While there are many kinds of stories, most of them today are about a protagonist navigating a change or growth arc. In this model, the character undergoes a personal journey of evolution; they realize that their hurts, habits, or hang-ups are keeping them from success and, over time, adopt healthier responses and behaviors that enable them to achieve their story goal and become fulfilled.

Now, this isn’t a straightforward process. It’s a two-steps-forward-one-step-back journey that will require a lot of difficulties and poor choices before the character realizes the need for change. So, as authors, we put a ton of thought into planning and incorporating those conflict scenarios.

What we don’t spend so much time on is the second half of the arc, when growth is underway.

Once the character decides to change course, they’ll start moving the right direction. But they won’t always stay on the straight and narrow. Their old responses may be ineffective, but they’re comfortable and familiar. And change is hard. So the path to success (or failure, if your story showcases a failed arc) will be messy, alternating between forward progress and regression.

But growth should gradually be happening, and readers need to see this because it provides hope that the character could actually succeed. Luckily, there are many growth milestones—changes in the character’s responses—you can include in your story to show they’re evolving.

Growth Indicators

Trying a New Response. As the character realizes their old ways are inadequate or even harmful, they’ll become desperate enough to try something new. The outcome may be positive, ineffective, or mixed, but it doesn’t matter. Just the act of stepping out of their comfort zone and taking a risk is a sign that growth is happening.

Recognizing Landmines: In the past, the character failed to spot danger until it was too late, and they suffered terribly. The upside of this experience is they’ve learned to be attentive and prepare more thoroughly. If something happens now, they can react from a place of strength, better positioned to save themselves from preventable fallout.

Setting Boundaries: The character sees how their inability to say no in the past generated unwanted results. Setting reasonable boundaries now to protect themselves is an indicator that they’re becoming more self-aware and are willing to make hard choices.

Asking for Help: Some trials are too difficult to navigate solo, a lesson that a stubborn, independent, or untrusting character may have to learn the hard way. Once they do, however, the desire to avoid needless suffering teaches them to recognize when they need help, and by asking for it, they demonstrate maturity.

Choosing Positivity: If a character tends to be negative, show growth by shifting their mindset. This could mean they focus on strengths instead of weaknesses, engage in positive self-talk, or practice gratitude. Transformation typically begins in the mind, so even a small change like finding the silver lining in a bad situation shows readers that change is underway.

Regulating Emotions: Self-control is a major aspect of emotional maturity. Things are simple when life is peachy but become harder when conflict rears its head. Recalling the problems that were caused by a past loss of emotional control in the face of difficulty may encourage the character to restrain themselves this time around.

Not Giving Up. The journey to change is hard, with the character getting knocked down repeatedly. At first, they may not get up right away; they’ll retreat to their old ways because they don’t want to be hurt again. But struggling back to their feet and pushing forward is a sign that they realize the value of internal change and are willing to take risks to achieve it.

These are just a few ways you can show a character’s development, and you’ll need to use many of them throughout the story because evolution is an active process. The character will need to choose, over and over, if they want to take risks and pursue change or cling to their status quo. It’s up to us to provide those opportunities and position the character for growth. How do we do that, exactly?

Use an Emotion Amplifier to Show Progress

Emotion amplifiers are perfect for this because the character’s response to these challenging situations will highlight their growth (or lack thereof).

Amplifiers are states or conditions, such as bereavement, attraction, and isolation, that activate the character’s emotions and increase the chance of them reacting impulsively rather than carefully. As a result, they often lead to mishaps and mistakes that create more problems. But they can also be used to show that change is happening. As an example, let’s look at one character’s growth journey fueled by an unsettling amplifier that everyone has faced: indecision.

Amir is a recent university graduate with great job prospects. Three companies have offered him positions that would kick-start his career in biometrics—exciting but nerve-racking, because it’s such a big decision. It doesn’t help that one of his classmates is a few weeks into her first job and already regrets her choice.

With each passing day, Amir grows more conflicted, unable to choose. He has trouble sleeping, and his temper flares at the smallest thing. His girlfriend, tired of getting her head bitten off, has had enough and calls it quits. Then, after weeks of waffling, the most promising offer is rescinded, leaving Amir with the two least favorable options.

