Writers Helping Writers^®

Positive & Negative Thesaurus Guides

How to Write Emotion Well: Know Your Character

April 29, 2021

How to Write Emotion Well: Know Your Character

April 29, 2021

We’ve all read stories where our breath slows, the world falls away, and the page disappears. We’re somewhere else, a place that isn’t real, yet is. We’re with people who…

What Is Your Character’s Emotional Shielding and Why Does It Matter?

March 23, 2021

What Is Your Character’s Emotional Shielding and Why Does It Matter?

March 23, 2021

In the real world, we’re all products of our pasts. Good and bad, the people, events, and situations we’ve encountered have influenced us in profound ways, impacting our morals and…

Identifying Your Character’s Primary Attribute

August 27, 2020

Identifying Your Character’s Primary Attribute

August 27, 2020

When I think about some of my favorite protagonists, I can usually identify a trait that defines each one: Sam Gamgee: LoyaltyAnne Shirley: ImpulsivityJames T. Kirk: Boldness However, if each…

Introducing the Character Trait Boxed Set

October 22, 2019

Introducing the Character Trait Boxed Set

October 22, 2019

Full disclosure: Becca and I have been a bit sneaky this year. First, we decided that rather than tell everyone which thesaurus we would publish next we would surprise everyone,…

Quieter Protagonists: 3 Ways to Help Them Steal the Stage

March 20, 2018

Quieter Protagonists: 3 Ways to Help Them Steal the Stage

March 20, 2018

While readers love to see larger-than-life characters with passion, take-charge attitudes, and heaps of boldness and daring, not every protagonist wears an extrovert skin. In fact, looking at real-life demographics…

Milestones that Provide a Valuable Opportunity to Look Back

February 11, 2018

Milestones that Provide a Valuable Opportunity to Look Back

February 11, 2018

So, funny story. In January, Becca and I hit 10 years of blogging. TEN YEARS. That’s a lot of time, but also not a lot of time, because we all…

Help Us Celebrate Our 200,000 Book Milestone

March 3, 2017

Help Us Celebrate Our 200,000 Book Milestone

March 3, 2017

Honestly, I don’t even know how to start this post–I am utterly lacking in the word department, which is pretty ironic for a writer, isn’t it? 200,000. Books. Sold. Back…

How Character Attributes and Flaws Work Within Character Arc

November 24, 2016

How Character Attributes and Flaws Work Within Character Arc

November 24, 2016

Like real people, characters have mixed personalities that contain both positive traits (attributes) and negative traits (flaws). Flaws are especially interesting as they develop when a person has experienced a…

Show Character Depth by Challenging Their Moral Beliefs

May 28, 2016

Show Character Depth by Challenging Their Moral Beliefs

May 28, 2016

When we start brainstorming a character, we usually focus on their traits—qualities, flaws, quirks, habits, likes, and dislikes. Then we dig deeper, building out their backstory: who influenced them, what…