How Does Internal Conflict Fit into the Character’s Arc?
How Does Internal Conflict Fit into the Character’s Arc?
If you’re writing a story in which your character will need to evolve internally to achieve his goal, a cohesive and well-planned character arc will be vital to its success.…
Read more…How to Reveal a Character’s Internal Conflict
How to Reveal a Character’s Internal Conflict
If you’ve been on the writing trail long enough, you’ve heard plenty of talk surrounding conflict and the role it plays in storytelling. Whatever form it takes—annoying neighbors, quarrels with…
Read more…Use Amplifiers to Force Your Character to Face Inner Conflict
Use Amplifiers to Force Your Character to Face Inner Conflict
Inner conflict is one of the most powerful sources of character tension because it forces a protagonist to wrestle with competing wants, fears, beliefs, duties, and values. But what happens…
Read more…5 Mistakes Writers Make When Describing a Character’s Fear
5 Mistakes Writers Make When Describing a Character’s Fear
Fear is one of the most powerful emotions in a story so avoiding common mistakes is paramount. When readers sense a character is experiencing fear they practically lean in, waiting…
Read more…Strengthen Your Story by Throwing Rocks at Your Characters
Strengthen Your Story by Throwing Rocks at Your Characters
If there’s one thing we all know, it’s that life is stressful. Each day, we’re bombarded with obstacles, challenges, and upsets. We navigate what we can, go to bed, and…
Read more…Will Your Story Keep Readers Hooked?
Will Your Story Keep Readers Hooked?
I’m reading a novel right now. It started out okay, but somewhere around chapter five, I noticed I was skimming—just moving my eyes across the page as fast as I…
Read more…The Emotion Thesaurus is Amazon’s Daily Kindle Deal (1.49) + a Discount on Character Thesaurus eBooks
The Emotion Thesaurus is Amazon’s Daily Kindle Deal (1.49) + a Discount on Character Thesaurus eBooks
Great characters aren’t built from a single element. They’re shaped by emotions, personality traits, fears, past wounds, goals, and the roles they play in their world. That’s why our character-focused…
Read more…Coping Mechanism Thesaurus: Cultivating Trust
Coping Mechanism Thesaurus: Cultivating Trust
When a character suffers emotional pain, the brain’s response is to stop the discomfort, and often this results in a coping mechanism being deployed. Whether it’s an automatic response or…
Read more…8+ Ways to Signal Your Character’s Fear to Readers
8+ Ways to Signal Your Character’s Fear to Readers
With no shortage of things that can trigger a character’s fear, learning how to show it becomes just as important to writers as plotting, character-building, and crafting a realistic story…
Read more…Coping Mechanism Thesaurus: Visualization
Coping Mechanism Thesaurus: Visualization
When a character suffers emotional pain, the brain’s response is to stop the discomfort, and often this results in a coping mechanism being deployed. Whether it’s an automatic response or…
Read more…Coping Mechanism Thesaurus: Fantasizing About Revenge
Coping Mechanism Thesaurus: Fantasizing About Revenge
When a character suffers emotional pain, the brain’s response is to stop the discomfort, and often this results in a coping mechanism being deployed. Whether it’s an automatic response or…
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