Here, we see Amir’s default responses to indecision, and they’re not doing him any favors. As readers witness his reactions, they’ll know exactly how Amir will have to change if he’s going to thrive. We can create opportunities for him to do better and show his evolution by hitting him with the same amplifier later in the story.

Fast forward six months, and Amir is facing indecision again—this time, regarding his living situation. A big rent increase is coming, so he must choose to remain in a cramped, expensive apartment near his friends or relocate to a more affordable place closer to work. The hold on the new apartment expires in a few days; as the deadline looms, his old insecurities and panic rise.

Once more, everything seems to set Amir off. He becomes aware of how often he’s apologizing for being a jerk, and he remembers what that cost him last time. His decision paralysis is familiar, too; it cheated him out of a great job opportunity before, and he doesn’t want that to happen again. He realizes he must change the way he responds to indecision, so he sits down and creates a list of pros and cons for moving. An obvious choice emerges, and he informs his current landlord that he’ll be gone at the end of the month.

The first time around, Amir flounders and flails. But the second time he faces indecision, armed with hindsight and a new sense of self-awareness, he rises to the occasion.

There are other ways to highlight growth, but I find amplifiers to be effective because of their universal nature. Readers are familiar with indecision. They’ve all struggled with it to varying degrees at multiple times in their lives. They know the intensely uncomfortable feelings associated with facing a difficult decision, and they know the fallout that occurs when an important choice is put off—or when the wrong choice is made. Readers will feel for Amir because they’ve been in his shoes.

But amplifiers work even when they’re unfamiliar. Readers don’t have to experience addiction or compulsion to empathize with a character who’s enduring them. They’ll see the pattern of dysfunctional reactions, how they create conflict and push the character’s goals out of reach, and they’ll notice the shift in mindset and responses that signal change for the better.

So when you need to show a character’s growth, consider employing an amplifier. And as the character evolves, use the growth markers above to highlight their forward progress.

The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus will help you:

• Showcase a Character’s Hidden Emotions
• Write Realistic Responses
• Add Tension and Conflict
• Show Character Arc Growth
• Brainstorm High-Stakes Moments

Check out the emotion amplifiers covered in this book!

BECCA PUGLISI

Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Build These Seven Growth Milestones into Your Character’s Arc appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

What secret is your character keeping? Why are they safeguarding it? What’s at stake if it’s discovered? Does it need to come out at some point, or should it remain hidden?

This is some of the important information you need to know about your character’s secrets—and they will have secrets, because everyone does. They’re thorny little time bombs composed of fear, deceit, stress, and conflict that, when detonated, threaten to destroy everything the character holds dear.

So, of course, you should assemble them. And we can’t wait to help.

This thesaurus provides brainstorming fodder for a host of secrets that could plague your character. Use it to explore possible secrets, their underlying causes, how they might play into the overall story, and how to realistically write a character who is hiding them—all while establishing reader empathy and interest.

For instance, let’s see what it might look like if your character…

Has Given up a Child

ABOUT THIS SECRET: Whether a character puts a baby up for adoption, surrenders their own parental rights, or even abandons their child, giving them up won’t be an easy decision. Regardless of their reasons, guilt and heartbreak often follow, along with judgment from others, making this act a burden your character might prefer to carry alone.

SPECIFIC FEARS THAT MAY DRIVE THE NEED FOR SECRECY: Becoming a Parent, Being Capable of Harm, Being Judged, Being Labeled, Being Responsible for Others, Being Unable to Achieve a Dream, Criticism, Failure, Letting Others Down, Losing the Respect of Others, Never Finding Happiness, One’s Instincts Being Unreliable, Regret, Repeating a Cycle of Abuse

HOW THIS SECRET COULD HOLD THE CHARACTER BACK
Regretting their decision and living with terrible guilt
Constantly wondering where they child is and how they are, preventing the character from living in the moment
Shying away from opportunities that require the character to be responsible for others
The character believing that they are a certain way and embracing associated flaws (incapable, irresponsible, unreliable, unable to commit or follow through, etc.)

