Writers Helping Writers^®

Character Arc

Understanding Inner Conflict with Story Expert Michael Hauge

November 1, 2016

Understanding Inner Conflict with Story Expert Michael Hauge

November 1, 2016

All stories are built on a foundation of three basic components: character, desire, and conflict. A hero or protagonist desperately wants something, and must overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles to achieve…

Show Character Depth by Challenging Their Moral Beliefs

May 28, 2016

Show Character Depth by Challenging Their Moral Beliefs

May 28, 2016

When we start brainstorming a character, we usually focus on their traits—qualities, flaws, quirks, habits, likes, and dislikes. Then we dig deeper, building out their backstory: who influenced them, what…

The Emotional Roller Coaster: Why Characters Resist Change

April 11, 2016

The Emotional Roller Coaster: Why Characters Resist Change

April 11, 2016

I’m reading this fascinating book about the human brain and how we can evolve through concentrated intention and awareness. One of the terrific nuggets is the belief that every emotion,…

35+ Posts To Help Writers Elevate Their Craft & Marketing Skills

March 22, 2016

35+ Posts To Help Writers Elevate Their Craft & Marketing Skills

March 22, 2016

A friend of mine asked me for a list of posts that I would like shared online (how nice, right?) and it prompted me to visit my website stats to…

How Your Character’s Failures Can Map A Route To Self-Growth

March 2, 2016

How Your Character’s Failures Can Map A Route To Self-Growth

March 2, 2016

Failure is one thing no one looks forward to nor wants to experience. It doesn’t feel good to work at something only to fail. When we fail, a knot of…

How Your Hero’s Past Pain Will Determine His Character Flaws

October 27, 2015

How Your Hero’s Past Pain Will Determine His Character Flaws

October 27, 2015

Authentic characters are usually modeled after real people. I don’t mean pulling traits and quirks from those we know (say, taking Aunt Judy’s laughter and blending it with the overly-smiley…

Writing 101: Character Arc In A Nutshell

October 15, 2015

Writing 101: Character Arc In A Nutshell

October 15, 2015

Confused about character arc? Let’s look at all the pieces and how they fit together: inner and outer conflict, inner and outer motivation, fear, flaws—the whole shebang. So, you’re ready…

Why Is Your Character’s Emotional Wound So Important?

July 28, 2015

Why Is Your Character’s Emotional Wound So Important?

July 28, 2015

Emotional wounds hold incredible power, steering a hero’s motives, actions, and beliefs. They damage their sense of self worth, filter how they view the world, and dictate how they interact…

The Connection Between Emotional Wounds and Basic Needs

May 27, 2015

The Connection Between Emotional Wounds and Basic Needs

May 27, 2015

As many of you may know, we have a new thesaurus, one that looks into a problematic (yet SO important) area: Emotional Wounds. It’s somewhat intuitive to see how a traumatic…