Writers Helping Writers^®

Theme

Adding Theme to Your Story (Without Being Preachy)

October 27, 2026

Adding Theme to Your Story (Without Being Preachy)

October 27, 2026

Theme is an important element that quietly works in the background of strong stories. Pulled deliberately or subconsciously from the author’s individual worldview, it acts as an anchoring thread that…

Use Literary Devices to Propel Readers Past Chapter Endings

July 16, 2026

Use Literary Devices to Propel Readers Past Chapter Endings

July 16, 2026

In my last post, I discussed why chapter endings can be tricky (because they provide a natural stopping point for readers) and how to counteract that. By using a variety…

What’s More Important: Storytelling or Writing Craft?

December 11, 2025

What’s More Important: Storytelling or Writing Craft?

December 11, 2025

When first learning how to write, we often focus on the skills of writing craft—grammar rules, point of view, etc.—but storytelling skills are just as important. Some might even say…

How to Deepen a Story with Thematic Echoes

January 7, 2025

How to Deepen a Story with Thematic Echoes

January 7, 2025

While shallow stories can be enjoyable, we often strive to add depth to our storytelling. Deeper stories can “say” more to readers, evoking more emotions and leaving a bigger impression.…

7 Tips for Finding Perfect Character Names

September 26, 2024

7 Tips for Finding Perfect Character Names

September 26, 2024

How much time do we spend thinking up character names? Too much. That name will represent the character we love, so the pressure’s on to get it right. And no…

Use Your Story’s Takeaway (Theme) to Trim Extraneous Content

August 13, 2024

Use Your Story’s Takeaway (Theme) to Trim Extraneous Content

August 13, 2024

Writing an entire book is an immensely complex undertaking. Even if you’ve outlined meticulously, you’ll need more ideas than you can possibly imagine to fill the pages of an entire…

Improve Your Storytelling in 5 Minutes

July 25, 2023

Improve Your Storytelling in 5 Minutes

July 25, 2023

What are writers chronically short on? Time. There never seems to be enough of it as we try to get the next book written, research our publishing options, keep up…

Story vs. Plot vs. Theme: Know Your 5Ws and H

June 13, 2023

Story vs. Plot vs. Theme: Know Your 5Ws and H

June 13, 2023

Journalism writing often uses the 5W1H structure. The first few paragraphs of a news article should answer 6 basic questions (which start with 5 Ws and an H): Who, What,…

Themes and Symbols Go Together Like Peas and Carrots

October 6, 2022

Themes and Symbols Go Together Like Peas and Carrots

October 6, 2022

So…symbolism. We’re pretty familiar with this storytelling element, and I’m guessing most of us have experimented with the use of symbols in our writing. In a nutshell, you take an…

Use a Character’s Career to Support Your Story’s Theme

August 18, 2022

Use a Character’s Career to Support Your Story’s Theme

August 18, 2022

Successful stories are often ones whose elements are employed subtly. You may not be able to say exactly why they work, and as a reader, you probably don’t care; you…