Writers Helping Writers^®

Character Arc

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…

What Is Your Character’s Emotional Shielding and Why Does It Matter?

March 23, 2021

What Is Your Character’s Emotional Shielding and Why Does It Matter?

March 23, 2021

In the real world, we’re all products of our pasts. Good and bad, the people, events, and situations we’ve encountered have influenced us in profound ways, impacting our morals and…

Story Resolutions: Mastering the Happy-Sad Ending

February 18, 2021

Story Resolutions: Mastering the Happy-Sad Ending

February 18, 2021

Gilbert Bassey is tackling a challenging yet rewarding type of ending: a happy-sad one that readers will think about long after the book closes. It was 10pm, and I was…

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…

Your Character’s Job May Be More Important than You Think!

December 17, 2020

Your Character’s Job May Be More Important than You Think!

December 17, 2020

Confession time: when I was a newer writer, I didn’t think much about my character’s occupation. In fact, if they needed one, I’d pretty much assign the first thing that came…

10 Steps To Revise Your Nano Novel

December 15, 2020

10 Steps To Revise Your Nano Novel

December 15, 2020

So, you did Nanowrimo and you made it to 50K! Congratulations, but you still have work to do. That’s right, now you need to revise … But where to start??…

Stuck in No-Man’s-Land: Your Novel’s Middle

November 19, 2020

Stuck in No-Man’s-Land: Your Novel’s Middle

November 19, 2020

If you have hit the point in your draft where you’re looking out at the vast landscape of your novel with no idea where to go next, congratulations…you’ve probably made…