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Writing Craft

Avoiding Stereotypes in Fiction: LGBTQ+ Characters

June 9, 2022

Avoiding Stereotypes in Fiction: LGBTQ+ Characters

June 9, 2022

Readers have spoken: they want more diversity in fiction. And writers are stepping up, but it can be hard to write about someone who’s different than you. Careful research is…

Build a Character’s Voice from the Inside Out

June 7, 2022

Build a Character’s Voice from the Inside Out

June 7, 2022

Vocabulary and the way a character speaks are the outer layer of character voice—the icing on the cake. Instead of trying to build character voice from the outside in, get…

Fear Thesaurus Entry: Being Watched

June 4, 2022

Fear Thesaurus Entry: Being Watched

June 4, 2022

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…

Avoiding Stereotypes in Fiction: Female Characters

June 2, 2022

Avoiding Stereotypes in Fiction: Female Characters

June 2, 2022

Readers have spoken: they want more diversity in fiction. And writers are stepping up, but it can be hard to write about someone who’s different than you. Careful research is…

Compassion Fatigue: Is it Relevant for Your Characters?

May 31, 2022

Compassion Fatigue: Is it Relevant for Your Characters?

May 31, 2022

We know the importance of making our characters authentic, believable, and memorable for readers. But relevance is important, too, because it makes them relatable. Readers see characters who are facing…

Fear Thesaurus Entry: Responsibility for Others

May 28, 2022

Fear Thesaurus Entry: Responsibility for Others

May 28, 2022

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…

Subterfuge in Dialogue

May 26, 2022

Subterfuge in Dialogue

May 26, 2022

Dialogue—good dialogue—is tricky. Mechanics can be learned; the rules are readily available and are hammered into us by teachers, editors, critique partners, and countless Facebook memes. The hard part of…

Fear Thesaurus Entry: A Secret Being Revealed

May 21, 2022

Fear Thesaurus Entry: A Secret Being Revealed

May 21, 2022

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…

4 Ways Your Protagonist Is Sabotaging You (And How to Fight Back)

May 19, 2022

4 Ways Your Protagonist Is Sabotaging You (And How to Fight Back)

May 19, 2022

We love our protagonists. We spend a ridiculous amount of time, blood, sweat, and tears championing their stories. But what if they’re undermining us by behaving in ways that drive…

Fear Thesaurus Entry: Change

May 14, 2022

Fear Thesaurus Entry: Change

May 14, 2022

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…