Writers Helping Writers^®

Writing Craft

Why Every Novel Needs a Sprinkling of Fear

July 9, 2019

Why Every Novel Needs a Sprinkling of Fear

July 9, 2019

You’d be forgiven for thinking that only horror books should contain an element of fear, but I’m here to challenge that thought by claiming that all books – regardless of…

Conflict Thesaurus Entry: A Deadline Being Moved Up

July 6, 2019

Conflict Thesaurus Entry: A Deadline Being Moved Up

July 6, 2019

Conflict is very often the magic sauce for generating tension and turning a ho-hum story into one that rivets readers. As such, every scene should contain a struggle of some…

Digging Deep: The Psychology of a Layered Story

July 2, 2019

Digging Deep: The Psychology of a Layered Story

July 2, 2019

Humans like complexity: puzzles, questions, layers. It fascinates us. My guess it’s because there are so many complex systems in nature that our brain needs to navigate successfully. Ecosystems, weather…

Conflict Thesaurus Entry: Taking Advice from the Wrong Person

June 29, 2019

Conflict Thesaurus Entry: Taking Advice from the Wrong Person

June 29, 2019

Conflict is very often the magic sauce for generating tension and turning a ho-hum story into one that rivets readers. As such, every scene should contain a struggle of some…

The Easiest Way to Plan Characters in a Series: Cloning (Yes, Really!)

June 27, 2019

The Easiest Way to Plan Characters in a Series: Cloning (Yes, Really!)

June 27, 2019

This spring, Becca and I released two very important tools for writers… The Emotion Thesaurus 2nd edition (expanded by 55 entries) and a Character Builder Tool at One Stop for…

What is a Conflict Thesaurus?

June 25, 2019

What is a Conflict Thesaurus?

June 25, 2019

What elevates a story from good to great? CONFLICT. A car breakdown in the middle of the zombie apocalypse. A jealous ex who is interfering with the hero’s new relationship.…

Occupation Thesaurus Entry: Conductor

June 22, 2019

Occupation Thesaurus Entry: Conductor

June 22, 2019

Jobs are as important for our characters as they are for real people. A character’s career might be their dream job or one they’ve chosen due to necessity. In your…

Goal-Oriented Storytelling: Tension

June 18, 2019

Goal-Oriented Storytelling: Tension

June 18, 2019

This is the third post in my four-part series on ANTS, my framework for understanding what a story needs to keep readers engaged. Previously, I’ve covered attachment and novelty. Now…

Occupation Thesaurus Entry: Professional Athlete

June 15, 2019

Occupation Thesaurus Entry: Professional Athlete

June 15, 2019

Jobs are as important for our characters as they are for real people. A character’s career might be their dream job or one they’ve chosen due to necessity. In your…

5 Writing Life Lessons from an Empty Nester Author

June 13, 2019

5 Writing Life Lessons from an Empty Nester Author

June 13, 2019

Recently, I entered a new life stage: the Empty Nester parent. My oldest son, following his younger brother’s lead, moved out a few weeks ago while my husband and I…