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Use Character Vulnerability to Grow Reader Empathy

January 26, 2016

Use Character Vulnerability to Grow Reader Empathy

January 26, 2016

As writers, we all want to encourage a powerful bond to form between our audience and the protagonist so that readers care about the hero or heroine and root for…

How to Write Characters Readers Trust But Shouldn’t

November 25, 2015

How to Write Characters Readers Trust But Shouldn’t

November 25, 2015

I don’t know about you, but I love reading books where the author encourages me to draw conclusions that are wrong. Case in point–untrustworthy characters who I trust anyway. Like…

How Your Hero’s Past Pain Will Determine His Character Flaws

October 27, 2015

How Your Hero’s Past Pain Will Determine His Character Flaws

October 27, 2015

Authentic characters are usually modeled after real people. I don’t mean pulling traits and quirks from those we know (say, taking Aunt Judy’s laughter and blending it with the overly-smiley…

Writing 101: Character Arc In A Nutshell

October 15, 2015

Writing 101: Character Arc In A Nutshell

October 15, 2015

Confused about character arc? Let’s look at all the pieces and how they fit together: inner and outer conflict, inner and outer motivation, fear, flaws—the whole shebang. So, you’re ready…

Inside One Stop For Writers: The Idea Generator

October 14, 2015

Inside One Stop For Writers: The Idea Generator

October 14, 2015

Today I’d like to showcase another One Stop for Writers tool: the Idea Generator. Chances are you’ve seen generators before…some of which spit out a mish-mash story idea that sounds…

One Stop For Writers’ Unique Templates & Worksheets

October 11, 2015

One Stop For Writers’ Unique Templates & Worksheets

October 11, 2015

A Look Inside One Stop’s Templates & Worksheets As you can imagine with an online library, there are many nooks and crannies to explore. One of my favorite places is…

One Stop For Writers’ Descriptive Thesaurus Database

October 9, 2015

One Stop For Writers’ Descriptive Thesaurus Database

October 9, 2015

A Closer Look at Our Show-Don’t-Tell Database As some of you know, the heart of One Stop For Writers is our signature Descriptive Thesaurus Database. Visitors to this blog (and…

The One Stop For Writers Library Is Now Open!

October 7, 2015

The One Stop For Writers Library Is Now Open!

October 7, 2015

Pass around the party blowers and get your confetti ready, because today we’re launching One Stop For Writers, a powerhouse online library to help writers elevate their storytelling. This site…

Unique Writing Resources: Helpful Checklists and Tip Sheets

October 5, 2015

Unique Writing Resources: Helpful Checklists and Tip Sheets

October 5, 2015

Whether we plot or pants (or do something in between), the drafting stage is where we work to put core ideas onto the page. It’s a lot of fun because…