Writers Helping Writers^®

Posts by Becca Puglisi

The Emotion Amplifier Playbook for Antagonists

July 1, 2025

The Emotion Amplifier Playbook for Antagonists

July 1, 2025

We all know the importance of tapping into our character’s feelings and conveying those clearly to readers. When we do this, readers connect with our characters and become invested in…

Writing 101: Semi-Colons & Other Tricky Punctuation Marks

June 24, 2025

Writing 101: Semi-Colons & Other Tricky Punctuation Marks

June 24, 2025

Punctuation can be surprisingly difficult, especially when it comes to lesser-used marks like semi-colons, dashes, and colons. When these marks are used incorrectly, readers are either distracted or confused. Because…

Character Secret Thesaurus: Making a Black Market Purchase

May 24, 2025

Character Secret Thesaurus: Making a Black Market Purchase

May 24, 2025

What secret is your character keeping? Why are they safeguarding it? What’s at stake if it’s discovered? Does it need to come out at some point, or should it remain…

Writing 101: A Tutorial for Understanding Point of View

May 22, 2025

Writing 101: A Tutorial for Understanding Point of View

May 22, 2025

Understanding point of view basics is essential for writing strong, emotionally resonant fiction, so this is a good topic to explore as part of our 101 series. The viewpoint you…

Secrets Thesaurus: Knowing Death Is Coming for Someone

May 3, 2025

Secrets Thesaurus: Knowing Death Is Coming for Someone

May 3, 2025

What secret is your character keeping? Why are they safeguarding it? What’s at stake if it’s discovered? Does it need to come out at some point, or should it remain…

Build These Seven Growth Milestones into Your Character’s Arc

April 29, 2025

Build These Seven Growth Milestones into Your Character’s Arc

April 29, 2025

While there are many kinds of stories, most of them today are about a protagonist navigating a change or growth arc. In this model, the character undergoes a personal journey…

Character Secret Thesaurus: Giving Up a Child

April 24, 2025

Character Secret Thesaurus: Giving Up a Child

April 24, 2025

What secret is your character keeping? Why are they safeguarding it? What’s at stake if it’s discovered? Does it need to come out at some point, or should it remain…

Writing 101: 7 Tips for Writing Strong Dialogue

April 22, 2025

Writing 101: 7 Tips for Writing Strong Dialogue

April 22, 2025

Welcome to the next post in our Writing 101 series: Dialogue Techniques. The first installment covered common mistakes with dialogue mechanics, which are important to master if you want to…

Character Secret Thesaurus: Living Under a Curse

April 19, 2025

Character Secret Thesaurus: Living Under a Curse

April 19, 2025

What secret is your character keeping? Why are they safeguarding it? What’s at stake if it’s discovered? Does it need to come out at some point, or should it remain…

Character Secret Thesaurus: Hiding the Truth about Family

April 12, 2025

Character Secret Thesaurus: Hiding the Truth about Family

April 12, 2025

What secret is your character keeping? Why are they safeguarding it? What’s at stake if it’s discovered? Does it need to come out at some point, or should it remain…