Writing Tips

By Janice HardyAt the heart of every story is a person with a problem, and the more compelling that person is, the better the story will be. Imagine you’re having lunch one day when you overhear an animated group at a table, gossiping about a bunch of people with crazy lives. Some of them debate which hottie Jess should end up with, while others discuss the terrible behavior of Selene, and not one of them can agree on what Alastair is really up to.You lean closer, curious about this wild group, and soon realize they’re not talking about life on the cul-de-sac, but their favorite novel—or more specifically—their favorite characters. If you’re a writer (or a reader), discussing fictional people as if they really existed is normal. For writers, it’s even encouraged.A well-drawn character comes to life on the page, and […]

In my last post, I discussed why chapter endings can be tricky (because they provide a natural stopping point for readers) and how to counteract that. By using a variety of endings—cliffhangers, something unexpected, a goodbye, comforting closure—you can end a chapter in a way that sustains momentum and encourages readers to keep reading. But… The post Use Literary Devices to Propel Readers Past Chapter Endings appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

Firstly, I note that we are now in the one-month-ish run-up to The Calamities, which of course means I’m going to be louder and more annoying about that book for the next four or so weeks. (And then, let’s be honest, after that, too.) So, as pre-penance, here is a picture of a puffin. That

Standard Manuscript Format for Writers Last month, I shared my tips for How to Use Scrivener (Without Anxiety). But as I mentioned in that post, the industry standard for publishing is Microsoft Word. So if you just can’t get on board with Scrivener, I’m back with some tips for some of the other common word-processing… The post Making the Most of Your Word Processing Tools appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

Alien first contact tangles up with portal fantasy in this lush, adventurous tale, perfect for anyone who grew up dreaming of visiting Narnia or traveling to the stars. Lady Ada Quintrall, heir to her grandfather the Duke of Corbridge, wants nothing more than to see her family’s new planet successfully terraformed, restoring their fortune and

By Janice Hardy The guiding force at the center of a character.  When we’re developing characters, there’s a lot to think about. We need to create names, backgrounds, personalities, likes, dislikes, flaws, strengths—the list can go on and on. But at the center of all those traits is a guiding force that influences them all. The character’s emotional core. Although people (and thus characters) can be complicated creatures, the emotional core is a simple thing. It’s the primary driving emotion behind a character’s thoughts and behavior. Think about the people in your life. If you had to describe them in one word, what would it be? Cheerful? Selfish? Cheap? Generous? Loving? Goofy? This doesn’t mean they always act this way, but a selfish person tends to think of themselves first and even their generous […]

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 MG or YA. This contest is closed. Please try again next month. If… The post Win Feedback on 5 Pages! appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

Your character’s voice is the reader’s guide through your story. Readers hear your character in their head before they see them in their mind’s eye. A well-developed character voice stays with the reader long after they finish your book. When the voices aren’t unique, you’ll know… The Six Ingredients of Character Voice When character voices… The post How to Write Unique, Memorable Character Voices appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

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 could, trying to get to the next thing. And here’s what I know about myself as a reader: when I’m truly hooked on a story,… The post Will Your Story Keep Readers Hooked? appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

When I tell writers how much I love using Scrivener to write my novels, I often get some version of “I bought it, but I’ve never used it because it’s so complicated/confusing/frustrating.” If that sounds familiar, this is the post for you. Scrivener is a word-processing tool designed specifically for writers of book-length projects. It… The post How to Use Scrivener (Without Anxiety) appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

By Janice Hardy A first-person narrator has a unique set of challenges, and describing emotions is one of them.  For many readers, emotion is a big reason why they picked up a particular novel. They want to feel connected to the characters, experience life through their eyes, escape into their worlds. Bringing those emotions to the surface is critical to bringing the story to life. Except sometimes, we go overboard and shift from emotion to melodrama. Our protagonists are too whiny, too stuck in their heads, too self-aware of what they’re feeling all the time and that draws attention away from the story. This is particularly easy to do with a first person narrator, because everything is so deep in that character’s point of view. If we go emotionally overboard, our characters don’t feel like real people, because no one […]

Have you ever gone to a new restaurant, ordered a burger, and discovered it has some sort of luscious, zippy sauce that elevates the entire meal into the ecstasy zone? Amazing, right? Well, Becca and I call conflict a story’s “secret sauce” because it does the same thing – elevates the situation in a way… The post How to Twist Office Romance Into Fresh Conflict appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

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 thesaurus guides are designed to work together. Each guide helps you understand your character’s layers from a different angle, helping you craft someone who authentic,… The post The Emotion Thesaurus is Amazon’s Daily Kindle Deal (1.49) + a Discount on Character Thesaurus eBooks appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

As authors, we give a lot of attention to our openings—where to start the story, polishing the first pages—because they’re important for pulling readers in. But what about endings, particularly chapter endings? Chapters are necessary because they break the text into chunks and make it more manageable for readers. The problem is that chapter endings… The post 11 Chapter Endings to Keep Readers Turning Pages appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

By Janice HardyTo be a great writer, it helps to be a terrible parent (but only to your characters).I have this philosophy for my characters—what doesn’t kill them makes them more interesting. It allows me to be as ruthless and mean to them as I want, because I know that in the end, all their suffering will make readers love them even more.My characters aren’t happy about this, of course, but they understand the necessity.One of my favorite “evil things” to do to them is force them to face horrible, if not impossible, choices. Choices that will tear them in two, make them question themselves and the path they took, and often leave them in dire situations with no hope in sight. <cackles gleefully> Why do I heap such hardships on my poor characters? Because…Difficult challenges and impossible choices make […]

I learned something fascinating about holly this week (besides that it can be a bush or a tree). What I learned is specific to the leaves. Apparently, holly leaves don’t start out prickly because they’re naturally cranky. They’re prickly because life happened to them. Let me explain… Scientists discovered that every holly leaf contains the… The post How Are Writers like Holly Bushes? appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

Return to the mushroom metropolis of Neo Kinoko, immerse yourself in a sinister world of gangsters, blackmail, and fungal cuisine, and prepare for a Michelin-star tragedy in six courses. The knives are out in this fast-paced, standalone Fungalverse novel. Set several months after the events of the award-winning Mushroom Blues, this side story combines the

You’re Not Alone Most writers feel overwhelmed with writing at some point. It’s part of the process! However, knowing this and dealing with it are two separate things. It’s all very well someone like me telling you it’s normal. What are the steps to getting out of this headspace? Let’s break it down. Ready? Let’s… The post What To Do If You Feel Overwhelmed With Writing appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

Psst. Psst. New book alert. Middle grade. My weird take on portal fantasy. Out February 2027. Preorder here, or here. (Cover by the amazing James Firnhaber!)

By Janice Hardy The primary goal of an opening scene is to make readers want to read the next scene.  You’d be surprised how often writers forget the whole point of an opening scene, because their focus is on establishing the setting, introducing the protagonist, and telling readers all about the cool story waiting for them. Don’t get me wrong, these are all important things, but on their own they’re not going to do what an opening scene needs to do—grab readers and keep them reading. And the best way to grab readers is to give them a puzzle they’ll want to know the answer to.  An intriguing first line that poses a question (literal or metaphorical), an unusual situation, a mystery, a contradiction that doesn’t quite make sense. A great voice and character they want to get to know better is another way to hook […]