Writers Helping Writers^®

Character Arc

8 Qualities that Will Help Your Protagonist on Their Journey

November 13, 2025

8 Qualities that Will Help Your Protagonist on Their Journey

November 13, 2025

Every writer strives to create protagonists with unique qualities that make them compelling, fully-formed people. We spend hours, days, and sometimes years to make them believable. Recently, I attended a…

New Writing Resource: A Character Type & Trope Thesaurus + Save 25%

May 17, 2025

New Writing Resource: A Character Type & Trope Thesaurus + Save 25%

May 17, 2025

In 2024, Becca and I began exploring character tropes and archetypes with one goal in mind: to create a resource that helps writers better use tropes by providing each one’s…

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,…

Build These Seven Growth Milestones into Your Character’s Arc

April 29, 2025

Build These Seven Growth Milestones into Your Character’s Arc

April 29, 2025

While there are many kinds of stories, most of them today are about a protagonist navigating a change or growth arc. In this model, the character undergoes a personal journey…

Using a Character’s Personality Traits to Generate Conflict

April 10, 2025

Using a Character’s Personality Traits to Generate Conflict

April 10, 2025

When it comes to generating conflict, your character’s personality can help ensure that sparks fly, especially when their traits clash with someone else’s. When people grate on one another their…

6 First Page Inclusions for Drawing Readers In

March 1, 2025

6 First Page Inclusions for Drawing Readers In

March 1, 2025

There are a lot of Dos and Don’ts for a story’s first pages. Do introduce the protagonist(s). Do start in medias res. Don’t start with a dream sequence. Don’t info…

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…

Character Secret Thesaurus Entry: Being Pregnant

December 14, 2024

Character Secret Thesaurus Entry: Being Pregnant

December 14, 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 Secret Thesaurus Entry: Is Safeguarding Someone’s Secret

November 30, 2024

Character Secret Thesaurus Entry: Is Safeguarding Someone’s Secret

November 30, 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…