Writers Helping Writers^®

Characters

Using the Dark Side of Your Protagonist’s Best Qualities

August 19, 2014

Using the Dark Side of Your Protagonist’s Best Qualities

August 19, 2014

Every hero or heroine needs attributes and strengths to see them through the tough times ahead in the story, yet like all things, positive traits have a dark side. Anything,…

How to Keep your Story Moving and Your Character Believable

August 5, 2014

How to Keep your Story Moving and Your Character Believable

August 5, 2014

One of the most common characterization mistakes writers make is granting their characters too much self-awareness. That sly pitfall puts tension at risk, limits believability (I’ll tell you how), and…

Hidden Emotions: How To Tell Readers What Characters Don’t Want To Show

July 7, 2014

Hidden Emotions: How To Tell Readers What Characters Don’t Want To Show

July 7, 2014

One of the struggles that comes with writing is when a character feels vulnerable and so tries to hide their emotions as a result. Fear of emotional pain, a lack…

Story Midpoint & Mirror Moment: Using Heroes’ Emotions To Transform Them

June 11, 2014

Story Midpoint & Mirror Moment: Using Heroes’ Emotions To Transform Them

June 11, 2014

I recently read a Huff Post psychology piece on Turning Negative Emotions Into Your Greatest Advantage and immediately saw how this could also apply to our characters. Feel free to…

Lessons From James Scott Bell: Characters That Jump Off The Page

June 3, 2014

Lessons From James Scott Bell: Characters That Jump Off The Page

June 3, 2014

A week (ish) ago, I had the pleasure of attending a workshop with bestselling author and writing coach, James Scott Bell. It was a fantastic day of learning how to…

Why Your Hero Needs A Special Skill or Talent

May 13, 2014

Why Your Hero Needs A Special Skill or Talent

May 13, 2014

Our main character should always take center stage, and one facet of character creation is deciding what special skills or talents the character might have. On the surface, skills and…

What Killed It For Me #4: Cliché Characters

April 2, 2014

What Killed It For Me #4: Cliché Characters

April 2, 2014

It’s hard to come up with characters who are believable yet don’t sound like every other character out there. It’s especially easy to fall into this trap with certain archetypes,…

Writing Emotion: Does Your Hero Shrug, Smile & Frown Too Much?

March 8, 2014

Writing Emotion: Does Your Hero Shrug, Smile & Frown Too Much?

March 8, 2014

Crutch gestures can sometimes get in the way of good writing. They come in all shapes and sizes–maybe an eye roll, a clenched stomach, curled fists or shrugs–cues we writers…

Books I Didn’t Finish, AKA, What Killed it For Me

March 5, 2014

Books I Didn’t Finish, AKA, What Killed it For Me

March 5, 2014

I like keeping lists: Books To Read, Books I’ve Finished, Books I Want to Buy, and possibly the most informative one: Books I Didn’t Finish. As a reader, it happens quite…

Understanding Character Wounds: A List Of Common Themes

February 27, 2014

Understanding Character Wounds: A List Of Common Themes

February 27, 2014

Characters are the heart of a novel, and within that heart is the Hero’s Inner Journey. The protagonist’s path is much like yours or mine–one that will (hopefully) bring him…