Writers Helping Writers^®

Characters

Workshop: How to Write Compelling Inner Conflict with Angela Ackerman

May 9, 2025

Workshop: How to Write Compelling Inner Conflict with Angela Ackerman

May 9, 2025

Ready to dive into your character’s internal struggle and put all that incredible gut-twisting conflict on the page? If so, don’t miss this upcoming Zoom workshop on Saturday, May 24th,…

Build These Seven Growth Milestones into Your Character’s Arc

April 29, 2025

Build These Seven Growth Milestones into Your Character’s Arc

April 29, 2025

While there are many kinds of stories, most of them today are about a protagonist navigating a change or growth arc. In this model, the character undergoes a personal journey…

Using a Character’s Personality Traits to Generate Conflict

April 10, 2025

Using a Character’s Personality Traits to Generate Conflict

April 10, 2025

When it comes to generating conflict, your character’s personality can help ensure that sparks fly, especially when their traits clash with someone else’s. When people grate on one another their…

Five Ways to Get Your Protagonist to Realize They’re the Problem

April 8, 2025

Five Ways to Get Your Protagonist to Realize They’re the Problem

April 8, 2025

We’ve all heard the writing advice that we need to throw rocks at our protagonists. More obstacles, more tough choices, and more loss test them and force them to grow…

How to Use Show, Don’t Tell to Strengthen Your Story

March 25, 2025

How to Use Show, Don’t Tell to Strengthen Your Story

March 25, 2025

Writers hear it all the time: Show, don’t tell. This advice is so iconic that I wouldn’t be surprised if a few tattoos are kicking around the community. After all,…

How To Write A Likeable Character

March 18, 2025

How To Write A Likeable Character

March 18, 2025

Likeable characters can become the beating heart of your narrative. Readers root for them and stick with them throughout their journeys. But what exactly makes a character likeable? It’s not…

How to Show Emotional Volatility

March 13, 2025

How to Show Emotional Volatility

March 13, 2025

Facts are facts: writers throw a lot of rocks at characters. Enemies. Obstacles. Maybe a rabid zombie or two. And we aren’t nice about it, spacing out each projectile, no.…

How to Choose the Perfect Talent for Your Character

March 11, 2025

How to Choose the Perfect Talent for Your Character

March 11, 2025

I truly believe that excellent stories require excellent characters. And with so many books already out there, we’ve got to be able to deliver compelling and realistic characters to set…

How to Use Amplifiers to Motivate Emotionally Challenging Characters

March 6, 2025

How to Use Amplifiers to Motivate Emotionally Challenging Characters

March 6, 2025

Like many other kids, I got my first job as a babysitter. You’re probably picturing me as a competent, CPR-trained teenager armed with craft supplies and a boatload of determination.…

6 First Page Inclusions for Drawing Readers In

March 1, 2025

6 First Page Inclusions for Drawing Readers In

March 1, 2025

There are a lot of Dos and Don’ts for a story’s first pages. Do introduce the protagonist(s). Do start in medias res. Don’t start with a dream sequence. Don’t info…