Writers Helping Writers^®

Writing Lessons

Zig Zag Plot Arc

February 8, 2022

Zig Zag Plot Arc

February 8, 2022

As writers, the classic arc-plot diagram is burned into our brains. The one conveying that our characters should move through our books in one steady climb, both externally and internally.…

6 Cheats to “Tell” Well (When It’s Warranted)

February 1, 2022

6 Cheats to “Tell” Well (When It’s Warranted)

February 1, 2022

Most of us are familiar with the “Show, don’t Tell” rule. In short, it’s more effective to dramatize the story than to simply tell what happened. Nonetheless, almost every story…

Using Physical Pain to Show a Character’s Past Trauma

January 18, 2022

Using Physical Pain to Show a Character’s Past Trauma

January 18, 2022

There doesn’t seem to be much info out there to tell writers how to realistically capture emotions and trauma while still leaving room for plot, characterization, and genre tropes. The…

How to Write a Compelling Antihero

December 16, 2021

How to Write a Compelling Antihero

December 16, 2021

What is an Antihero? Heroes embody courage, perseverance and skill. They can easily turn into villains when they use their talents for personal gain. This means antiheroes are like their name…

Free & Nearly-Free Thank You Gifts to Give Other Writers

December 14, 2021

Free & Nearly-Free Thank You Gifts to Give Other Writers

December 14, 2021

It’s gift-giving season, and if you’re like me, you may be thinking about picking up a little something for a writer who has really been in your corner this year.…

How Symbolism Adds Depth to a Story

December 7, 2021

How Symbolism Adds Depth to a Story

December 7, 2021

I think we all agree, stories need to be more than a character, goal, and a series of scenarios that keep the two apart. Reading isn’t a mechanical action after…

The Art (and Importance) of Specifically Ambiguous Writing

November 30, 2021

The Art (and Importance) of Specifically Ambiguous Writing

November 30, 2021

By Harrison Demchick One of the cornerstones of effective writing is specific detail. Specific detail is what grounds the action of a scene in a tangible reality. It’s how we…

How to Draw Readers in Through a Character’s Choices

November 23, 2021

How to Draw Readers in Through a Character’s Choices

November 23, 2021

Quick, what’s one thing you need in every scene? This question can have a lot of answers – tension, conflict, stakes, emotion, action…on and on it goes. But I would…

What’s Your Story’s Focus? Plot vs. Character Arcs

November 18, 2021

What’s Your Story’s Focus? Plot vs. Character Arcs

November 18, 2021

There are as many ways to tell a story as there are stories in existence. That means not all writing advice will be a good fit with the story we’re…

How to Show Emotion for Non-Viewpoint Characters

November 16, 2021

How to Show Emotion for Non-Viewpoint Characters

November 16, 2021

Those of you who are familiar with me know that Angela Ackerman and I talk a lot about emotion. A LOT. That’s because we believe that clearly conveying emotion—particularly that of…