Writers Helping Writers^®

Tension

Avoiding Change: What’s Stopping Our Characters?

September 10, 2019

Avoiding Change: What’s Stopping Our Characters?

September 10, 2019

Stories are about change. Our characters’ world is changing around them, or they’re changing internally—or both. Yet at the same time, we know change is hard. In our own lives,…

How to Craft Engaging Dialogue Exchanges

August 1, 2019

How to Craft Engaging Dialogue Exchanges

August 1, 2019

One of the best places to reveal your character’s emotions is during dialogue. Author Peter Gelfan joins us with some great considerations on how to make these exchanges more powerful,…

Goal-Oriented Storytelling: Tension

June 18, 2019

Goal-Oriented Storytelling: Tension

June 18, 2019

This is the third post in my four-part series on ANTS, my framework for understanding what a story needs to keep readers engaged. Previously, I’ve covered attachment and novelty. Now…

Character Vulnerability: There Will Be Blood

July 17, 2018

Character Vulnerability: There Will Be Blood

July 17, 2018

This is something I say to almost every writer: Make no mistake, there WILL be blood! No, I’m not referring to the movie. Or even to literal blood. But to…

Use Theme to Determine Subplots, Supporting Characters, and Tension

May 31, 2018

Use Theme to Determine Subplots, Supporting Characters, and Tension

May 31, 2018

I recently spoke at the Storymakers conference in Utah, and while I was there, I attended a class on theme. Theme is kind of an ethereal topic, difficult to grasp…

How to Write an Effective Scene with One Stop for Writers’ Formal Scene Map

May 3, 2018

How to Write an Effective Scene with One Stop for Writers’ Formal Scene Map

May 3, 2018

When it comes to story structure, writers seem to fall into one of three camps: they love it, hate it, or are completely confused by the many iterations of it.…

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…

3 Tips To Creating A Time Bomb Plot Device

November 28, 2017

3 Tips To Creating A Time Bomb Plot Device

November 28, 2017

The Ticking Time Bomb plot device is effective at keeping tension high and readers engaged. Join Jonathan Vars for tips on how to put it to good use in our…

What’s the Dark Night Moment All About?

October 3, 2017

What’s the Dark Night Moment All About?

October 3, 2017

You’re coming to the end of the tunnel, and you see a bright light illuminating the finish line. You are almost through writing your novel! If you’ve done your homework,…

What Does It Mean To “Raise the Stakes”?

March 14, 2017

What Does It Mean To “Raise the Stakes”?

March 14, 2017

Last time I visited, we discussed how understanding the interconnectedness of our story elements can help us with revisions, and today we’re going to dig deeper into one of those…