Writers Helping Writers^®

Writing Help

Use Theme to Determine Subplots, Supporting Characters, and Tension

May 31, 2018

Use Theme to Determine Subplots, Supporting Characters, and Tension

May 31, 2018

I recently spoke at the Storymakers conference in Utah, and while I was there, I attended a class on theme. Theme is kind of an ethereal topic, difficult to grasp…

Occupation Thesaurus: Makeup Artist

May 26, 2018

Occupation Thesaurus: Makeup Artist

May 26, 2018

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…

Conducting Informational Interviews for Story Research

May 17, 2018

Conducting Informational Interviews for Story Research

May 17, 2018

Recently I hit a roadblock with my current manuscript. It wasn’t a typical “writer’s block,” though. Rather, I made an inspired decision first: My protagonist’s father would be the owner…

Build Your Writing Career By Investing In the Right Help

May 14, 2018

Build Your Writing Career By Investing In the Right Help

May 14, 2018

One question we are asked to weigh in on is whether an MFA in creative writing is worth the investment. After all, an MFA is a huge commitment and can…

Occupation Thesaurus Entry: Pest Control Technician

May 12, 2018

Occupation Thesaurus Entry: Pest Control Technician

May 12, 2018

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…

How to Convey an Established Relationship Quickly

May 8, 2018

How to Convey an Established Relationship Quickly

May 8, 2018

I was recently reading two story openings that were frankly amazing at conveying an established relationship in a matter of pages or even paragraphs. While many stories revolve around the…

Occupation Thesaurus: Clergy Member

May 5, 2018

Occupation Thesaurus: Clergy Member

May 5, 2018

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…

How to Write an Effective Scene with One Stop for Writers’ Formal Scene Map

May 3, 2018

How to Write an Effective Scene with One Stop for Writers’ Formal Scene Map

May 3, 2018

When it comes to story structure, writers seem to fall into one of three camps: they love it, hate it, or are completely confused by the many iterations of it.…

Writing By Design: Using Color Theory

May 1, 2018

Writing By Design: Using Color Theory

May 1, 2018

Writing by design means using techniques from the visual arts to inspire and inform your writing. So far in this series you’ve learned how to use the constraints of space to…

Occupation Thesaurus Entry: Tour Guide

April 28, 2018

Occupation Thesaurus Entry: Tour Guide

April 28, 2018

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…