Do you know how many books are on the market today? Neither do I. I can’t count that high. This is awesome for readers, but it creates a problem for authors looking to create a fan base. Not only do we need customers to find our books, we need them to love them—enough to finish them and go on to … [Read more...] about Reader Empathy Begins with Compelling Character Emotion
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What’s Your Character Hiding?
Being able to write realistic, consistent, multi-dimensional characters is vital to gaining reader interest. Doing so first requires we know a lot about who our characters are—you know, the obvious stuff: positive and negative traits, behavioral habits, desires, goals, and the like. But it’s not … [Read more...] about What’s Your Character Hiding?
Five Vehicles for Adding Subtext to Dialogue
Realistic, evocative dialogue is an important part of any successful story. We need our characters’ interactions to be authentic, consistent, and engaging to draw readers in to what’s happening. So when we’re learning to write, we spend a lot of time on mechanics—learning all the grammar and … [Read more...] about Five Vehicles for Adding Subtext to Dialogue
Phenomenal First Pages Contest
Hey, wonderfulwriterly people! It’s time for Phenomenal First Pages, our monthly critique contest. So, if you need a bit of help with your first page, today's the day to enter for a chance to win professional feedback! This contest is closed. Please try again next month. If you’d like to be … [Read more...] about Phenomenal First Pages Contest
Need to Get a Stubborn Character Moving? Use an Amplifier
If you’ve researched story structure at all, you know there are many models out there, and they’re all slightly different. The most popular forms tend to follow the three-act structure, which resonates with many readers regardless of genre or format. Within this simple framework, certain events … [Read more...] about Need to Get a Stubborn Character Moving? Use an Amplifier
Unlock Your Funny Bone: Writing Humor Is Easier Than You Think!
I’ve rarely attempted to be funny in my writing. There are a couple of reasons for that. One, my stories tend to lean toward the serious side. The characters deal with difficult situations. There is tension, action, and mystery. Humor didn't seem to fit. Two, I thought I wouldn’t be any good … [Read more...] about Unlock Your Funny Bone: Writing Humor Is Easier Than You Think!
Could a Raptor Play the Protagonist Role?
Raptors are some of the most successful predators on the planet. From owls, eagles, and vultures to hawks, falcons, and other birds of prey, raptors are skilled hunters with incredible senses, like binocular vision, that help them detect prey at far distances. The secretary bird even carries … [Read more...] about Could a Raptor Play the Protagonist Role?
Using Clothes to Characterize
“Fashion is a language that creates itself in clothes to interpret reality.” This quote by Karl Lagerfeld is pretty heady. I’m still chewing on it, but what I gather is that clothing and other appearance choices are one way we interpret and reflect reality—the reality of who we are, of our … [Read more...] about Using Clothes to Characterize
Three Emotion Problems to Avoid in Your Story Opening
As I’m sure you’ve heard roughly a gajillion times, your story’s first pages are very important. Editors and agents typically request just a portion of your story’s opening, and potential buyers read only a sampling when they’re looking for books to buy. So whichever publishing route you take, those … [Read more...] about Three Emotion Problems to Avoid in Your Story Opening
A Mother Lode of Resources on Emotion Amplifiers
Angela and I have been busy bees the past few months, creating as much content as we could surrounding emotion amplifiers—a little-known storytelling element that's great for elevating a character's emotions and setting them up for overreactions, misjudgments, mistakes, and increased … [Read more...] about A Mother Lode of Resources on Emotion Amplifiers
How Are Character Archetypes Different from Tropes?
What exactly is a character archetype? How many are there? And how are they different from character tropes? These are the questions that were keeping me up at night as Angela and I started to research this thesaurus at our blog. So, as I often do when I’m confused by terminology, I started with … [Read more...] about How Are Character Archetypes Different from Tropes?
Phenomenal First Pages Contest – Guest Editor Edition
Hey, wonderfulwriterly people! It’s time for Phenomenal First Pages, our monthly critique contest. So, if you need help with the beginning of your novel, today's the day to enter for a chance to win professional feedback. This contest is closed. Please try again next month. If you’d like to … [Read more...] about Phenomenal First Pages Contest – Guest Editor Edition