Showing Character Emotion: Why Moving Beyond the Face
Showing Character Emotion: Why Moving Beyond the Face
The face is the first thing we notice in real life, and the focal point during any conversation. We connect to a person’s gaze, paying attention to how their eyes widen,…
Read more…Top Tips for Writing Multiple POV Novels
Top Tips for Writing Multiple POV Novels
Lisa Gail Green is here to offer some thoughts on writing multiple POVs. This is a route some authors go, but handling more than one protagonist is not easy. Lisa’s…
Read more…The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Stress and Volatility
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…
Read more…5 Top Tips for Strong Pacing
5 Top Tips for Strong Pacing
Pacing is an interesting story element because when you get it right, no one notices, but when it’s off, it’s obvious. Diagnosing problems with pacing isn’t always straightforward, either. One…
Read more…Story Midpoint & Mirror Moment: Using Heroes’ Emotions To Transform Them
Story Midpoint & Mirror Moment: Using Heroes’ Emotions To Transform Them
I recently read a Huff Post psychology piece on Turning Negative Emotions Into Your Greatest Advantage and immediately saw how this could also apply to our characters. Feel free to…
Read more…Lessons From James Scott Bell: Characters That Jump Off The Page
Lessons From James Scott Bell: Characters That Jump Off The Page
A week (ish) ago, I had the pleasure of attending a workshop with bestselling author and writing coach, James Scott Bell. It was a fantastic day of learning how to…
Read more…What Killed It For Me #4: Cliché Characters
What Killed It For Me #4: Cliché Characters
It’s hard to come up with characters who are believable yet don’t sound like every other character out there. It’s especially easy to fall into this trap with certain archetypes,…
Read more…Understanding Character Wounds: A List Of Common Themes
Understanding Character Wounds: A List Of Common Themes
Characters are the heart of a novel, and within that heart is the Hero’s Inner Journey. The protagonist’s path is much like yours or mine–one that will (hopefully) bring him…
Read more…What to Do Before Revising a Nano Novel
What to Do Before Revising a Nano Novel
After completing NaNoWriMo or another month-long writing challenge, it’s easy to want to continue the momentum and dive right into revising. RESIST! All books benefit from resting, and one written…
Read more…Conflict vs. Tension: How Are They Different?
Conflict vs. Tension: How Are They Different?
One of my favorite Aha moments as a writer came in the form of feedback from a critiquer. (Shout out to all the critique partners!) She kept writing notes in my manuscript,…
Read more…The Four Types of Character Flaws
The Four Types of Character Flaws
Hostile Characters, like real people, will have flaws, aspects of their personality that shape their behavior and worldview in negative (destructive) ways. These flaws cause them to think, act, and…
Read more…Finding Your Character’s Weakness
Finding Your Character’s Weakness
Flaw: Arrogance Jordan McCollum is here to discuss the importance of giving your character realistic flaws, so please read on. Who doesn’t love a shiny new idea? Crafting a plot,…
Read more…
Comments are closed.