Writers Helping Writers^®

Writing Lessons

How to Show Emotional Volatility

March 13, 2025

How to Show Emotional Volatility

March 13, 2025

Facts are facts: writers throw a lot of rocks at characters. Enemies. Obstacles. Maybe a rabid zombie or two. And we aren’t nice about it, spacing out each projectile, no.…

How to Choose the Perfect Talent for Your Character

March 11, 2025

How to Choose the Perfect Talent for Your Character

March 11, 2025

I truly believe that excellent stories require excellent characters. And with so many books already out there, we’ve got to be able to deliver compelling and realistic characters to set…

How to Use Amplifiers to Motivate Emotionally Challenging Characters

March 6, 2025

How to Use Amplifiers to Motivate Emotionally Challenging Characters

March 6, 2025

Like many other kids, I got my first job as a babysitter. You’re probably picturing me as a competent, CPR-trained teenager armed with craft supplies and a boatload of determination.…

Best Ways to Pace Your Story’s Key Moments

March 4, 2025

Best Ways to Pace Your Story’s Key Moments

March 4, 2025

Great novels don’t hook readers by accident. They strategically build up tension and feelings, then release them at just the right moment. This perfect timing isn’t about fancy writing tricks;…

6 First Page Inclusions for Drawing Readers In

March 1, 2025

6 First Page Inclusions for Drawing Readers In

March 1, 2025

There are a lot of Dos and Don’ts for a story’s first pages. Do introduce the protagonist(s). Do start in medias res. Don’t start with a dream sequence. Don’t info…

How to Avoid Flat Characters in Your Story

February 25, 2025

How to Avoid Flat Characters in Your Story

February 25, 2025

Has an editor or critique partner said, “Your character is flat” when offering feedback on your story? Or perhaps they worded it another way: “Your protagonist didn’t grab me,” or…

Use This Method to Identify Your Story’s Stakes

February 13, 2025

Use This Method to Identify Your Story’s Stakes

February 13, 2025

Stakes are a crucial part of your story because they define what will happen if the protagonist fails. To build reader empathy, you need this piece in place because when…

Book Structure for Disorganized Writers

February 4, 2025

Book Structure for Disorganized Writers

February 4, 2025

A while back, I shared a post at WHW about Scene Writing, and why it’s such a valuable tool for writers (especially those like me, whose brains get easily overwhelmed…

Making Nice Guys & Girls Realistically Flawed

January 30, 2025

Making Nice Guys & Girls Realistically Flawed

January 30, 2025

We’ve talked a lot around here about why characters need flaws. Those negative traits make characters relatable to readers, they contribute to their arc, and, oh, a whole bunch of…

Backstory Balancing Act

January 21, 2025

Backstory Balancing Act

January 21, 2025

How to handle a character’s backstory is a universal struggle for all of us writers. How much should we include? How long should a flashback be? When is it okay…