Writers Helping Writers^®

Characters

The Easiest Way to Plan Characters in a Series: Cloning (Yes, Really!)

June 27, 2019

The Easiest Way to Plan Characters in a Series: Cloning (Yes, Really!)

June 27, 2019

This spring, Becca and I released two very important tools for writers… The Emotion Thesaurus 2nd edition (expanded by 55 entries) and a Character Builder Tool at One Stop for…

Goal-Oriented Storytelling: Tension

June 18, 2019

Goal-Oriented Storytelling: Tension

June 18, 2019

This is the third post in my four-part series on ANTS, my framework for understanding what a story needs to keep readers engaged. Previously, I’ve covered attachment and novelty. Now…

Story Goals: Are They Slowing Your Story’s Pace?

June 11, 2019

Write what is in your heart, not to trends

Story Goals: Are They Slowing Your Story’s Pace?

June 11, 2019

If we’ve spent any time learning about story craft, we know the importance of goals in our story. They affect every aspect of our story: Stories are about a problem…

Contrasting and Condensing Characters: Two Sides to One Coin

May 21, 2019

Contrasting and Condensing Characters: Two Sides to One Coin

May 21, 2019

Good characterization is an enigma: it happens in the minutia, with the details we choose for our cast members, but it also happens on the macro level, with how we…

Saggy Middle? Use Conflict to Nip and Tuck It

May 16, 2019

Saggy Middle? Use Conflict to Nip and Tuck It

May 16, 2019

When I get a new story idea, I fly into the start of it with as much gusto as a kid in a candy store. I’m filled with the buzz…

Story Structure in a Flash

May 14, 2019

Story Structure in a Flash

May 14, 2019

Story structure can sometimes be difficult to wrap our minds around; there are so many different structures, all with different terminology and slightly different meanings. But today I’m going to…

Picking the Right Setting Details

April 30, 2019

Picking the Right Setting Details

April 30, 2019

Settings are very important to me. Most of my love affairs with books and movies tie directly into where the characters lived, laughed, and suffered: Green Gables, Toad Hall, the…

Plot, Inner Change, Evocative Writing—What Really Rivets Readers?

April 16, 2019

Plot, Inner Change, Evocative Writing—What Really Rivets Readers?

April 16, 2019

Here’s a counterintuitive fact: Writers spend way too much time obsessing about “the writing.” They sweat over the words, the technique, the language, the flow, the use of metaphor, and…

5 Character Tools You Absolutely Need to Know

April 9, 2019

5 Character Tools You Absolutely Need to Know

April 9, 2019

Angela here, happy to welcome Savannah Cordova from Reedsy who has done some sleuthing to find tools that might help you create your characters. Play around with ideas, or take…

Struggling with Writing Flashbacks? Try Using the P.A.S.T. Method

March 21, 2019

Struggling with Writing Flashbacks? Try Using the P.A.S.T. Method

March 21, 2019

Hi everyone! Today we have a past Resident Writing Coach visiting us: Sara Letourneau, editor and owner of Heart of the Story Editorial & Coaching Services. She’s sharing some terrific…