Writers Helping Writers^®

Experiments

Writing By Design: Using Color Theory

May 1, 2018

Writing By Design: Using Color Theory

May 1, 2018

Writing by design means using techniques from the visual arts to inspire and inform your writing. So far in this series you’ve learned how to use the constraints of space to…

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…

Writing By Design Part 2: Pattern and Repetition

February 6, 2018

Writing By Design Part 2: Pattern and Repetition

February 6, 2018

In my previous installment, I introduced you to writing by design and how you can use techniques from the visual arts to inform your writing. In particular, we looked at…

Episodic vs. Epic: Go Bigger with Your Writing

December 12, 2017

Episodic vs. Epic: Go Bigger with Your Writing

December 12, 2017

One of the most common reasons given by authors for why they write is a desire to create something meaningful for their readers, something that will stick with them or…

Using a Novel Journal for Writing Breakthroughs

September 5, 2017

Using a Novel Journal for Writing Breakthroughs

September 5, 2017

I was at a Bouchercon some years ago and did a panel with some other thriller authors. Before it began we were interacting with some people in the audience, and…

One Simple Technique to Improve Your Writing in 10 Minutes a Day

July 27, 2017

One Simple Technique to Improve Your Writing in 10 Minutes a Day

July 27, 2017

It may seem like a too-good-to-believe promise, but you really and truly can improve your writing with one short, simple exercise, in 10 minutes a day: Rewriting the work of…

Keep It Fresh: 10 Ways To Show Your Character’s Emotions

June 22, 2017

Keep It Fresh: 10 Ways To Show Your Character’s Emotions

June 22, 2017

Years ago, Becca and I grumbled about how our characters always expressed emotion the same way. My big thing? Frowning. Did my characters EVER know how to frown. They were…

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…

5 Visualization Techniques to Help Your Writing Craft

November 17, 2016

5 Visualization Techniques to Help Your Writing Craft

November 17, 2016

Happy to welcome high-performance coach and author Nina Amir and her brainstorming techniques. Plot. Scene. Character. Setting. Point of view. Theme. Literary devices. You’ve studied and practiced how to write…

How to Choose Settings that Have Emotional Impact

October 20, 2016

How to Choose Settings that Have Emotional Impact

October 20, 2016

Generic settings won’t cut it if you want readers to feel the story–instead, your locations need emotional impact as this immerses them better in the point-of-view character’s experience. Shared experiences…