cogs in the story machine can seem overwhelming. So how do we make this learning path more manageable?

Bite-Sized Learning

No one can master anything overnight, including storytelling, so cut yourself some slack. Gaps in our knowledge is normal, and truthfully we’ll never stop learning. So get comfortable with that idea and then think about ways to absorb information a bit at a time.

One of our favorite methods for this is to condense ideas into a single sheet of information. In fact, we created a massive database of tip sheets and checklists at One Stop for Writers that can help writers strengthen their writing in a variety of areas.

Here’s a glimpse at some of the topics we cover…

Characterization & Arc:

Character Failure Responses
Character Love Languages
Character Motivation
Character Secrets
Emotional Expressions Wound Thesaurus Tutorial
Types of Emotional Wounds
Psychological Fears
Worthy Goals

Plotting:

Plotting Pushes
Raising the Stakes
When to Kill a Character
Adding Conflict
Plot Holes
Save the Cat Plot Types

Pacing:

Pacing and Pressure Points
Backstory Checklist
Flashbacks Checklist

Worldbuilding:

Worldbuilding Checklist
Weather Tutorial
Setting Choice and Description
Setting Thesaurus Tutorial

Show-Don’t-Tell:

When to Show
When to Tell
Body Language in Dialogue
Showing Attraction through Body Language

Come check out our Tip Sheet Database!

Go here to view, download, and share our checklists and tip sheets. No subscription is required. Hopefully they will give some new ideas on how to improve your story.

Enjoy & happy writing!

Angela & Becca

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ANGELA ACKERMAN
ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

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Related

Filed Under: Emotion Thesaurus Guide, Marketing, One Stop For Writers, Positive & Negative Thesaurus Guides, Uncategorized, Writing Craft, Writing Resources

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rome Balde says

    September 6, 2016 at 3:31 am

    Thank you Angela. You’re an angel.

    • ANGELA ACKERMAN says

      September 6, 2016 at 10:53 am

      Haha, well it is part of my name after all… (Thanks!)

  2. Traci Kenworth says

    October 6, 2015 at 6:15 pm

    This looks AWESOME, Becca and Angela!! Congrats!!

  3. Mona AlvaradoFrazier says

    October 6, 2015 at 2:45 pm

    I’m looking forward to the new site. This post has excellent information-thank you!

  4. Jenni says

    October 6, 2015 at 11:33 am

    I’m so happy for you! And the site is fabulous. Thanks so much for putting such terrific resources at our fingertips.

    • ANGELA ACKERMAN says

      October 6, 2015 at 1:25 pm

      Thank you Jenni! We all love creating things that hep writers, which is why Lee, Becca and I make such a great team! 🙂

  5. Robyn Campbell says

    October 6, 2015 at 10:21 am

    LOVE One Stop. I hope all writers appreciate this fabulous resource. I’m tooting the horn about One Stop. 🙂 Hugs, Ange and Becca. And Lee too. 🙂

    • ANGELA ACKERMAN says

      October 6, 2015 at 1:26 pm

      Thank you for the horn tootage!! We love you Robyn!

  6. Sandy Kirby Quandt says

    October 6, 2015 at 7:50 am

    You all have done an absolutely fabulous job with the One Stop Library. Thank you sooo much for this amazing site.

    • ANGELA ACKERMAN says

      October 6, 2015 at 1:26 pm

      Thank you Sandy! So very glad you’re happy with the site!

  7. Sheri Levy says

    October 5, 2015 at 7:57 pm

    This is fabulous. I love the ideas posted and will check this out often!! Thanks for creating this one Stop Library!

    • ANGELA ACKERMAN says

      October 6, 2015 at 1:27 pm

      Very glad these help, and thank you Sheri! 🙂

  8. Natalie Aguirre says

    October 5, 2015 at 5:21 pm

    Congrats on reaching your goal. The One Stop Library sounds like a great resource.

    • ANGELA ACKERMAN says

      October 6, 2015 at 1:27 pm

      Thanks Natalie. I am having a lot of fun working with Lee and Becca on this. 🙂

Trackbacks

  1. IWSG OCTOBER - Writer's Gambit says:
    October 7, 2015 at 12:07 am

    […] My first contact online was this link Unique Writing Resources: Helpful Checklists and Tip Sheets Posted on October 5, 2015 by Angela Acke…. […]

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