Writers Helping Writers^®

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Power Up Individual Scenes with a Scene Tracker

May 11, 2021

Power Up Individual Scenes with a Scene Tracker

May 11, 2021

One of the most powerful tools in a writer’s toolkit is a scene tracker, also known as a scene map. Whether you’re drafting or you’re looking to revise a finished draft,…

Use Your Fiction Skills to Earn Money

April 13, 2021

Use Your Fiction Skills to Earn Money

April 13, 2021

Authors are a talented bunch. We’re adept at creating worlds and characters that engage our readers and keep them turning the pages. All these skills we learn—grammar, punctuation, pacing, layering,…

3 Things Worth Thinking About BEFORE You Start Your Book

March 16, 2021

3 Things Worth Thinking About BEFORE You Start Your Book

March 16, 2021

Want to write a novel in 2021? Whether it’s your first, fourth or fiftieth manuscript, there are certain considerations that can help you get off the starter blocks. Here are…

Should We Think of Our Setting as a Character?

March 9, 2021

Should We Think of Our Setting as a Character?

March 9, 2021

We’ve probably all heard some variation of the advice to develop story settings that feel like characters. Hogwarts castle in the Harry Potter story world, the Overlook Hotel in The…

Opening Scenes: 3 Critical Elements

February 9, 2021

Opening Scenes: 3 Critical Elements

February 9, 2021

One of the most common questions I get as an editor is, “Am I starting my novel in the right place?” Let’s discuss how you can craft an opening that…

In a lecture series on Youtube, #1 New York Times best-selling author Brandon Sanderson talks about the three P’s of plot structure: Promise. Progress. Payoff. Promises are particularly important in the beginning of the…

Creating from the Familiar

January 28, 2021

Creating from the Familiar

January 28, 2021

Have you watched The Mandalorian yet? It’s worth it just to listen to the opening theme music. It has this haunting western-scifi feel that is utterly unique, compelling, and has a complexity…

7 Ways Deep POV Creates Emotional Connections With Readers

January 19, 2021

7 Ways Deep POV Creates Emotional Connections With Readers

January 19, 2021

Deep POV (point of view) is a popular (and lately, divisive) writing style to employ. Many blogs about deep pov will list out the same four or six foundational tools…

Writing Better Dialogue

January 12, 2021

Writing Better Dialogue

January 12, 2021

Have you ever read a book or watched a movie where the dialogue has been so beautifully written that you are in that moment, experiencing the character’s emotions and hanging…