Writers Helping Writers^®

Writing Craft

Talents and Skills Entry: Charm

January 11, 2014

Talents and Skills Entry: Charm

January 11, 2014

Choosing a talent or skill that fits with your character’s personality, lifestyle, and values can go a long way to helping them break free of the common stereotypes seen so…

Villain Stereotypes and How to Avoid Writing One

January 9, 2014

Villain Stereotypes and How to Avoid Writing One

January 9, 2014

All characters will have flaws, but when it comes to the villain, it’s easy to go a bit too far, giving them so many bad qualities they feel like a…

Talent and Skill Thesaurus: Wilderness Navigation

December 21, 2013

Talent and Skill Thesaurus: Wilderness Navigation

December 21, 2013

Choosing a talent or skill that fits with your character’s personality, lifestyle, and values can go a long way to helping them break free of the common stereotypes seen so…

Prologue Done Right

December 17, 2013

Prologue Done Right

December 17, 2013

I’ve read many good books this year, but the one that impressed me most was Ruta Sepetys’ deft handling of her prologue in Out of the Easy. We’ve all heard…

Talent and Skill Thesaurus: Sleight of Hand

December 14, 2013

Talent and Skill Thesaurus: Sleight of Hand

December 14, 2013

Choosing a talent or skill that fits with your character’s personality, lifestyle, and values can go a long way to helping them break free of the common stereotypes seen so…

Character Descriptions – Learn from the Pros!

December 11, 2013

Character Descriptions – Learn from the Pros!

December 11, 2013

Editor and author Jodie Renner has some expert advice on how to write character descriptions, so read on. In my editing of fiction, I find my clients often tend to…

Talent and Skill Thesaurus: Wrestling

November 30, 2013

Talent and Skill Thesaurus: Wrestling

November 30, 2013

Choosing a talent or skill that fits with your character’s personality, lifestyle, and values can go a long way to helping them break free of the common stereotypes seen so…

What to Do Before Revising a Nano Novel

November 28, 2013

What to Do Before Revising a Nano Novel

November 28, 2013

After completing NaNoWriMo or another month-long writing challenge, it’s easy to want to continue the momentum and dive right into revising. RESIST! All books benefit from resting, and one written…

Mystery Writing: Characters & Plot Elements

November 20, 2013

Mystery Writing: Characters & Plot Elements

November 20, 2013

Staci Troilo is here with the basics of what plot and character elements a successful mystery novel needs. Ah, the mystery novel. The whodunit. The sleuth story. Sherlock and Miss…

Conflict vs. Tension: How Are They Different?

November 18, 2013

Pulling readers into the story, reader curiousity, reader interest,

Conflict vs. Tension: How Are They Different?

November 18, 2013

One of my favorite Aha moments as a writer came in the form of feedback from a critiquer. (Shout out to all the critique partners!) She kept writing notes in my manuscript,…