BEHAVIORS OR HABITS THAT HELP HIDE THIS SECRET
Never mentioning the child
Pretending that the child died
Hiding all photographs of the child
Getting rid of anything that belonged to the child (clothes, toys, keepsakes, etc.)

ACTIVITIES OR TENDENCIES THAT MAY RAISE SUSPICIONS
The character having a visible emotional reaction when the subject of children comes up
Avoiding playgrounds, nursery schools, and other areas associated with children
Shunning family gatherings

SITUATIONS THAT MAKE KEEPING THIS SECRET A CHALLENGE 
People who knew the character when she was pregnant asking about the baby
An old friend surfacing who knows about the child
Someone from the adoptive family reaching out unexpectedly
The child’s birth record or medical records surfacing

Other Secret Thesaurus entries can be found here.

Need More Descriptive Help?

While this thesaurus is still being developed, the rest of our descriptive collection (18 unique thesauri and growing) is accessible through the One Stop for Writers THESAURUS database.

If you like, swing by and check out the video walkthrough for this site, then give our Free Trial a spin.

BECCA PUGLISI

Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Character Secret Thesaurus: Giving Up a Child appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

Welcome to the next post in our Writing 101 series: Dialogue Techniques. The first installment covered common mistakes with dialogue mechanics, which are important to master if you want to write clear conversations readers (and editors and agents) can easily follow. But well-written conversations require more than proper punctuation and grammar. So we’re continuing the discussion today by examining effective dialogue techniques that will make your character’s conversations more authentic and purposeful.

Know When to Use Tags and Beats

Dialogue tags (he said, she asked) clarify who’s talking so readers aren’t confused. That’s really their purpose. So use them when speakers are changing during a conversation.

Beats, on the other hand, add context. These actions, thoughts, and physical gestures can show how the character feels or what they’re hiding. Beats add authenticity and information readers can use to better understand what’s happening in the scene.

Beats also impact pacing and can help you create the desired mood. Maintain a quick and snappy pace in action or highly emotional scenes with quick and snappy beats. Want to slow things down? Use languorous, drawn-out beats.

The best way to know when beats or tags should be used is to read your dialogue scenes aloud. If you find yourself stumbling or re-reading for clarity, that’s a sign that those parts need some extra love, and you may want to see if the tags and beats need to be finessed.

Avoid Adverbs in Dialogue Tags

“You’re a liar,” he said angrily.

This is weak dialogue because the adverb tells readers what the character’s feeling. Effective dialogue shows that emotional state through strong verbs and descriptors. If this is what you’re after, use a beat instead:

He grabbed Sam’s shirt, the fabric bunching in his fists. “Liar!”

Grabbing, fisted hands, and a physical altercation are anger cues. So is a raised voice, which is indicated with the exclamation point. Showing takes more effort and words than telling, but it pays off in dialogue that pulls readers in and makes them part of the action. For more information on the importance of showing in fiction and how to do it well, see our Show-Don’t-Tell resource page.

Keep Tags Simple

Because tags are only there to establish who’s talking, it’s best to keep them simple. A common mistake in this area is thinking that more expressive tags are stronger. But tags like exclaimed, cried, shrieked, or interrupted just make the writing feel forced, like it’s trying too hard. Said and asked, on the other hand, have become common enough to be invisible, which is a good idea for tags.

The occasional fancy tag can work, but if you’re trying to show a certain emotional state or intention, it’s usually best to use a beat.

Instead of this:

 “You have to leave,” she whispered.

“Get out!” she screamed.

Do this:

Her voice dropped to a whisper. “You have to leave.”

“Get out!” Her chest heaved and she blinked away tears.

Bottom line: when you opt for a tag, keep it simple, and let the character’s word choices and actions do the heavy emotional lifting.

Vary Beats to Avoid Repeated Sentence Structures

As we practice writing dialogue scenes, it’s easy to fall back on sentence structures that feel comfortable. This is natural, but it can lead to repetitive structures that call attention to themselves.

He stepped forward. “You know how I feel about you.”
She swallowed. “Do I?”
He pushed a curl behind her ear. “How could you not?”

