Writers Helping Writers^®

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Garlic Breath For Writers (aka, Bad First Pages)

March 6, 2018

Garlic Breath For Writers (aka, Bad First Pages)

March 6, 2018

“If you cannot write a compelling opening scene, from the opening sentence, I’m not going to finish your proposal.” – Agent, speaking at a recent writers conference The opening page…

Three Ways The Setting Can Steer Your Story’s Plot

March 1, 2018

Three Ways The Setting Can Steer Your Story’s Plot

March 1, 2018

The setting is a powerful force. Not only does it evoke mood, create tension and conflict, allow you to share critical backstory in a non-dumpy way, and draw readers deeper…

Want Memorable Characters? Focus on the Little Things

February 22, 2018

Want Memorable Characters? Focus on the Little Things

February 22, 2018

I love building characters. In fact, “building” is apt, because for me, they come a piece at a time. A brick or two might lock into place as I wrestle…

Overcoming an Emotional Wound (Character Arc Help)

February 1, 2018

Overcoming an Emotional Wound (Character Arc Help)

February 1, 2018

Of all the pieces of backstory we should understand as authors, none are more important than our protagonist’s Emotional Wound. A powerful statement, but here’s why. Think about your own…

How To Write Characters With PTSD

January 11, 2018

How To Write Characters With PTSD

January 11, 2018

So excited to have Lisa Hall-Wilson here today to share some insight on how to write PTSD realistically… Hey hey! *mittened fist-bump* ? Thanks so much for having me! Writers…

Making Characters Stuck in the Background Pop Out

August 8, 2017

Making Characters Stuck in the Background Pop Out

August 8, 2017

Maybe you have had some of the experiences I’ve had when writing a manuscript, one of which is finding yourself with a character–could be a side character, a secondary character,…

The Myths and Misconceptions of Villains & Mental Health

July 18, 2017

The Myths and Misconceptions of Villains & Mental Health

July 18, 2017

Villains are fun characters, but writers sometimes take shortcuts to make them “villainous,” including giving them a mental health disorder. There are two problems with that: The disorders aren’t always…

Keep It Fresh: 10 Ways To Show Your Character’s Emotions

June 22, 2017

Keep It Fresh: 10 Ways To Show Your Character’s Emotions

June 22, 2017

Years ago, Becca and I grumbled about how our characters always expressed emotion the same way. My big thing? Frowning. Did my characters EVER know how to frown. They were…

Introducing One Stop For Writers’ Worldbuilding Tool

February 28, 2017

Introducing One Stop For Writers’ Worldbuilding Tool

February 28, 2017

We’ve all read amazing fiction where the worldbuilding captivated us as much as the characters did. And let’s all admit it, when we hit the last page of the final…