Writers Helping Writers^®

Empathy

5 Things Psychology Can Teach Writers

January 19, 2017

5 Things Psychology Can Teach Writers

January 19, 2017

From our books, most of you know Becca and I love psychology. This is largely because the most captivating fiction pieces are those that closely mirror the real world, especially…

How to Choose Settings that Have Emotional Impact

October 20, 2016

How to Choose Settings that Have Emotional Impact

October 20, 2016

Generic settings won’t cut it if you want readers to feel the story–instead, your locations need emotional impact as this immerses them better in the point-of-view character’s experience. Shared experiences…

Level Up Your Setting (and Story) by Thinking Outside the Box

May 31, 2016

Level Up Your Setting (and Story) by Thinking Outside the Box

May 31, 2016

Want to level up your setting and instantly pull readers deeper into your scenes? Start by thinking outside the box about where each moment takes place. The right setting does…

How To Share Your Protagonist’s Deepest Feelings With Readers

April 26, 2016

How To Share Your Protagonist’s Deepest Feelings With Readers

April 26, 2016

Our job as writers is to make the reader FEEL, empathizing with our characters, feeling invested in the outcome of events, and immersed in the story’s world. When a reader’s…

Use Character Vulnerability to Grow Reader Empathy

January 26, 2016

Use Character Vulnerability to Grow Reader Empathy

January 26, 2016

As writers, we all want to encourage a powerful bond to form between our audience and the protagonist so that readers care about the hero or heroine and root for…

Will Readers Find Your Protagonist Worthy?

June 23, 2015

Will Readers Find Your Protagonist Worthy?

June 23, 2015

As we juggle the different pieces of characterization with the goal of building someone truly exceptional, one of the biggest jobs is to make sure readers connect to the protagonist,…

3 Quick Tips To Help Readers Connect To Your Protagonist

June 11, 2015

3 Quick Tips To Help Readers Connect To Your Protagonist

June 11, 2015

There has always been a debate on what is more important–plot or characters. For a long time, I stood on the PLOT side of things, because I thought it was…

Showing Character Emotion: Why Moving Beyond the Face

April 15, 2015

Showing Character Emotion: Why Moving Beyond the Face

April 15, 2015

The face is the first thing we notice in real life, and the focal point during any conversation. We connect to a person’s gaze, paying attention to how their eyes widen,…

The Importance of Grounding Characters in the Reader’s World

April 2, 2015

The Importance of Grounding Characters in the Reader’s World

April 2, 2015

We all know how important it is to build fully-fleshed characters by digging at their core. Exposing their attributes, flaws, morals, emotional wounds and fears that revolve around their basic…

Vulnerability: The Key to Compelling Romantic Relationships

March 3, 2015

Vulnerability: The Key to Compelling Romantic Relationships

March 3, 2015

The connection between two characters is one of the most magnetic forces in storytelling, especially in romance novels. Whether they welcome the relationship, fight it, or fall somewhere in between,…