Writers Helping Writers^®

Backstory

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…

Testing Fate: A Closer Look at Person vs. Fate Conflict

August 31, 2021

Testing Fate: A Closer Look at Person vs. Fate Conflict

August 31, 2021

Conflict is key to writing great stories. And while writers may categorize conflict differently, I categorize conflict into eight types: Person vs. SelfPerson vs. PersonPerson vs. NaturePerson vs. SocietyPerson vs.…

Use Trauma Strategically To Create An Emotional Arc

August 26, 2021

Use Trauma Strategically To Create An Emotional Arc

August 26, 2021

Many authors give their characters past trauma that makes life more difficult and at the very least adds internal conflict. But are you strategic with the kind of trauma you…

Don’t Let Excess Baggage Bring Down Your Character’s Plane

August 10, 2021

Don’t Let Excess Baggage Bring Down Your Character’s Plane

August 10, 2021

We’ve all heard that characters need backstory, and in particular, an emotional wound that they’re carrying around when we meet them on page one. (As an aside, if you haven’t…

8 Ways to Write Your Novel’s Outline

June 15, 2021

8 Ways to Write Your Novel’s Outline

June 15, 2021

Writers who don’t outline are often very loud online. They will say outlines kills creativity. They may even go so far as to claim an outline is a ‘straightjacket’ and…

Does Your Character Have a Secret?

May 25, 2021

Does Your Character Have a Secret?

May 25, 2021

We all have secrets – you do and I do. And let’s face it, we work hard to not let them get out. But at the same time, when we…

Balancing Your Cast of Characters

May 4, 2021

Balancing Your Cast of Characters

May 4, 2021

It’s no secret that side characters can be amazing in their own right. Great side characters feel like real people–even if the focus isn’t on them. They have lives that…

How to Write Emotion Well: Know Your Character

April 29, 2021

How to Write Emotion Well: Know Your Character

April 29, 2021

We’ve all read stories where our breath slows, the world falls away, and the page disappears. We’re somewhere else, a place that isn’t real, yet is. We’re with people who…

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…

The Author’s Guide to Redeeming Villains

February 4, 2021

The Author’s Guide to Redeeming Villains

February 4, 2021

Have you ever fallen in love with a story villain? Or at least found yourself liking him or her somewhat against your will? Seems a little weird, experiencing all the…