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
Blog
Three Easy Steps to Generate a Goal Using Fear as Motivation
There’s so much emphasis on making sure that we give our character a goal that’s clear starting from their very first scene. Win the game. Find someone to marry. Land the job. Solve the crime. We tend to think about goal in terms of the character obtaining the thing they don’t have when the story … [Read more...] about Three Easy Steps to Generate a Goal Using Fear as Motivation
Character Type & Trope Thesaurus: Hotshot
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 & Trope Thesaurus: Hotshot
What is an Emotion Amplifier?
Since compiling our original Emotion Amplifier ebooklet in 2014, Angela and I have discovered so much about them. They're way more versatile than we first imagined, and we're stoked to share what we've learned with you in the 2nd edition of The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus. If you're a regular at … [Read more...] about What is an Emotion Amplifier?
Top Story World and Story Bible Tips
When we create a story world for readers, we are implanting images and sensory details. From which, the reader fills in the gaps. If we skew that world in any way, we pull the reader out of their base model. And ultimately, out of the story itself. Examples of Oopsies: Creating a fictional … [Read more...] about Top Story World and Story Bible Tips
Character Type & Trope Thesaurus: Psychopath
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 & Trope Thesaurus: Psychopath
How to Combine Myth with History to Create Historical Fantasy
Three years ago, I never would have guessed I’d be writing a blog post on this topic. Back then, I was focused on pure fantasy stories. My first novel was an epic fantasy, while my second and third were paranormal fantasy. I thought I had “found my voice” in paranormal fantasy, but then a … [Read more...] about How to Combine Myth with History to Create Historical Fantasy
Why Writers Should Use Psychology In Their Storytelling
A writer’s job is to do one thing well: pull the reader in. Our words should act like a tractor beam, sucking them into our story’s world. We tap into the reader's emotions, seize their attention, and suddenly they forget to mow the lawn, eat cereal for dinner, and postpone bedtime yet … [Read more...] about Why Writers Should Use Psychology In Their Storytelling
Character Type & Trope Thesaurus: Jock
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 & Trope Thesaurus: Jock
Do You Need a Prologue? Take the Test!
By Julie Artz Affiliate links below After nearly ten years working with writers, I’ve decided the only inviolable rule in writing is that a romance must have either a happily ever after (HEA) or a happy for now (HFN) ending. And yet blog posts like these are full of writing “rules.” I loved … [Read more...] about Do You Need a Prologue? Take the Test!
Write Like a Magician: Creating the Illusion of an Unseen Character
Whenever we write a protagonist who lost someone important within their backstory, we have some heavy lifting ahead of us. That “unseen” character—a character who has died or who is simply away for one reason or another—is going to need to be developed and brought to the page somehow to deepen the … [Read more...] about Write Like a Magician: Creating the Illusion of an Unseen Character
Character Type & Trope Thesaurus: Reluctant Hero
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 & Trope Thesaurus: Reluctant Hero