Writers Helping Writers^®

Characters

Seven Deadly Novel Writing Sins: Sharing Too Much Information

February 1, 2010

Seven Deadly Novel Writing Sins: Sharing Too Much Information

February 1, 2010

TMI (Too Much Information) We’re all guilty of this sin at some point during the writing process. The trick is finding the correct balance by the time we reach the…

Seven Deadly Novel Writing Sins: Voice and Point of View

January 3, 2010

Seven Deadly Novel Writing Sins: Voice and Point of View

January 3, 2010

Voice is one of the most elusive aspects of writing. If you struggle with it, you are not alone. Just understanding what it is can be a challenge. When a…

Seven Deadly Sins of Novel Writing: Counterfeit Characters

December 21, 2009

Seven Deadly Sins of Novel Writing: Counterfeit Characters

December 21, 2009

The most brilliant plot is nothing without the right characters. The writer’s job is to create unique, emotionally charged characters that are strong enough to drive the story. The characters…

The Seven Deadly Sins of Novel Writing: Low Stakes

December 14, 2009

The Seven Deadly Sins of Novel Writing: Low Stakes

December 14, 2009

In my mind, there are seven big things that can undermine a novel. I want to address them all, but to avoid having a post 8 miles long, I’ll break…

Expressing Cardinal Emotions: Masculine vs. Feminine

January 18, 2009

Expressing Cardinal Emotions: Masculine vs. Feminine

January 18, 2009

We thought since we’ve profiled 130 different emotions and their physical and mental cues in The Emotion Thesaurus, we’d take a look at some of the Cardinal Emotions, and some…

Talk Amongst Yourselves: Realistic Dialogue

September 16, 2008

Talk Amongst Yourselves: Realistic Dialogue

September 16, 2008

Saturday was Date Night (woohoo!) and while we were out, I realized a few things. First, I recognized that while going out to eat pre-baby was merely fun, it’s now…

Your Audience: Boys vs.Girls

June 9, 2008

Your Audience: Boys vs.Girls

June 9, 2008

I thought it might be interesting to look at what hooks a boy reader vs. a girl reader in the Chapter Book/Middle Grade category. As a writer of what may…

Introducing The EMOTION THESAURUS

January 24, 2008

Introducing The EMOTION THESAURUS

January 24, 2008

The coffee on the desk is cold. The doorbell’s ringing. Your dog is making those frantic whimpers meaning ‘I want to go outside and maybe pee on something’ has escalated…