Writers Helping Writers^®

Backstory

How to Differentiate Stories from AI Slop

September 9, 2025

How to Differentiate Stories from AI Slop

September 9, 2025

Use Context to Deepen Our Writing From AI Slop For as long as I’ve been a writer, I’ve heard the advice, “Only write if you can’t not write.” The idea…

Write a 5-Star Book 2

May 13, 2025

Write a 5-Star Book 2

May 13, 2025

When I set out to write Book 2 in my Fountain series, I made the common mistake of thinking it would be easier than the first one, which took me…

Workshop: How to Write Compelling Inner Conflict with Angela Ackerman

May 9, 2025

Workshop: How to Write Compelling Inner Conflict with Angela Ackerman

May 9, 2025

Ready to dive into your character’s internal struggle and put all that incredible gut-twisting conflict on the page? If so, don’t miss this upcoming Zoom workshop on Saturday, May 24th,…

How to Avoid Flat Characters in Your Story

February 25, 2025

How to Avoid Flat Characters in Your Story

February 25, 2025

Has an editor or critique partner said, “Your character is flat” when offering feedback on your story? Or perhaps they worded it another way: “Your protagonist didn’t grab me,” or…

Making Nice Guys & Girls Realistically Flawed

January 30, 2025

Making Nice Guys & Girls Realistically Flawed

January 30, 2025

We’ve talked a lot around here about why characters need flaws. Those negative traits make characters relatable to readers, they contribute to their arc, and, oh, a whole bunch of…

Backstory Balancing Act

January 21, 2025

Backstory Balancing Act

January 21, 2025

How to handle a character’s backstory is a universal struggle for all of us writers. How much should we include? How long should a flashback be? When is it okay…

Character Secret Thesaurus Entry: Monitoring Someone Without Their Knowledge

October 19, 2024

Character Secret Thesaurus Entry: Monitoring Someone Without Their Knowledge

October 19, 2024

What secret is your character keeping? Why are they safeguarding it? What’s at stake if it’s discovered? Does it need to come out at some point, or should it remain…

Character Thesaurus Entry: Using a False Identity

October 5, 2024

Character Thesaurus Entry: Using a False Identity

October 5, 2024

What secret is your character keeping? Why are they safeguarding it? What’s at stake if it’s discovered? Does it need to come out at some point, or should it remain…

What Characterization Detail Gives Your Protagonist More Depth?

August 22, 2024

What Characterization Detail Gives Your Protagonist More Depth?

August 22, 2024

Every writer wants to write a character who stands out, drives the story to interesting places, and captures the reader’s heart. Why? Because characters with depth sell books. And of…

What’s Your Character Hiding?

July 25, 2024

What’s Your Character Hiding?

July 25, 2024

Being able to write realistic, consistent, multi-dimensional characters is vital to gaining reader interest. Doing so first requires we know a lot about who our characters are—you know, the obvious…