Hi guys! I hope you found our session on Emotional Wounds helpful. It's such an important piece of information and with it, you'll be able to write character behavior authentically and writing stunning character arcs! Additional resources you might find helpful: Further Reading What Is … [Read more...] about Workshop: Brainstorming an Emotional Wound
Search Results for: how to show emotion
How to Write Emotion Well: Know Your Character
We've all read stories where our breath slows, the world falls away, and the page disappears. We're somewhere else, a place that isn't real, yet is. We're with people who don't exist, yet somehow do. We see what they see. Feel what they feel. We are in the moment, captive, compelled, not just … [Read more...] about How to Write Emotion Well: Know Your Character
Show-Don’t-Tell Help
Show-Don't-Tell is one of the most common pieces of advice...so common that many writers get sick of hearing about it: Yeah, yeah, show, don't tell. I got it, I got it. (But if it was easy to 'get' then editors, agents, and critique partners probably wouldn't red pen those three words so often, … [Read more...] about Show-Don’t-Tell Help
Workshop: Hidden Emotion & Subtext
Hi guys! Thanks so much for joining me for a session on hidden/repressed emotions and subtext. I hope it was a helpful workshop and it gave you lots of ideas on how to write fresh emotional description! Below are some additional resources you might find helpful. Further Reading: … [Read more...] about Workshop: Hidden Emotion & Subtext
Determining Your Character’s Emotional Range
I firmly believe that while readers sometimes do connect with our stories, they more often fall in love with our characters. If we want to really pull readers in, we’ve got to make each protagonist relatable and easy to connect with. This can be a tall order when you consider that each reader … [Read more...] about Determining Your Character’s Emotional Range
Conflict Thesaurus Entry: A Competitor Showing Up
Conflict is very often the magic sauce for generating tension and turning a ho-hum story into one that rivets readers. As such, every scene should contain a struggle of some kind. Maybe it's an internal tug-of-war having to do with difficult decisions, morals, or temptations. Or it possibly could … [Read more...] about Conflict Thesaurus Entry: A Competitor Showing Up
The Emotional Roller Coaster all Writers Experience
Welcoming Martha Alderson (The Plot Whisperer) today, who is brilliant at digging down to the deepest layers of a story. Martha's new book, Boundless Creativity: A Spiritual Workbook for Overcoming Self-Doubt, Emotional Traps, and Other Creative Blocks (affiliate link) tackles the inner journey of … [Read more...] about The Emotional Roller Coaster all Writers Experience
Conflict Thesaurus Entry: An Estranged Relative Showing Up
Conflict is very often the magic sauce for generating tension and turning a ho-hum story into one that rivets readers. As such, every scene should contain a struggle of some kind. Maybe it's an internal tug-of-war having to do with difficult decisions, morals, or temptations. Or it possibly could … [Read more...] about Conflict Thesaurus Entry: An Estranged Relative Showing Up
What Is Emotional Context And Why Does Your Story Need It?
Have you ever had an editor or critique partner say “go deeper”? And you throw up your hands and glare at the screen because you DID go deeper. Deep point of view is a writing technique that aims to create an emotional connection for readers by immersing them in real time in the character’s … [Read more...] about What Is Emotional Context And Why Does Your Story Need It?
Mastering Show, Don’t Tell
We hear it over and over: Show, don't tell. You can't get away from this advice, not in writing workshops, at conferences, or heck, even when visiting this blog. Writers Helping Writers and the thesaurus work we do is all about strengthening show, don't tell skills. There's a good reason for … [Read more...] about Mastering Show, Don’t Tell
The Emotionally Intelligent Writer
I’m a psychologist, so I like to believe there are a set of characteristics that can predict author success. Sure, like any subset of the population—and I’m going to define ‘successful authors’ as those who generate a full-time income from their writing—there’s always going to be diversity, … [Read more...] about The Emotionally Intelligent Writer
Three Ways Writers Tell, Not Show (And How You Can Fix Them)
One of my favorite writing coaches is here with us to dish some helpful advice on Show and Tell. Please welcome Janice Hardy and read on... Show, don’t tell, is drilled into every writer’s head, and most of us have been frustrated over it. In my early writing days, I spent months figuring out … [Read more...] about Three Ways Writers Tell, Not Show (And How You Can Fix Them)