Writers Helping Writers^®

Writing Craft

Struggling with (and Regaining) Confidence in Your Writing

August 15, 2017

Struggling with (and Regaining) Confidence in Your Writing

August 15, 2017

Every writer’s toolbox is unique, containing the techniques, reference books, personal library, and lessons or “best practices” we’ve acquired over time. But there’s one tool that all writers need despite…

Character Motivation Thesaurus: Carrying on a Legacy

August 12, 2017

Character Motivation Thesaurus: Carrying on a Legacy

August 12, 2017

What does your character want? This is an important question to answer because it determines what your protagonist hopes to achieve by the story’s end. If the goal, or outer motivation, is…

Making Characters Stuck in the Background Pop Out

August 8, 2017

Making Characters Stuck in the Background Pop Out

August 8, 2017

Maybe you have had some of the experiences I’ve had when writing a manuscript, one of which is finding yourself with a character–could be a side character, a secondary character,…

Motivation Thesaurus: Helping a Loved One Who’s Hurting Themselves

August 5, 2017

Motivation Thesaurus: Helping a Loved One Who’s Hurting Themselves

August 5, 2017

What does your character want? This is an important question to answer because it determines what your protagonist hopes to achieve by the story’s end. If the goal, or outer motivation, is…

Six Smart Ways Indie Authors Can Collaborate When Marketing

August 2, 2017

Six Smart Ways Indie Authors Can Collaborate When Marketing

August 2, 2017

When it comes to marketing, shouldering the weight of writing, editing, researching, publishing, and promoting alone can be exhausting, especially when our industry is growing more crowded and competitive by…

Character Motivation Thesaurus: Escaping Certain Death

July 29, 2017

Character Motivation Thesaurus: Escaping Certain Death

July 29, 2017

What does your character want? This is an important question to answer because it determines what your protagonist hopes to achieve by the story’s end. If the goal, or outer motivation, is…

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…

Character Motivation Thesaurus: Finding Friendship or Companionship

July 22, 2017

Character Motivation Thesaurus: Finding Friendship or Companionship

July 22, 2017

What does your character want? This is an important question to answer because it determines what your protagonist hopes to achieve by the story’s end. If the goal, or outer motivation, is…

Plotting for Pantsters

July 20, 2017

Plotting for Pantsters

July 20, 2017

The subject of plotting vs. pantsing is one which, for reasons I don’t fully understand, generates a lot of heat in writing circles. I’ve seen discussions on the topic explode…

The Myths and Misconceptions of Villains & Mental Health

July 18, 2017

The Myths and Misconceptions of Villains & Mental Health

July 18, 2017

Villains are fun characters, but writers sometimes take shortcuts to make them “villainous,” including giving them a mental health disorder. There are two problems with that: The disorders aren’t always…