Writers Helping Writers^®

Writing Lessons

Writing Memorable Characters, via Finding Nemo

February 9, 2016

Writing Memorable Characters, via Finding Nemo

February 9, 2016

Courtesy: Creative Commons Watching Finding Nemo for the dozenth time, I got to thinking about why I wasn’t bored, and it occurred to me: it’s the characters. They’re memorable, and…

Use Character Vulnerability to Grow Reader Empathy

January 26, 2016

Use Character Vulnerability to Grow Reader Empathy

January 26, 2016

As writers, we all want to encourage a powerful bond to form between our audience and the protagonist so that readers care about the hero or heroine and root for…

Mastering the Cliffhanger Chapter Ending

January 6, 2016

Mastering the Cliffhanger Chapter Ending

January 6, 2016

Rebecca Belliston is here to share how to end a chapter on a cliffhanger that will keep readers write the cliffhanger effectively., flipping pages! One of the best things an…

How to Write Characters Readers Trust But Shouldn’t

November 25, 2015

How to Write Characters Readers Trust But Shouldn’t

November 25, 2015

I don’t know about you, but I love reading books where the author encourages me to draw conclusions that are wrong. Case in point–untrustworthy characters who I trust anyway. Like…

How to Decide How Many POV Characters Our Book Needs

November 18, 2015

How to Decide How Many POV Characters Our Book Needs

November 18, 2015

Marcy Kennedy is here with some excellent metrics to consider when planning a novel and choosing how many POV characters to include. One of the most common challenges for us…

How Your Hero’s Past Pain Will Determine His Character Flaws

October 27, 2015

How Your Hero’s Past Pain Will Determine His Character Flaws

October 27, 2015

Authentic characters are usually modeled after real people. I don’t mean pulling traits and quirks from those we know (say, taking Aunt Judy’s laughter and blending it with the overly-smiley…

Writing 101: Character Arc In A Nutshell

October 15, 2015

Writing 101: Character Arc In A Nutshell

October 15, 2015

Confused about character arc? Let’s look at all the pieces and how they fit together: inner and outer conflict, inner and outer motivation, fear, flaws—the whole shebang. So, you’re ready…

One Stop For Writers’ Unique Templates & Worksheets

October 11, 2015

One Stop For Writers’ Unique Templates & Worksheets

October 11, 2015

A Look Inside One Stop’s Templates & Worksheets As you can imagine with an online library, there are many nooks and crannies to explore. One of my favorite places is…

One Stop For Writers’ Descriptive Thesaurus Database

October 9, 2015

One Stop For Writers’ Descriptive Thesaurus Database

October 9, 2015

A Closer Look at Our Show-Don’t-Tell Database As some of you know, the heart of One Stop For Writers is our signature Descriptive Thesaurus Database. Visitors to this blog (and…

Why Is Your Character’s Emotional Wound So Important?

July 28, 2015

Why Is Your Character’s Emotional Wound So Important?

July 28, 2015

Emotional wounds hold incredible power, steering a hero’s motives, actions, and beliefs. They damage their sense of self worth, filter how they view the world, and dictate how they interact…