Crafting characters that readers will connect to is every writer’s goal and dozens (hundreds?) of methods exist to achieve it: deep backstory planning, character profile sheets, questionnaires, etc. Regardless of the roadmap a writer uses, writing an authentic character boils down to one … [Read more...] about How to Show Your Character’s Repressed Emotions
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How to Differentiate Stories from AI Slop
Use Context to Deepen Our Writing From AI Slop For as long as I’ve been a writer, I’ve heard the advice, “Only write if you can’t not write.” The idea behind that tough-love guidance is that writing can be ridiculously hard work, publishing can be even harder, and that most published authors … [Read more...] about How to Differentiate Stories from AI Slop
Show, Don’t Tell: Write Authentic Character Reactions with The Emotion Thesaurus
Showing authentic character emotion isn't easy, which is why so many writers turn to The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression. It covers 130 emotions, providing lists of body language, visceral sensations, dialogue cues, and thoughts to help you describe them. Today, the … [Read more...] about Show, Don’t Tell: Write Authentic Character Reactions with The Emotion Thesaurus
Hidden Ways Procrastination Affects Productive Writers
I’m a productive writer. I get things done. I’ve published ten books, built an author platform, grown a subscriber list, and I regularly speak at writers’ conferences and events. But while researching my latest book, Escape the Writer’s Web, I stumbled across something uncomfortable. Despite all … [Read more...] about Hidden Ways Procrastination Affects Productive Writers
Make Yourself the Most Useful Writer in Your Critique Group
Critical response process turns you into the critique partner every writer wants: someone who offers actionable observations instead of opinionated fixes. Developed by choreographer Liz Lerman for dance and theater critique, critical response process teaches you to describe what's happening on the … [Read more...] about Make Yourself the Most Useful Writer in Your Critique Group
Writing 101: How to Fix an Infodump
The latest post in our Writing 101 series is all about the dreaded infodump—when the author drops a landslide of information on the reader and the pace (and reader interest) grinds to a halt. These big blocks of text often show up in early chapters when a writer wants to be sure they’ve explained … [Read more...] about Writing 101: How to Fix an Infodump
Is Your Amazon Book Page Doing Its Job?
Penny Sansevieri shares amazing tips and tricks on using your Amazon book page to reach more readers. You’ve published your book. Maybe even run a few Amazon ads, shared on social media, or gotten some solid reviews. But sales? They’re sluggish. You're getting some traffic to your Amazon … [Read more...] about Is Your Amazon Book Page Doing Its Job?
Win Feedback on Your First 10 Pages
Good news, wonderfulwriterly people…it’s time for our monthly Phenomenal First Pages contest, where we help transform your story’s opening from good to great! If you need a bit of help with your opening, today's the day to enter for a chance to win professional feedback! (We've had past winners … [Read more...] about Win Feedback on Your First 10 Pages
Colonel Mustard in the Ballroom: How Setting Shapes Mystery
Setting is a story element that must do double duty in any genre: it’s your backdrop, so it shouldn’t take over and become the story, but it should be chosen deliberately and used to both enrich and amplify your scenes. It should blend in and be influential. But this is especially true in … [Read more...] about Colonel Mustard in the Ballroom: How Setting Shapes Mystery
How to Use the Four Levels of Conflict to Strengthen Your Story
A cardinal sin of storytelling is to skimp on conflict, and no wonder. Those problems, challenges, obstacles, and inner struggles help keep readers engaged, casting doubt on the character’s ability to achieve their goal. Because readers are focused on what’s happening from one scene to the … [Read more...] about How to Use the Four Levels of Conflict to Strengthen Your Story
How to Pair Your Book’s Beginning and Ending to Satisfy Readers
Okay, fair warning—what you’re about to learn in this article might spoil movies, TV shows, and books for you forever. BUT—as a writer, you have to peel back the mechanics of story to understand how to make your book awesome, so even if you hate spoilers you’re going to love having the inside track … [Read more...] about How to Pair Your Book’s Beginning and Ending to Satisfy Readers
How to Show Your Character Is Healing from an Emotional Wound
When it comes to writing a story where a character is going to work through a difficult past wound, there are two behavioral states to convey: one showing their brokenness and dysfunction, and one displaying hard-won insight, self-acceptance, and increased self-worth, all important aspects of … [Read more...] about How to Show Your Character Is Healing from an Emotional Wound