When we start brainstorming a character, we usually focus on their traits—qualities, flaws, quirks, habits, likes, and dislikes. Then we dig deeper, building out their backstory: who influenced them, what experiences shaped them (the good and the bad), and which emotional wounds still linger. All of … [Read more...] about Show Character Depth by Challenging Their Moral Beliefs
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The Emotional Roller Coaster: Why Characters Resist Change
I'm reading this fascinating book about the human brain and how we can evolve through concentrated intention and awareness. One of the terrific nuggets is the belief that every emotion, good or bad, sends a flood of chemicals through the body, and that repeated "doses" of this cocktail turns our … [Read more...] about The Emotional Roller Coaster: Why Characters Resist Change
Emotional Wounds Thesaurus Entry: Being Raised by Neglectful Parents
When you're writing a character, it's important to know why she is the way she is. Knowing her backstory is important to achieving this end, and one of the most impactful pieces of a character's backstory is her emotional wound. This negative experience from the past … [Read more...] about Emotional Wounds Thesaurus Entry: Being Raised by Neglectful Parents
Emotional Wound Thesaurus: Finding Out One’s Child Was Abused
When you're writing a character, it's important to know why she is the way she is. Knowing her backstory is important to achieving this end, and one of the most impactful pieces of a character's backstory is her emotional wound. This negative experience from the past … [Read more...] about Emotional Wound Thesaurus: Finding Out One’s Child Was Abused
Emotional Wounds Thesaurus Entry: Becoming a Caregiver at a Young Age
When you're writing a character, it's important to know why she is the way she is. Knowing her backstory is important to achieving this end, and one of the most impactful pieces of a character's backstory is her emotional wound. This negative experience from the past … [Read more...] about Emotional Wounds Thesaurus Entry: Becoming a Caregiver at a Young Age
Why Is Your Character’s Emotional Wound So Important?
Emotional wounds hold incredible power, steering a hero’s motives, actions, and beliefs. They damage their sense of self worth, filter how they view the world, and dictate how they interact with other people, making it harder for them to achieve their goals. So what exactly is a wound? An … [Read more...] about Why Is Your Character’s Emotional Wound So Important?
The Connection Between Emotional Wounds and Basic Needs
As many of you may know, we have a new thesaurus, one that looks into a problematic (yet SO important) area: Emotional Wounds. It's somewhat intuitive to see how a traumatic event might spawn specific fears or cause flaws or attributes to form. What isn't quite so clear is the relationship … [Read more...] about The Connection Between Emotional Wounds and Basic Needs
Emotional Wound Thesaurus
Below are condensed sample entries from our popular emotional wound thesaurus as they first appeared here on our blog. It has since been developed into the bestselling book: The Emotional Wounds Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Psychological Trauma. This resource profiles well over 100 … [Read more...] about Emotional Wound Thesaurus
The Art of Story: When Telling Trumps Showing
Show, don’t tell advice helps us craft immersive fiction because showing involves readers, but this doesn't mean there's no place for telling. Telling is necessary sometimes, and a story will be better for it. The real question is, when is it okay to tell, not show? 1. High Action or Fast … [Read more...] about The Art of Story: When Telling Trumps Showing
The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Stress and Volatility
Release date: May 13th, 2024 Welcome to the 2nd edition of Emotion Amplifiers—expanded and updated! Characters who are in control of their emotions rarely slip up, which makes for boring reading. To avoid that pitfall, channel your dark side and introduce stress that will make it harder for … [Read more...] about The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Stress and Volatility
Writing Emotion: Does Your Hero Shrug, Smile & Frown Too Much?
Crutch gestures can sometimes get in the way of good writing. They come in all shapes and sizes--maybe an eye roll, a clenched stomach, curled fists or shrugs--cues we writers tend to overuse while trying to convey what our character is feeling. Coming up with fresh emotional description … [Read more...] about Writing Emotion: Does Your Hero Shrug, Smile & Frown Too Much?
Writing Extreme Emotion Without The Melodrama
Finding the right balance of emotion can be difficult; too little and the reader will feel no empathy for the characters, but too much, and the scene becomes melodramatic. Melodrama will pull readers right out of the story because the character’s reactions seem too ‘over the top’. If all emotions … [Read more...] about Writing Extreme Emotion Without The Melodrama