The words and actions in this interaction are believable, but the way they’re conveyed are not. They’re stilted because they’re all following the same Beat, then Speech pattern. Vary the structures to avoid repetition.

 “You know how I feel about you,” he said, stepping into her space.
She swallowed. “Do I?”
He smiled and tucked a curl behind her ear. “How could you not?”

Experiment with the placement and structure of your beats and tags to maintain a pleasant flow. Once again, reading these passages aloud will help you hear redundancies and stumbly parts that need to be reworked.

Don’t Let Your Characters Call Each Other By Name

This is one my personal pet peeves—when characters who know each other use each other’s names.

“Jim, what do you think happens when we die?”
“Well, Tom, let me tell you…”

When people in real life are in the same room and they start talking, there’s no need to call each other by name. So they don’t. But we do this sometimes as writers when we want to be clear about who the participants are and who’s talking. Remember that this is what tags are for, and don’t fall into that trap.

When should you use names in speech?

• When someone new enters the room or conversation
• When emotions are high
• For emphasis: “Rachel, you don’t want to go there.”
• To indicate a shift (in emotion, mood, tone, etc.): The hair on my arms stood on end as the temperature plummeted. We both began to shiver. “Sebastian?”

Avoid “As You Know, Bob” Conversations

This happens when the author needs to relay information to readers, so they do it through characters who already know what’s going on.

“As you know, Bob, the fall festival’s coming up, where children will be bobbing for apples, begging for candy, and generally peeing their pants with excitement.” 

People don’t rehash old information as if it’s new to them. This isn’t natural speech; it’s a contrived device by the author, who is stepping in to explain something to readers. And readers can see that’s exactly what’s happening.

Here are some tips for using dialogue to convey information:

• Don’t use two characters who already know it. Include at least one person who’s being debriefed or is trying to gain knowledge.
• Instead of writing one big scene where all the information is shared, reveal it in bits and pieces over time.
• Use a variety of vehicles (thoughts, flashbacks, mixed media—diary entries, a newspaper clipping, an old photograph, etc.) so you’re not relying solely on dialogue to get the info across.
• For added authenticity, introduce some subtext. What facts aren’t being shared? Who’s holding them back? Are the other characters hiding what they feel or think about the information, and why?

Use Each Character’s Unique Voice

Every person has their own way of talking, their own individual voice, and the same is true for characters. A gruff ex-military type won’t speak the same way as a bubbly teen, and a university professor probably won’t phrase things like a street performer.

Here are some elements that contribute to a character’s unique voice:

• Word choice
• Sentence length and structure
• Tone
• Personality (verbose, timid, introverted, outgoing, controlling, nurturing, etc.)
• Personal beliefs and values
• Personal experiences
• Areas of insecurity
• Fight-flight-or-freeze tendencies
• Go-to emotional responses (natural reactions when they’re nervous, excited, mad, happy, etc.)

The most important step in identifying a character’s voice is to understand who they are. Get to know them, and you’ll start recognizing how they’ll speak and interact with others. Then you can write each character’s voice consistently, and the conversations you write will be more believable.

For more insight on figuring out a character’s voice and writing it well, see the Voice section of our Other Story Elements resource page.

Final Thoughts

Effective dialogue isn’t just about what’s being said. It’s the words each character carefully chooses, how they and the other players feel about those words, what’s left unsaid, and what’s happening beneath the surface. Use tags and beats strategically to keep conversations clear and create a satisfying rhythm. Give each character their own voice. And use dialogue to show (not tell) readers what they need to see and understand.

Above all, remember that perfect dialogue isn’t the goal. Instead, we want purposeful dialogue. When we write these scenes thoughtfully, we put readers in the room with the characters, taking part in the conversation. And that’s exactly where they want to be.

Other Posts in This Series

Dialogue Mechanics

BECCA PUGLISI

Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Writing 101: Effective Dialogue Techniques appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

What secret is your character keeping? Why are they safeguarding it? What’s at stake if it’s discovered? Does it need to come out at some point, or should it remain hidden?

This is some of the important information you need to know about your character’s secrets—and they will have secrets, because everyone does. They’re thorny little time bombs composed of fear, deceit, stress, and conflict that, when detonated, threaten to destroy everything the character holds dear.

