Writers Helping Writers^®

Writing Lessons

What Killed It For Me, #7: Issues with Sequels

April 23, 2014

What Killed It For Me, #7: Issues with Sequels

April 23, 2014

Today’s pet peeve –to do with sequels–is more subjective and looks at why I may finish the first book but not read any of the rest. As a reader, I…

What Killed it For Me #6: Action Too Early

April 17, 2014

What Killed it For Me #6: Action Too Early

April 17, 2014

We’ve likely all encountered stories that open with an explosion, plague, car chase, alien abduction, fist fight, or other volatile scene involving a main character that we know virtually nothing…

What Killed It For Me #4: Cliché Characters

April 2, 2014

What Killed It For Me #4: Cliché Characters

April 2, 2014

It’s hard to come up with characters who are believable yet don’t sound like every other character out there. It’s especially easy to fall into this trap with certain archetypes,…

What Killed It For Me #3: Too Much Going On

March 27, 2014

What Killed It For Me #3: Too Much Going On

March 27, 2014

The latest book I gave up on was a fantasy that was very promising, but also very confusing. Set in a make-believe world, it was based on a unique and…

What Killed it for Me #2: Characters Who Aren’t Endearing

March 20, 2014

What Killed it for Me #2: Characters Who Aren’t Endearing

March 20, 2014

To better understand why readers stop reading, I’d like to talk about characters who don’t win us over. I was browsing the library shelves and came across a book I’d…

The “Write From The Middle” Method

March 12, 2014

The “Write From The Middle” Method

March 12, 2014

I’ve been studying plot and structure for over twenty-five years. Plot was something I did not understand when I started out. I thought writers just sat down at the typewriter…

Writing Emotion: Does Your Hero Shrug, Smile & Frown Too Much?

March 8, 2014

Writing Emotion: Does Your Hero Shrug, Smile & Frown Too Much?

March 8, 2014

Crutch gestures can sometimes get in the way of good writing. They come in all shapes and sizes–maybe an eye roll, a clenched stomach, curled fists or shrugs–cues we writers…

Books I Didn’t Finish, AKA, What Killed it For Me

March 5, 2014

Books I Didn’t Finish, AKA, What Killed it For Me

March 5, 2014

I like keeping lists: Books To Read, Books I’ve Finished, Books I Want to Buy, and possibly the most informative one: Books I Didn’t Finish. As a reader, it happens quite…

Understanding Character Wounds: A List Of Common Themes

February 27, 2014

Understanding Character Wounds: A List Of Common Themes

February 27, 2014

Characters are the heart of a novel, and within that heart is the Hero’s Inner Journey. The protagonist’s path is much like yours or mine–one that will (hopefully) bring him…

Writing Extreme Emotion Without The Melodrama

February 11, 2014

Writing Extreme Emotion Without The Melodrama

February 11, 2014

Finding the right balance of emotion can be difficult; too little and the reader will feel no empathy for the characters, but too much, and the scene becomes melodramatic. Melodrama…