Writers Helping Writers^®

Writing Lessons

The Seven Deadly Sins of Novel Writing: Low Stakes

December 14, 2009

The Seven Deadly Sins of Novel Writing: Low Stakes

December 14, 2009

In my mind, there are seven big things that can undermine a novel. I want to address them all, but to avoid having a post 8 miles long, I’ll break…

Creating Effective Atmosphere: FALL

October 6, 2009

Creating Effective Atmosphere: FALL

October 6, 2009

As writers, we think carefully on the setting we use for our stories. The where and when of each scene is not only an anchor for both story and characters,…

Introducing…the Color, Texture, and Shape Thesaurus

February 26, 2009

Introducing…the Color, Texture, and Shape Thesaurus

February 26, 2009

I think most writers understand that the goal of sensory description is to convey a specific image to the reader in a unique way. A good story alone isn’t enough,…

Expressing Cardinal Emotions: Masculine vs. Feminine

January 18, 2009

Expressing Cardinal Emotions: Masculine vs. Feminine

January 18, 2009

We thought since we’ve profiled 130 different emotions and their physical and mental cues in The Emotion Thesaurus, we’d take a look at some of the Cardinal Emotions, and some…

Clichés…The Poisoned Apple of Description

October 14, 2008

Clichés…The Poisoned Apple of Description

October 14, 2008

It’s been awhile since we talked about clichés, so I thought I’d look at the temptation aspect of using them and why writers are drawn to them when faced with…

Talk Amongst Yourselves: Realistic Dialogue

September 16, 2008

Talk Amongst Yourselves: Realistic Dialogue

September 16, 2008

Saturday was Date Night (woohoo!) and while we were out, I realized a few things. First, I recognized that while going out to eat pre-baby was merely fun, it’s now…

Pacing Potholes: Common Hazards that Slow Forward Motion

September 9, 2008

Pacing Potholes: Common Hazards that Slow Forward Motion

September 9, 2008

Pacing is a difficult thing to master. Like driving a car, there are many things we need to be on top of to keep our story on the road. Are…

Techniques For Atmosphere and Mood Building In Fiction

August 18, 2008

Techniques For Atmosphere and Mood Building In Fiction

August 18, 2008

I thought today I’d take a quick look at how setting description can transcend to convey atmosphere through the deft manipulation of the five senses. First off, what is Atmosphere?…

Introducing Sensory Saturday…Meet the Setting Thesaurus!

August 16, 2008

Introducing Sensory Saturday…Meet the Setting Thesaurus!

August 16, 2008

Many elements go into creating a successful novel, but one of the most important is Setting. For a reader to relate to the current action, they need a physical anchor…

Writing 101: How to Show, Not Tell (Part Two)

August 8, 2008

Writing 101: How to Show, Not Tell (Part Two)

August 8, 2008

Today, we’re continuing our discussion of show-don’t-tell so we can learn how to find the telling in our work and show those passages instead. (For information on what showing and…