How to Avoid Clichéd Emotional Reactions
How to Avoid Clichéd Emotional Reactions
The single tear trickling down the cheek. A kiss that leaves one’s knees weak. The grin that stretches from ear to ear. Yawn Oh, excuse me. I almost fell asleep…
Read more…Structuring an Ensemble Cast with Plotlines
Structuring an Ensemble Cast with Plotlines
Writing an ensemble cast can feel daunting, especially when most writing advice is for stories that feature one, or maybe two, lead characters. How is an author supposed to structure…
Read more…Behind the Scenes: How to Craft Compelling Backstory
Behind the Scenes: How to Craft Compelling Backstory
A character’s backstory is where all the gold is buried in terms of their motivations and misbeliefs. Who we are in the present depends to a large extent on what…
Read more…Differentiate Your Character with a Talent or Skill
Differentiate Your Character with a Talent or Skill
One worry that can plague writers is whether their characters are original enough or not. After all, readers meet a lot of characters over time, so how can writers make…
Read more…Three Essentials for Engaging Reader Emotion in the Setup
Three Essentials for Engaging Reader Emotion in the Setup
As authors, we all know the importance of engaging our audience within a book’s first few pages. Grabbing the reader: captivating them in a way that makes them want to…
Read more…Does Your Scene Need More Tension? Add an Emotion Amplifier!
Does Your Scene Need More Tension? Add an Emotion Amplifier!
Emotion and tension often go hand in hand. If character emotion is low, story tension is also probably waning. On the flip side, tension is likely on the rise when…
Read more…What is an Emotion Amplifier?
What is an Emotion Amplifier?
Since compiling our original Emotion Amplifier ebooklet in 2014, Angela and I have discovered so much about them. They’re way more versatile than we first imagined, and we’re stoked to…
Read more…Why Writers Should Use Psychology In Their Storytelling
Why Writers Should Use Psychology In Their Storytelling
A writer’s job is to do one thing well: pull the reader in. Our words should act like a tractor beam, sucking them into our story’s world. We tap into…
Read more…Write Like a Magician: Creating the Illusion of an Unseen Character
Write Like a Magician: Creating the Illusion of an Unseen Character
Whenever we write a protagonist who lost someone important within their backstory, we have some heavy lifting ahead of us. That “unseen” character—a character who has died or who is…
Read more…Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus: Cognitive Bias
Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus: Cognitive Bias
DESCRIPTION: Cognitive biases occur when a character processes new information based on their personal ideas, perceptions, and experiences rather than viewing it through an objective lens. While biases are natural…
Read more…The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus (May 2024 Release)
The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus (May 2024 Release)
We’re adding to our Thesaurus family! It’s been a while since our last book as we needed to recalibrate our release schedule from fall to spring (resulting in a year…
Read more…Continuing a Series: Is This Info Too Repetitive?
Continuing a Series: Is This Info Too Repetitive?
We’ve probably seen advice warning that any time our story revisits information, we risk the idea feeling repetitive or redundant to readers if we’re not careful. Not surprisingly, the same…
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