Writers Helping Writers^®

Writing Lessons

Originalizing Your Story Idea

January 26, 2023

Originalizing Your Story Idea

January 26, 2023

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about differentiation—how we can make our stories stand out from all the others. Customers are being more careful with their money, which means they’re…

Build Suspense With Secrets

January 24, 2023

Build Suspense With Secrets

January 24, 2023

Have you wondered what makes a book unputdownable? What techniques or tricks an author employs to make sure you read that next word, sentence, paragraph, page? One of the most…

5 Ways to Approach Your Novel Like a Trial Lawyer

January 17, 2023

5 Ways to Approach Your Novel Like a Trial Lawyer

January 17, 2023

So much about good storytelling mirrors the way a lawyer might lay out the case for their client. Our job as writers is to select events and characters that reveal…

Writing Insecure Characters

January 12, 2023

Writing Insecure Characters

January 12, 2023

Angela Ackerman and I got our start telling anyone who was interested (and some who weren’t) what we’d learned about the importance of showing a character’s feelings. So I’ll start…

Force Your Character to Make Hard Choices

January 3, 2023

Force Your Character to Make Hard Choices

January 3, 2023

One of the best things about conflict is that it pushes your characters to act. In every scene, your characters are making choices—big ones and small ones, and thereby steering…

Writers, Have You Watched This Free Webinar on Reader Engagement?

December 20, 2022

Writers, Have You Watched This Free Webinar on Reader Engagement?

December 20, 2022

Hi lovely folks! We know that the clock is ticking down to the holidays, and it’s easy to lose track of everything, so Becca and I wanted to remind you…

How to Use Real Life to Inspire Your Fiction

December 15, 2022

How to Use Real Life to Inspire Your Fiction

December 15, 2022

The memoir section in any book shop is made of writers who have done outlandish, shocking or terrible things (or had them done to them). These books are popular because…

A Gift for You: Secrets to Engaging Readers (Webinar Recording)

December 8, 2022

A Gift for You: Secrets to Engaging Readers (Webinar Recording)

December 8, 2022

This time of year, we usually host a spectacular giveaway called Advent Calendar for Writers, and you may have noticed it’s missing this go-around. I’ll be honest – life’s been…

Writing Antagonists Readers Can’t Help But Like

December 1, 2022

Writing Antagonists Readers Can’t Help But Like

December 1, 2022

There’s a dirty little secret among many of us readers: well-written antagonists get our blood pumping. When a scene come along with them in it, well, we lean closer. Grin…

Game-Changing Creative Tools for New & Advanced Writers

November 25, 2022

Game-Changing Creative Tools for New & Advanced Writers

November 25, 2022

One thing that drives all writers is the desire to create a truly amazing story, one a reader can’t put down or forget. It’s why we’re always learning to deepen…