Writers Helping Writers^®

Resident Writing Coach

Four Things That Make Your Writing Boring (and how to fix them!)

November 12, 2024

Four Things That Make Your Writing Boring (and how to fix them!)

November 12, 2024

Why is it that some books get gobbled up by readers, and others don’t? It’s easy to get stuck in a revision cycle when you aren’t sure if a scene…

Writing a Novel, Scene by Scene

November 7, 2024

Writing a Novel, Scene by Scene

November 7, 2024

Writers come in a variety pack of processes. The most common types – regardless of genre – are pantsers, plotters, and plantsers. We know these terms well, right? Pantsers sit…

How to Write Unputdownable Psychological Thrillers

October 22, 2024

How to Write Unputdownable Psychological Thrillers

October 22, 2024

“I read your pages,” said my critique partner. “And I think it’d really increase the tension if you tore the one page out of the book that your main character…

Three Ways You’re Losing Your Reader’s Trust

October 15, 2024

Three Ways You’re Losing Your Reader’s Trust

October 15, 2024

There’s no better feeling than being in the hands of a great storyteller. They have command of the details we need to know, the scenes we need to see, and…

How to Identify Your Writing Business Relationship Type

October 3, 2024

How to Identify Your Writing Business Relationship Type

October 3, 2024

Try this: Think about your writing or writing business as a partner. Start by giving it a name. What would you call your writing (if you haven’t started selling yet)…

Meet Our Resident Writing Coaches

October 1, 2024

Meet Our Resident Writing Coaches

October 1, 2024

I love being the Writers Helping Writers Blog Wizard…and am honored to work closely with the Resident Writing Coaches. They’re all talented, generous authors who share their wisdom to help…

Should Your Novel Have a Prologue?

September 17, 2024

Should Your Novel Have a Prologue?

September 17, 2024

All About Prologues Every word counts in a story and first impressions matter. Traditionally, a prologue is an introductory chapter that sets the scene, tone and genre of your novel.…

How to Strengthen Our Story with Tropes

September 10, 2024

How to Strengthen Our Story with Tropes

September 10, 2024

Every genre and medium of storytelling uses tropes—common themes or story devices. However, the frequency of certain storytelling ideas, such as “the chosen one,” makes them so common that readers get…

The Missing Link in Three-Act Structure

September 3, 2024

The Missing Link in Three-Act Structure

September 3, 2024

In any discussion of story structure, the three-act model inevitably dominates the conversation. Even as plotting methods such as Save the Cat, the Hero’s Journey, and the Snowflake Method gain…

How to Fix a Boring Main Character and Save Your Story

August 27, 2024

How to Fix a Boring Main Character and Save Your Story

August 27, 2024

Are you struggling with a boring main character? Are you afraid that he or she is limiting your story’s potential? This happened to me with my most recent release, “The…