Trigger warnings are often debated in the writing world. Some opine that readers should be warned if something potentially harmful is included in a book, and others feel the audience shouldn’t be bubble-wrapped and need to chin up if they want to read fiction. Like most things, the answer probably … [Read more...] about Writing About Emotional Trauma Without Triggering Readers
Search Results for: writing about pain
Getting Back in the Writing Flow
We all need down time in our writing lives—a planned vacation, Christmas with the family, a buffer between big projects. Sometimes we get down time whether we’ve chosen it or not (I’m looking at you, COVID). Whatever the cause, it can be good to put down our pens or shut our laptops for a while. … [Read more...] about Getting Back in the Writing Flow
Fear Thesaurus Entry: Physical Pain
Debilitating fears are a problem for everyone, an unfortunate part of the human experience. Whether they're a result of learned behavior as a child, are related to a mental health condition, or stem from a past wounding event, these fears influence a character's behaviors, habits, beliefs, and … [Read more...] about Fear Thesaurus Entry: Physical Pain
3 Action-Reaction Misfires That Flatten Your Writing
Cause and effect. Stimulus and response. Action and reaction. Everything in a story depends on what the characters do about whatever the story pushes them up against. Stiff, disconnected, or missing character reactions snap the chain of cause and effect that constitutes your story. When readers … [Read more...] about 3 Action-Reaction Misfires That Flatten Your Writing
Writing Antagonists Readers Can’t Help But Like
There's a dirty little secret among many of us readers: well-written antagonists get our blood pumping. When a scene come along with them in it, well, we lean closer. Grin a little more. Not because we're a bunch of budding psychopaths and this is some alter-ego role play--okay, maybe a little--no, … [Read more...] about Writing Antagonists Readers Can’t Help But Like
The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus: Pain
DESCRIPTION: While there are different kinds of discomfort a character could suffer, this entry focuses on physical pain, which is most often associated with an injury or illness. For discomfort that continues for a prolonged period, see CHRONIC PAIN. PHYSICAL SIGNALS AND BEHAVIORSPale or blotchy … [Read more...] about The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus: Pain
Using Physical Pain to Show a Character’s Past Trauma
There doesn’t seem to be much info out there to tell writers how to realistically capture emotions and trauma while still leaving room for plot, characterization, and genre tropes. The most common problem I see is that the character THINKS about their past trauma—they have flashbacks and … [Read more...] about Using Physical Pain to Show a Character’s Past Trauma
A Mother Lode of Resources on Writing Conflict
With the recent release of the 2nd Volume of The Conflict Thesaurus, Angela and I have been here, there, and everywhere, sharing everything we've learned about what conflict can do for your stories and characters. Because we don't want you to miss a thing, we've collected them here, into one … [Read more...] about A Mother Lode of Resources on Writing Conflict
Want Success? Get Back to Joyous Writing
By James Scott Bell “Things were tough at the moment. I hadn't worked in a studio for a long time. So I sat there, grinding out original stories, two a week. Only I seemed to have lost my touch. Maybe they weren't original enough. Maybe they were too original. All I know is, they didn't sell.” … [Read more...] about Want Success? Get Back to Joyous Writing
4 Tips for Writing Your Character’s PTSD and Trauma Memories
Trauma: any event that overwhelms our ability to cope, causes feelings of helplessness, and diminishes our ability to feel a full range of emotions. Anything can be traumatic depending on the individual and what they can cope with. Giving a character a trauma background, having them … [Read more...] about 4 Tips for Writing Your Character’s PTSD and Trauma Memories
Writing Process vs. Product: Do You Focus on the Doing or the Having?
Which is more important—the process of writing or the product that results? It's not something we think much about, but as creatives, one of these two things is typically motivating us. And it's good to know what our drivers are. I'm glad David Duhr is talking about this today, because it's … [Read more...] about Writing Process vs. Product: Do You Focus on the Doing or the Having?
Reflections on Some Favorite Writing Quotes
Do you collect writer quotes? You should. They can be inspirational and instructive. It’s great to turn to them in times when you feel in the writing doldrums. Here are seven of my favorite writer quotes, and why I like them. You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you. –Ray … [Read more...] about Reflections on Some Favorite Writing Quotes