Writers Helping Writers^®

Writing Lessons

Character Arcs: Making a Long Story Short

March 14, 2023

Character Arcs: Making a Long Story Short

March 14, 2023

A well-structured story uses events (also called story beats) to move the narrative forward — with compelling issues, rising stakes, and an organic sense of cause and effect — toward…

Creating a Moral Villain

February 9, 2023

Creating a Moral Villain

February 9, 2023

As readers, what inspires empathy for the hero and makes us root for him? Their flaws? Admirable qualities? Hopeless circumstances? Yes, to all of the above. But none of these…

Fighting Attraction in Romance (Body Language Help)

February 2, 2023

Fighting Attraction in Romance (Body Language Help)

February 2, 2023

Emotion is the heart of any story, and there is no genre where this holds more true than romance. Readers look forward to a romantically tense roller coaster ride (how’s…

How Does Internal Conflict Fit into the Character’s Arc?

January 31, 2023

How Does Internal Conflict Fit into the Character’s Arc?

January 31, 2023

If you’re writing a story in which your character will need to evolve internally to achieve his goal, a cohesive and well-planned character arc will be vital to its success.…

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…