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Writing About Pain: Different Types to Explore

“Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.” -The Dread Pirate Roberts Pain is an unfortunate part of life. As our characters go about their day—working, building relationships, pursuing goals and dreams, blowing off steam—things won’t always go as planned, and they … [Read more...] about Writing About Pain: Different Types to Explore

Writing About Pain: Three Stages of Awareness

If there's one thing writers like to do, it's to make characters suffer. We are all about bringing forth pain and crises, whether it be emotional, physical, spiritual, or existential. Is it because we're a little messed up and we enjoy torturing characters? Or do we create difficult scenarios in our … [Read more...] about Writing About Pain: Three Stages of Awareness

Character Type and Trope Thesaurus: Pessimist

In 1959, Carl Jung first popularized the idea of archetypes—"universal images that have existed since the remotest times." He posited that every person is a blend of these 12 basic personalities. Ever since then, authors have been applying this idea to fictional characters, combining the different … [Read more...] about Character Type and Trope Thesaurus: Pessimist

Phenomenal First Pages Contest – Guest Editor Edition

Hey, wonderful writerly people! It’s time for our monthly critique contest! This month, winners will receive feedback from a professional editor. So exciting! 🙂 This contest is closed. Please try again next month. If you’d like to be notified when the next one goes live, consider subscribing … [Read more...] about Phenomenal First Pages Contest – Guest Editor Edition

How Do You Find Your Narrator’s Voice?

Voice is one of those elements that can make or break a manuscript. If you get it right, the novel will live in the reader’s mind long after they put the book down. Without it, the story won’t quite achieve what you’ve intended even if all the structural elements are in place. So… how do you find … [Read more...] about How Do You Find Your Narrator’s Voice?

Character Type and Trope Thesaurus: Mad Scientist

Powering Through the Un-Fun Parts of the Job

I’m gonna go out on a limb and say you probably became a writer because you like to write. But if you’ve been writing for any time at all, you may have realized that writing isn’t the whole job. There are lots of other things you have to do that you maybe aren’t good at, don’t like, or even dread … [Read more...] about Powering Through the Un-Fun Parts of the Job

The Secret to Writing Your First Book Faster

And Why Your Second Book Will Be Faster Again… It took me two and a half years to write and revise my first book to get it to the point it was ready for readers. And then another 2 years to find my publisher and get it out into the world. My next book I wrote in 6 months. I now coach other … [Read more...] about The Secret to Writing Your First Book Faster

Character Type & Trope Thesaurus: Snob

Five Commonalities Between Heroes and Villains

In story terms, a villain is a person, entity, or force who is cruel, evil, or malicious enough to wish the protagonist harm. Rather than simply blocking a goal or interfering with the hero’s plan, a villain causes suffering, making it vital for them to be conquered by the protagonist. Clarice must … [Read more...] about Five Commonalities Between Heroes and Villains

How to Stay Focused on Your Story’s Central Conflict

Conflict in every scene. We’ve all heard this advice, and for good reason. Your protagonist has a goal—hopefully, an audacious and high-stakes goal that is difficult to achieve. “Difficult” is important. It’s one of the qualities of a highly engaging story because the harder the goal is to reach, … [Read more...] about How to Stay Focused on Your Story’s Central Conflict