Use Conflict to Target a Character’s Soft Spots
Use Conflict to Target a Character’s Soft Spots
Conflict is a key story ingredient, one we need a lot of, but this doesn’t mean quantity is better than quality. Fiction isn’t a video game; waves of bad guys…
Read more…Fear Thesaurus
Fear Thesaurus
What is your character afraid of? We’re not talking about spiders, creepy dolls, and invisible Legos in the night. Wounded characters will have crippling fears that paralyze them and limit…
Read more…“Perfect to Me”: How Self-Editing Can Take Your Novel to the Next Stage
“Perfect to Me”: How Self-Editing Can Take Your Novel to the Next Stage
By Michelle Barker Part of the trick of hiring an editor is knowing when your manuscript is ready to hand over to them. There’s no point submitting a draft that…
Read more…Writers, Grab a Knife: How To Kill Your Darlings
Writers, Grab a Knife: How To Kill Your Darlings
Good writing involves rewriting. An essential part of rewriting is combing through the first draft and carving out material that isn’t essential. When we edit out nonessentials, we are killing…
Read more…Use Awe to Spark Creativity
Use Awe to Spark Creativity
Awe is Integral to Creativity Unless you’re a full-time author, finding time and/or motivation to write can be challenging. So, finding time to boost your creativity at the expense of…
Read more…How Symbolism Adds Depth to a Story
How Symbolism Adds Depth to a Story
I think we all agree, stories need to be more than a character, goal, and a series of scenarios that keep the two apart. Reading isn’t a mechanical action after…
Read more…How to Draw Readers in Through a Character’s Choices
How to Draw Readers in Through a Character’s Choices
Quick, what’s one thing you need in every scene? This question can have a lot of answers – tension, conflict, stakes, emotion, action…on and on it goes. But I would…
Read more…How to Show Emotion for Non-Viewpoint Characters
How to Show Emotion for Non-Viewpoint Characters
Those of you who are familiar with me know that Angela Ackerman and I talk a lot about emotion. A LOT. That’s because we believe that clearly conveying emotion—particularly that of…
Read more…5 Ways Trauma Makes Your Character an Unreliable Narrator
5 Ways Trauma Makes Your Character an Unreliable Narrator
Trauma is defined as anything that’s overwhelming or unpleasant that causes long-term mental or emotional problems. It rewires the brain and causes disordered thinking. So, if you’re looking for a…
Read more…Describing a Character’s Emotions: Problems and Solutions
Describing a Character’s Emotions: Problems and Solutions
Characters are the heart of a story, but what really draws readers in is their emotions. Only…showing them isn’t always easy, is it? Like us in the real world, characters…
Read more…Workshop: Brainstorming an Emotional Wound
Workshop: Brainstorming an Emotional Wound
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…
Read more…The Journey to Success
The Journey to Success
One of the things I love most about being an author is the opportunity to read books from people I personally know. I have read fabulous books by authors whom…
Read more…
Comments are closed.