Writing Tips

As authors we hold all the cards when it comes to how and when we reveal key information to our readers. Withholding certain details can create intrigue and set up twists the reader doesn’t see coming. But if we aren’t careful, our readers might feel confused or cheated and consider our purposeful withholding as breaking… The post The Art of Withholding Information appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

By Janice Hardy Character archetypes are a useful tool in creating characters for a novel. At some point in your writing journey, you’ve probably come across the term “archetype.” This has no doubt led you to articles quoting Carl Jung (the father of psychology) and his twelve character types. Pursuing that further, has likely led to multiple articles about the variations of those and the common archetypes used in fiction. And then your head likely started spinning and you wondered how the heck any of that was going to help you write a better novel. But there’s a difference between Jungian archetypes and fictional archetypes. Jung’s focus was on defining the human psyche, not telling a grand tale, so his list tends be more thematic in nature. Which is great if you’re writing literary fiction with Deep and Meaningful […]

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 a learned go-to strategy, a mechanism helps them cope with the stress of the moment or escape the hurt of it. But if the character… The post Coping Mechanism Thesaurus: Fantasizing About Revenge appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

Want to win editorial feedback and take your storyfrom good to great? Well, my writerly friend, you’re in luck! It’s time for our monthly Phenomenal First Pages contest. In this draw, you can win… Editorial feedback on the first 5 pages of your novel. This contest is closed. Please try again next month. If you’d like… The post Win Feedback on 5 pages! appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

Fear is more than just an emotion–it’s also a powerful internal warning system. When a threat is perceived, fear kicks in, alerting a character to possible danger so they can protect themselves. In other words, fear helps them survive. However, over time, fear has a darker influence. It can magnify certain worries, make threats larger… The post The Fear Thesaurus Is Now Available Everywhere + a Giveaway! appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

By Janice Hardy Our inner editor is an enemy to our muse—here’s how to shut it up. I think writers would get a lot more written if there was a “first draft keyboard” without a delete or backspace key. Sure, those first drafts would be a mess, but we’d be free to just type and let the words flow without the ability to fix them—so there’d be no inner editor telling us to go back and tweak them. It’s only natural to want to write the best draft possible, but sometimes the creative process needs to be set free to get anywhere. Constantly stopping to tweak or fix a word can sap our creative energy and lower our productivity. Setting aside some time to write without that inner editor nagging you is a liberating experience. The more you write without it, the more often it will sit back and let you do your thing […]

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 a learned go-to strategy, a mechanism helps them cope with the stress of the moment or escape the hurt of it. But if the character… The post Coping Mechanism Thesaurus: Living in the Past appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

Writing authentic fear reactions can be challenging—even when we understand our character well. Why? Because each character has their own personality, background, trauma, and triggers, meaning their fear response to perceived threats will be unique. Showing our character’s fear-driven behavior, choices, and perceptions is a skill worth mastering because fear is a powerful common ground… The post Free Workshop: How to Write Fear That Feels Real appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

As many of you know, we recently released a new book – The Fear Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to What Holds Characters Back. This volume takes you into the dark world of fear and how it steers your character’s actions, choices, and behavior, reshaping how they see the world, themselves, and what they’re willing to… The post Fear Thesaurus Expansion at One Stop for Writers + Save 25% appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

By Janice Hardy Many readers decide before the end of the first page if they’re going to keep reading. A lot of pressure is put on the opening page of a novel, and for good reason. It’s the first impression the reader gets, and if that reader isn’t hooked in some way, they won’t move on to the second page. As unfair as it seems, 250 words (roughly one page) are often all you get to convince readers to stay with your story and read your book. It might be tempting to pack the entire story into that first page, but that’s absolutely the wrong approach.  All you have to do is give readers something that promises them that your novel will be worth reading. Which is much easier to do than you might think. One caveat before we move on: I’m referring to new novels from authors who don’t have an established readership. […]

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 a learned go-to strategy, a mechanism helps them cope with the stress of the moment or escape the hurt of it. But if the character… The post Coping Mechanism Thesaurus Entry: Self-Care appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

When we think about phobias, extreme fear comes to mind. But phobias are actually considered a class of anxiety disorder, and they hijack the body’s alarm system. Understanding how this happens is important to ensure we don’t inadvertently perpetuate mental health stereotypes in our writing. Fear is an instinctual reaction to a real or perceived… The post Fears vs. Phobias: What Writers Need to Know appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

Loa was not just a good dog, but rather, the best dog. And I know that all dogs are good dogs, and all dogs are the best dogs; that’s just how dogs are. But the reality is, when I say it, I need you to understand I really mean it. Every dog is the best

Words … words … words. Every story needs them. But they must be suitable for each situation. Don’t season your writing with words that provide the wrong flavor. If you pull readers out of your narrative with anything that doesn’t … Continue reading →

In the real world, no two people are alike, which means each of us expresses emotion in our own way. Some people find it natural to share what they feel with those around them, while others find the idea of revealing what they feel horrifying and will avoid situations that could lead to such vulnerability…. The post How to Write Authentic Emotion appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

By Janice Hardy Little tweaks can make a big difference in our novels. It always amazes me how many decisions go into writing a strong novel. There’s the big stuff, like the plot and characters, but something as simple as your title, or where you break your scenes can be the difference between a good book and great book.Use too many clichés? The novel feels familiar and unoriginal. Throw in a ton of adverbs? Your readers don’t feel the full weight of the story’s emotional layer. You have so many opportunities to write a strong novel, and more writers should take advantage of that fact. It’s not necessarily their fault, either. Maybe they didn’t learn a technique, or no one ever told them their writing had problems they could easily fix. Writing has a ton of moving parts, and there’s a lot to learn. I’ve been writing […]

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 a learned go-to strategy, a mechanism helps them cope with the stress of the moment or escape the hurt of it. But if the character… The post Coping Mechanism Thesaurus Entry: Dissociation appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

Author, copyeditor, and writing coach C. S. Lakin shares ways to create microtension through setting descriptions. You’re probably wondering what microtension is, and what it has to do with fiction writing. Oddly, very little has been written on the topic, yet it’s an essential element that supercharges our writing. No, it’s not the tension created… The post Creating Microtension Through Setting Description appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

The clock ticks! The calendar pages fly off the wall. The sun rises and sets and rises again. Winter is coming! And the wheel turns. Which is to say, I’m uncmaxxing in my agemogging era, bruh, ngl. Which is to more to say, oh shit, I’m 50 years old. As it is my birthday, I

By Angela Ackerman Part of the How They Do It SeriesJH: Fear is at the heart of so many stories, because it’s often what’s keeping the protagonist from whatever it is they want in the story. It has so many potential uses in writing great fiction, and Angela Ackerman is here to share some genre-specific ones for us today.Take it away Angela… No matter the genre, fear is always present. It anchors readers in the character’s experience by closing the gap between story and reality. Fear taps into our instinct for self-preservation and the universal struggle to manage it without letting it take over. But fear doesn’t look the same in every genre. Reader expectations shape the kinds of dangers characters face and the fears that drive their choices. In some stories, fear centers on emotional vulnerability and relationships; […]