Writers Helping Writers^®

Writing Craft

How Does Internal Conflict Fit into the Character’s Arc?

January 31, 2023

How Does Internal Conflict Fit into the Character’s Arc?

January 31, 2023

If you’re writing a story in which your character will need to evolve internally to achieve his goal, a cohesive and well-planned character arc will be vital to its success.…

Fear Thesaurus Entry: Discrimination

January 28, 2023

Fear Thesaurus Entry: Discrimination

January 28, 2023

Debilitating fears are a problem for everyone, an unfortunate part of the human experience. Whether they’re a result of learned behavior as a child, are related to a mental health…

Originalizing Your Story Idea

January 26, 2023

Originalizing Your Story Idea

January 26, 2023

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about differentiation—how we can make our stories stand out from all the others. Customers are being more careful with their money, which means they’re…

Build Suspense With Secrets

January 24, 2023

Build Suspense With Secrets

January 24, 2023

Have you wondered what makes a book unputdownable? What techniques or tricks an author employs to make sure you read that next word, sentence, paragraph, page? One of the most…

Fear Thesaurus Entry: Having No Purpose

January 21, 2023

Fear Thesaurus Entry: Having No Purpose

January 21, 2023

Debilitating fears are a problem for everyone, an unfortunate part of the human experience. Whether they’re a result of learned behavior as a child, are related to a mental health…

Phenomenal First Pages Contest – Guest Editor Edition

January 19, 2023

Phenomenal First Pages Contest – Guest Editor Edition

January 19, 2023

Hey, wonderful writerly people! It’s time for our monthly critique contest! This month, we have a HUGE prize! 3 winners will receive feedback on 20 pages from a professional editor.…

5 Ways to Approach Your Novel Like a Trial Lawyer

January 17, 2023

5 Ways to Approach Your Novel Like a Trial Lawyer

January 17, 2023

So much about good storytelling mirrors the way a lawyer might lay out the case for their client. Our job as writers is to select events and characters that reveal…

Fear Thesaurus Entry: Criticism

January 14, 2023

Fear Thesaurus Entry: Criticism

January 14, 2023

Debilitating fears are a problem for everyone, an unfortunate part of the human experience. Whether they’re a result of learned behavior as a child, are related to a mental health…

Writing Insecure Characters

January 12, 2023

Writing Insecure Characters

January 12, 2023

Angela Ackerman and I got our start telling anyone who was interested (and some who weren’t) what we’d learned about the importance of showing a character’s feelings. So I’ll start…

An Unbreakable Promise to Readers

January 10, 2023

An Unbreakable Promise to Readers

January 10, 2023

A novel’s opening chapter makes a promise, a secret vow that says, “This is what you can expect from me.” The chapters that follow better fulfill that promise, or the…