Writers Helping Writers^®

Writing Lessons

Differentiate Your Character with a Talent or Skill

May 2, 2024

Differentiate Your Character with a Talent or Skill

May 2, 2024

One worry that can plague writers is whether their characters are original enough or not. After all, readers meet a lot of characters over time, so how can writers make…

Three Essentials for Engaging Reader Emotion in the Setup

April 30, 2024

Three Essentials for Engaging Reader Emotion in the Setup

April 30, 2024

As authors, we all know the importance of engaging our audience within a book’s first few pages. Grabbing the reader: captivating them in a way that makes them want to…

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…

A Mother Lode of Resources on Talents and Skills

April 23, 2024

A Mother Lode of Resources on Talents and Skills

April 23, 2024

Talents and skills can serve many purposes in a story by revealing truths about the character, making them more likable or relatable for readers, and contributing to story arc by…

Three Easy Steps to Generate a Goal Using Fear as Motivation

April 16, 2024

Three Easy Steps to Generate a Goal Using Fear as Motivation

April 16, 2024

There’s so much emphasis on making sure that we give our character a goal that’s clear starting from their very first scene. Win the game. Find someone to marry. Land…

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…

Top Story World and Story Bible Tips

April 9, 2024

Top Story World and Story Bible Tips

April 9, 2024

When we create a story world for readers, we are implanting images and sensory details. From which, the reader fills in the gaps. If we skew that world in any…

How to Combine Myth with History to Create Historical Fantasy

April 4, 2024

How to Combine Myth with History to Create Historical Fantasy

April 4, 2024

Three years ago, I never would have guessed I’d be writing a blog post on this topic. Back then, I was focused on pure fantasy stories. My first novel was…

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…

Do You Need a Prologue? Take the Test!

March 28, 2024

Do You Need a Prologue? Take the Test!

March 28, 2024

By Julie Artz Affiliate links below After nearly ten years working with writers, I’ve decided the only inviolable rule in writing is that a romance must have either a happily…