Category Archives: Villains

The Author’s Guide to Redeeming Villains

Posted on February 4, 2021 by BECCA PUGLISI

Have you ever fallen in love with a story villain? Or at least found yourself liking him or her somewhat against your will? Seems a little weird, experiencing all the happy feels for this character, but I think we’ve all … Continue reading →

Posted in Backstory, Basic Human Needs, Character Arc, Character Flaws, Character Wound, Characters, Endings, Fatal Flaw, Villains, Writing Lessons | 4 Comments

Sneek-A-Peek at The Occupation Thesaurus: FIREFIGHTER

Posted on June 23, 2020 by ANGELA ACKERMAN

About this book… Characters are as complex as people and revealing their inner layers without chunky blocks of pace-stopping description is a challenge. The Occupation Thesaurus can help you unlock one of the best tools in your show-don’t-tell writing kit: … Continue reading →

Posted in About Us, Backstory, Basic Human Needs, Character Arc, Character Flaws, Character Hobbies, Character Traits, Character Wound, Characters, Cliches, Conflict, Description, Diversity, Motivation, Occupation Thesaurus Guide, Point of View, Publishing and Self Publishing, Show Don't Tell, Stereotypes, Story Structure, Subtext, Theme, Uncategorized, Villains, Writing Craft, Writing Lessons, Writing Resources | 25 Comments

3 Ways to Differentiate Your Characters

Posted on May 30, 2020 by ANGELA ACKERMAN

We’ve invited Resident Writing Coach Sacha Black to give us an extra dose of wisdom as she’s just released a new book that I think will help a lot of writers: Anatomy of Prose: 12 Steps to Sensational Sentences. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Description, Dialogue, Editing Tips, Emotion, Focus, Pacing, Resident Writing Coach, Revision and Editing, Show Don't Tell, Subtext, Uncategorized, Villains, Writing Craft, Writing Lessons | 27 Comments

How a Career Can Reveal Your Character’s Deeper Layers

Posted on February 29, 2020 by ANGELA ACKERMAN

Did you know that before Becca became an author and writing coach, she was a teacher? It’s true. And if you know her, you’re probably thinking, I can see that. It makes sense. Why? Because when you think of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Action Scenes, Backstory, Basic Human Needs, Character Arc, Character Flaws, Character Hobbies, Character Traits, Character Wound, Characters, Conflict, Description, Diversity, Fatal Flaw, Fear, High Stakes, Motivation, Occupation Thesaurus, One Stop For Writers, Pacing, Plotting, Show Don't Tell, Story Structure, Uncategorized, Villains, Writing Craft, Writing Resources | 1 Comment

How to Build Powerful Character Relationships

Posted on February 20, 2020 by ANGELA ACKERMAN

Character relationships are, in many ways, the glue that holds a story together. Almost every tale has at least one relationship at the heart of it, often more. Rarely can a character sustain a story on their own; they need … Continue reading →

Posted in Basic Human Needs, Character Arc, Character Flaws, Character Traits, Character Wound, Characters, Conflict, Emotion, Motivation, One Stop For Writers, Plotting, Show Don't Tell, Stereotypes, Story Structure, Subtext, Tension, Uncategorized, Villains, Writing Craft, Writing Lessons | 9 Comments

Taking a Character from Good to GREAT

Posted on September 12, 2019 by ANGELA ACKERMAN

FACT: Characters are the heart of a story. The stronger one is, the more powerful your novel will be. In today’s competitive fiction market, there’s no room for okay-ish characters. This is why most writing courses, books, workshops, retreats, etc. … Continue reading →

Posted in About Us, Backstory, Character Arc, Character Flaws, Character Traits, Character Wound, Characters, Description, Emotion, Fear, Motivation, One Stop For Writers, Reader Interest, Revision and Editing, Show Don't Tell, Stereotypes, Uncategorized, Villains, Writing Craft, Writing Resources | 1 Comment

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

Posted on June 27, 2019 by ANGELA ACKERMAN

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 Writers. These two releases happened within days of each other, … Continue reading →

Posted in Backstory, Basic Human Needs, Character Arc, Character Flaws, Character Traits, Character Wound, Characters, Description, Emotion, Emotion Thesaurus Guide, High Stakes, One Stop For Writers, Series, Software and Services, Tools and Resources, Villains, Writing Craft, Writing Lessons | 2 Comments