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Writing Craft

Character Secret Thesaurus: Hiding the Truth about Family

April 12, 2025

Character Secret Thesaurus: Hiding the Truth about Family

April 12, 2025

What secret is your character keeping? Why are they safeguarding it? What’s at stake if it’s discovered? Does it need to come out at some point, or should it remain…

Using a Character’s Personality Traits to Generate Conflict

April 10, 2025

Using a Character’s Personality Traits to Generate Conflict

April 10, 2025

When it comes to generating conflict, your character’s personality can help ensure that sparks fly, especially when their traits clash with someone else’s. When people grate on one another their…

Five Ways to Get Your Protagonist to Realize They’re the Problem

April 8, 2025

Five Ways to Get Your Protagonist to Realize They’re the Problem

April 8, 2025

We’ve all heard the writing advice that we need to throw rocks at our protagonists. More obstacles, more tough choices, and more loss test them and force them to grow…

Character Secret Thesaurus: Fleeing a Crime Scene

April 5, 2025

Character Secret Thesaurus: Fleeing a Crime Scene

April 5, 2025

What secret is your character keeping? Why are they safeguarding it? What’s at stake if it’s discovered? Does it need to come out at some point, or should it remain…

How to Use Writing Prompts to “Unstick” Writer’s Block

April 1, 2025

How to Use Writing Prompts to “Unstick” Writer’s Block

April 1, 2025

By Savannah Cordova Stop me if you’ve heard this one: you’re at your desk, laptop or notebook open, hours stretching out before you… but you can’t seem to get the…

Character Secret Thesaurus: Being an Anonymous Financial Donor

March 29, 2025

Character Secret Thesaurus: Being an Anonymous Financial Donor

March 29, 2025

What secret is your character keeping? Why are they safeguarding it? What’s at stake if it’s discovered? Does it need to come out at some point, or should it remain…

Writing 101: Avoiding the Most Common Dialogue Mechanics Mistakes

March 27, 2025

Writing 101: Avoiding the Most Common Dialogue Mechanics Mistakes

March 27, 2025

Strong dialogue isn’t just about the words being said—it’s also about how those words are presented on the page. If you’re newer to writing, there’s a lot to learn about…

How to Use Show, Don’t Tell to Strengthen Your Story

March 25, 2025

How to Use Show, Don’t Tell to Strengthen Your Story

March 25, 2025

Writers hear it all the time: Show, don’t tell. This advice is so iconic that I wouldn’t be surprised if a few tattoos are kicking around the community. After all,…

Secret Thesaurus: Withholding Help from Someone in Need

March 22, 2025

Secret Thesaurus: Withholding Help from Someone in Need

March 22, 2025

What secret is your character keeping? Why are they safeguarding it? What’s at stake if it’s discovered? Does it need to come out at some point, or should it remain…

Phenomenal First Pages Contest

March 20, 2025

Phenomenal First Pages Contest

March 20, 2025

Hey, wonderfulwriterly people! It’s time for Phenomenal First Pages, our monthly critique contest. So, if you need a bit of help with your first page, today’s the day to enter…