Leverage Your Setting to Add Natural Conflict
In a post on Writers Helping Writers, Angela Ackerman says that your setting can provide a dash of organic conflict that spices up your...
Is Your Hero Someone We Can Root For?
A post on Industrial Scripts shares advice for creating and maintaining empathetic characters, with examples from classic films. "Empathetic characters are the cornerstones of...
Even Low Stakes Ball Can Create High Tension
In a new post, Tiffany Yates Martin illustrates how you can engage your audience in a story, even if the stakes aren't earth-shattering.
In her...
The Beauty of Subtext
In a post on the Killzone blog, Karen Lin examines subtext and how to use it well. "If dialogue is about what the dialogue...
When Fear is in the Driver’s Seat
In a post on Writers Helping Writers, Angela Ackerman shares tips for uncovering your protagonist's deepest fears. More than a horror staple, fear can...
Incorporating Family Into Your Character Web
Does your family bug you? Even if you love your family, your fictional characters probably have a more complicated relationship. In an article for...
What’s so Great About Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind?
A post on Industrial Scripts examines the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind to discuss what elements make for a powerful ending. Spoilers!
The...
Advice for Helping Your Characters Speak Across Time
In an article for Writer's Digest, Stephanie Marie Thornton offers advice for managing multiple timelines in your novel. In her novel Her Lost Words,...
Questions to Ask Before You Write That Novel
In a new edition of his column on LitReactor, Richard Thomas suggests a series of elements you should consider to determine if you're ready...
Core Conflict Drives Tension
In their latest episode on dramatic tension, the Writing Excuses hosts examine conflict. There are plenty of ways to present conflict, but you have...