Writers Helping Writers^®

Conflict

The Secret to Page-Turning Scene Endings

June 13, 2024

The Secret to Page-Turning Scene Endings

June 13, 2024

It’s easy to surmise that propelling readers from one scene to the next relies upon a dramatic closing hook, the evocative or provocative impression at the very end of the…

How to Fix Big Story Problems

June 13, 2024

Is there anything more frustrating than knowing there’s a problem with our story, but not being sure how to fix it? We wish for an easy button in these moments,…

Release Day: The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus Is Here (& a Giveaway!)

May 13, 2024

Release Day: The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus Is Here (& a Giveaway!)

May 13, 2024

Another book joins the family today: The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Stress and Volatility! Writing authentic emotional reactions can be difficult when a character is the…

10 Reasons Why Emotion Amplifiers Are Good for Your Story

May 9, 2024

10 Reasons Why Emotion Amplifiers Are Good for Your Story

May 9, 2024

As you may have heard, we recently released The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Stress and Volatility, a companion to The Emotion Thesaurus. If you aren’t familiar…

Does Your Scene Need More Tension? Add an Emotion Amplifier!

April 25, 2024

Does Your Scene Need More Tension? Add an Emotion Amplifier!

April 25, 2024

Emotion and tension often go hand in hand. If character emotion is low, story tension is also probably waning. On the flip side, tension is likely on the rise when…

What is an Emotion Amplifier?

April 11, 2024

What is an Emotion Amplifier?

April 11, 2024

Since compiling our original Emotion Amplifier ebooklet in 2014, Angela and I have discovered so much about them. They’re way more versatile than we first imagined, and we’re stoked to…

Why Writers Should Use Psychology In Their Storytelling

April 2, 2024

Why Writers Should Use Psychology In Their Storytelling

April 2, 2024

A writer’s job is to do one thing well: pull the reader in. Our words should act like a tractor beam, sucking them into our story’s world. We tap into…

Tension and the Power of Unanswered Questions

January 25, 2024

Tension and the Power of Unanswered Questions

January 25, 2024

Have you ever been a bit hazy on the difference between conflict and tension? If so, you aren’t alone. It’s common to confuse the two because they’re often used together…

How to Generate Powerful Story Conflict

January 11, 2024

How to Generate Powerful Story Conflict

January 11, 2024

Conflict is a powerful tool for storytellers, allowing us to place roadblocks, challenges, adversaries and more in a character’s way so the road to their goal is much more difficult.…

Failure in Fiction

January 9, 2024

Failure in Fiction

January 9, 2024

Writers need to have a sadistic streak to inflict pain—emotional or physical—on our beloved characters repeatedly, but failure is important in fiction. Without it, the story drags. Why to Include…