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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…

Why Is Your Character’s Emotional Wound So Important?

July 28, 2015

Why Is Your Character’s Emotional Wound So Important?

July 28, 2015

Emotional wounds hold incredible power, steering a hero’s motives, actions, and beliefs. They damage their sense of self worth, filter how they view the world, and dictate how they interact…

Will Readers Find Your Protagonist Worthy?

June 23, 2015

Will Readers Find Your Protagonist Worthy?

June 23, 2015

As we juggle the different pieces of characterization with the goal of building someone truly exceptional, one of the biggest jobs is to make sure readers connect to the protagonist,…

Mastering Words: How to Grow as a Writer

April 23, 2015

Mastering Words: How to Grow as a Writer

April 23, 2015

It’s human nature to hide our weaknesses from others, but the hard truth is that if we try to cover up our flaws in writing, it will keep us from…

Showing Character Emotion: Why Moving Beyond the Face

April 15, 2015

Showing Character Emotion: Why Moving Beyond the Face

April 15, 2015

The face is the first thing we notice in real life, and the focal point during any conversation. We connect to a person’s gaze, paying attention to how their eyes widen,…

Writing 101: Building a Balanced Character

January 7, 2015

Writing 101: Building a Balanced Character

January 7, 2015

Here’s the truth about compelling characters: they’re neither good nor bad, perfect nor fundamentally flawed. Instead, they’re all of these things. Each character has a set of good, admirable qualities…

How Morals and Basic Needs Influence a Character’s Strengths

October 28, 2014

How Morals and Basic Needs Influence a Character’s Strengths

October 28, 2014

Since writing The Positive Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Attributes, I’ve been thinking about how personality traits are formed. Flaws are important for a character to have—and, let’s be…

Emotional Description: 3 Common Problems with Show & Tell

September 23, 2014

Emotional Description: 3 Common Problems with Show & Tell

September 23, 2014

Writing compelling emotional moments is the lifeblood of any story and the key to building a relationship between characters and readers. Yet steering clear of the show-don’t-tell pitfalls requires practice…

Book Cover Copycats: Is It Flattery or Copyright Infringement?

June 16, 2014

Book Cover Copycats: Is It Flattery or Copyright Infringement?

June 16, 2014

A while back, a reader of our book, The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, sent me an interesting email. In it, she explained that during her Amazon…