Writers Helping Writers^®

Writing Lessons

Emotional Description: 3 Common Problems with Show & Tell

September 23, 2014

Emotional Description: 3 Common Problems with Show & Tell

September 23, 2014

Writing compelling emotional moments is the lifeblood of any story and the key to building a relationship between characters and readers. Yet steering clear of the show-don’t-tell pitfalls requires practice…

Using the Dark Side of Your Protagonist’s Best Qualities

August 19, 2014

Using the Dark Side of Your Protagonist’s Best Qualities

August 19, 2014

Every hero or heroine needs attributes and strengths to see them through the tough times ahead in the story, yet like all things, positive traits have a dark side. Anything,…

How to Keep your Story Moving and Your Character Believable

August 5, 2014

How to Keep your Story Moving and Your Character Believable

August 5, 2014

One of the most common characterization mistakes writers make is granting their characters too much self-awareness. That sly pitfall puts tension at risk, limits believability (I’ll tell you how), and…

5 Important Ways to Use Symbolism in Your Story

July 28, 2014

5 Important Ways to Use Symbolism in Your Story

July 28, 2014

Symbolism can sometimes be a tough concept for authors to get their heads around. How do we come up with the right symbols in the first place? What should they…

Hidden Emotions: How To Tell Readers What Characters Don’t Want To Show

July 7, 2014

Hidden Emotions: How To Tell Readers What Characters Don’t Want To Show

July 7, 2014

One of the struggles that comes with writing is when a character feels vulnerable and so tries to hide their emotions as a result. Fear of emotional pain, a lack…

Story Midpoint & Mirror Moment: Using Heroes’ Emotions To Transform Them

June 11, 2014

Story Midpoint & Mirror Moment: Using Heroes’ Emotions To Transform Them

June 11, 2014

I recently read a Huff Post psychology piece on Turning Negative Emotions Into Your Greatest Advantage and immediately saw how this could also apply to our characters. Feel free to…

Lessons From James Scott Bell: Characters That Jump Off The Page

June 3, 2014

Lessons From James Scott Bell: Characters That Jump Off The Page

June 3, 2014

A week (ish) ago, I had the pleasure of attending a workshop with bestselling author and writing coach, James Scott Bell. It was a fantastic day of learning how to…

Michael Crichton’s Method for Plotting Out a Story

May 27, 2014

Michael Crichton’s Method for Plotting Out a Story

May 27, 2014

Happy to welcome Dorothy Cora Moore today, author of Writing Made Easy: How to Develop a Tight Plot & Memorable Characters. Dorothy is both a novelist and screenwriter, and so…

Why Your Hero Needs A Special Skill or Talent

May 13, 2014

Why Your Hero Needs A Special Skill or Talent

May 13, 2014

Our main character should always take center stage, and one facet of character creation is deciding what special skills or talents the character might have. On the surface, skills and…

What Killed It For Me #8: Personal Preferences

April 30, 2014

What Killed It For Me #8: Personal Preferences

April 30, 2014

The reality of being an author is no matter how well-written your books are, certain people will never read them because they don’t fit their personal preferences. Here’s an example:…