Writers Helping Writers^®

Writing Lessons

Fall in Love with Your Second Act

February 18, 2020

Fall in Love with Your Second Act

February 18, 2020

I love me some Billy Joel. I especially love this song. Granted, it’s a song that deals with a serious issue in a gentle way, but I do think that, on…

When ‘Situational’ Writing Works Better Than Plotting

February 13, 2020

When ‘Situational’ Writing Works Better Than Plotting

February 13, 2020

Hi everyone! Help me welcome Brandon Cornett to the blog today, who is discussing a great plotting technique Stephen King uses for people who struggle with plotting. Please read on!…

How Premise Plays into Theme

February 11, 2020

How Premise Plays into Theme

February 11, 2020

For many writers, theme is an afterthought–something they may try to figure out once the book is mostly written. But in reality, for a lot of stories, the premise actually…

Tools to Help You Become a Powerful Writer

February 4, 2020

Tools to Help You Become a Powerful Writer

February 4, 2020

The start of the year is when I pay close attention to what is happening in our industry: what publishers and organizations are focusing on, the changes occurring on sales…

Build a Bridge: From Story Beginning to Main Conflict

January 28, 2020

Build a Bridge: From Story Beginning to Main Conflict

January 28, 2020

During one of my previous posts as a Resident Writing Coach, we talked about the importance of strong goals for helping our story move forward. But as we discussed in…

Scrivener and One Stop for Writers: Perfect Tools For Crafting Powerful Scenes

January 16, 2020

Scrivener and One Stop for Writers: Perfect Tools For Crafting Powerful Scenes

January 16, 2020

Many of you know that Angela and I are super excited about One Stop for Writers and how it simplifies the writing process for authors. So when we get notes…

Capturing an Unhappy Relationship: A Writer’s Roadmap

January 7, 2020

Capturing an Unhappy Relationship: A Writer’s Roadmap

January 7, 2020

Relationships are a complicated beast, and if you write romance like me, then you’re wed (pun intended) to the HEA ending (happily ever after). But the reality is, we have…

3 Steps To Writing Diverse Characters

December 17, 2019

3 Steps To Writing Diverse Characters

December 17, 2019

It’s official … Audiences have voted with their wallets and proved they WANT more diverse characters as standard. Novels lead the way, with breakout successes like Gone Girl and The…

Mastering Show, Don’t Tell

December 5, 2019

Mastering Show, Don’t Tell

December 5, 2019

We hear it over and over: Show, don’t tell. You can’t get away from this advice, not in writing workshops, at conferences, or heck, even when visiting this blog. Writers…

Improve Your Novel Writing: 11 Tips For Newbies

November 14, 2019

Improve Your Novel Writing: 11 Tips For Newbies

November 14, 2019

Writing a novel is flipping difficult. It often takes years to complete your first novel (and even more years after that to write a good one). You heard that right…