Writers Helping Writers^®

Worldbuilding

Turn Your Readers into Detectives

January 16, 2024

Turn Your Readers into Detectives

January 16, 2024

Imagine inviting us into your protagonist’s house or whatever you deem to be their most sacred physical space. But while we’re so excited to meet your protagonist, they’re not actually…

How to Create Mood Effectively in Your Fiction

October 7, 2023

How to Create Mood Effectively in Your Fiction

October 7, 2023

By C. S. Lakin Every person or character, at any given time, is in a particular mood. Generally, mood is a person’s state of mind, but it’s more than that.…

Game-Changing Creative Tools for New & Advanced Writers

November 25, 2022

Game-Changing Creative Tools for New & Advanced Writers

November 25, 2022

One thing that drives all writers is the desire to create a truly amazing story, one a reader can’t put down or forget. It’s why we’re always learning to deepen…

Historical Fiction: The Story Comes First

November 15, 2022

Historical Fiction: The Story Comes First

November 15, 2022

As writers of historical fiction, we might be tempted to believe our job is to teach readers about a certain event or era. While that might be part of what…

The Top Three World-Building Pitfalls (and how to avoid them)

October 20, 2022

The Top Three World-Building Pitfalls (and how to avoid them)

October 20, 2022

By Julie Artz One of my favorite parts of being an obsessive reader is the feeling of picking up a book and instantly being immersed in the world. A few…

Setting Description Mistakes that Weaken a Story

March 29, 2022

Setting Description Mistakes that Weaken a Story

March 29, 2022

When you think about the key elements of storytelling, characters and plot immediately come to mind, but what about the setting? Do you view it as 1) a vital story…

Writing Magic in a Real-World Setting

January 25, 2022

Writing Magic in a Real-World Setting

January 25, 2022

By Liz Keller Whitehurst For centuries, people have been spellbound by magic and the supernatural. Ghosts, curses, talking creatures, portals to alternate dimensions…there’s just too much creative fodder for authors…

How Symbolism Adds Depth to a Story

December 7, 2021

How Symbolism Adds Depth to a Story

December 7, 2021

I think we all agree, stories need to be more than a character, goal, and a series of scenarios that keep the two apart. Reading isn’t a mechanical action after…

The Conflict Thesaurus Is at One Stop for Writers

September 9, 2021

The Conflict Thesaurus Is at One Stop for Writers

September 9, 2021

Hi everyone! Just a quick post today to let our One Stop for Writers users know that the Conflict Thesaurus is live at the site. This database is all about…

Should We Think of Our Setting as a Character?

March 9, 2021

Should We Think of Our Setting as a Character?

March 9, 2021

We’ve probably all heard some variation of the advice to develop story settings that feel like characters. Hogwarts castle in the Harry Potter story world, the Overlook Hotel in The…