So, of course, you should assemble them. And we can’t wait to help.

This thesaurus provides brainstorming fodder for a host of secrets that could plague your character. Use it to explore possible secrets, their underlying causes, how they might play into the overall story, and how to realistically write a character who is hiding them—all while establishing reader empathy and interest.

For instance, let’s see what it might look like if your character…

Is Living Under a Curse

ABOUT THIS SECRET: Depending on the kind of story you’re writing, curses might be an unknown in the character’s world or an essential part of the fictional landscape. But any unwelcome change inflicted on them by an outside source will be something they fear, whether it affects their physical appearance, mental capabilities, giftedness, or something else.

SPECIFIC FEARS THAT MAY DRIVE THE NEED FOR SECRECY: A Loved One Dying, Being a Burden to Others, Being Attacked, Being Judged, Being Labeled, Being Pitied, Being Taken Advantage of, Being Unable to Achieve a Dream, Discrimination, Humiliation, Isolation, Losing One’s Social Standing, Losing the Respect of Others, Never Finding Happiness, Not Being Believed, Persecution, Rejection

HOW THIS SECRET COULD HOLD THE CHARACTER BACK
Generalized apathy from believing they’re doomed no matter what they do
Being overwhelmed by anxiety, fear, or depression due to uncertainty about the curse
Becoming risk-averse
The curse becoming part of the character’s identity

BEHAVIORS OR HABITS THAT HELP HIDE THIS SECRET
Following a routine that keeps the curse hidden
Making logical excuses for why bad things seem to follow them around
Medicating to keep the curse from taking over
Talking a big game about not believing in magic, witchcraft, or superstition

ACTIVITIES OR TENDENCIES THAT MAY RAISE SUSPICIONS
Engaging in bizarre rituals
Refusing to speak a certain name, handle a certain object, or visit a location
Consulting a practitioner of the dark arts
Being able to do things other people can’t do

SITUATIONS THAT MAKE KEEPING THIS SECRET A CHALLENGE 
The curse manifesting itself in the presence of someone else
The curse causing repeated and noticeable trouble in the character’s life
Someone taking an interest in the character that increases scrutiny

Other Secret Thesaurus entries can be found here.

Need More Descriptive Help?

While this thesaurus is still being developed, the rest of our descriptive collection (18 unique thesauri and growing) is accessible through the One Stop for Writers THESAURUS database.

If you like, swing by and check out the video walkthrough for this site, then give our Free Trial a spin.

BECCA PUGLISI

Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Character Secret Thesaurus: Living Under a Curse appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

What secret is your character keeping? Why are they safeguarding it? What’s at stake if it’s discovered? Does it need to come out at some point, or should it remain hidden?

This is some of the important information you need to know about your character’s secrets—and they will have secrets, because everyone does. They’re thorny little time bombs composed of fear, deceit, stress, and conflict that, when detonated, threaten to destroy everything the character holds dear.

So, of course, you should assemble them. And we can’t wait to help.

This thesaurus provides brainstorming fodder for a host of secrets that could plague your character. Use it to explore possible secrets, their underlying causes, how they might play into the overall story, and how to realistically write a character who is hiding them—all while establishing reader empathy and interest.

For instance, let’s see what it might look like if your character…

Is Hiding the Truth about their Family

ABOUT THIS SECRET: Families can be the source of many dark secrets: criminal activity (drugs, trafficking, terrorism), a cover-up, incest or abuse, nefarious ancestors, or something else. A character with these kinds of skeletons in the closet might feel obliged to keep them secret to protect the family name, avoid prosecution, achieve certain goals, or keep loved ones safe.

SPECIFIC FEARS THAT MAY DRIVE THE NEED FOR SECRECY: Becoming What One Hates, Being Attacked, Being Judged, Being Labeled, Being Returned to an Abusive Environment, Being Separated from Loved Ones, Being Unable to Achieve a Dream, Being Unsafe, Being Watched, Betrayal, Conditional Love, Humiliation, Isolation, Letting Others Down, Losing Autonomy, Losing One’s Social Standing, Losing the Respect of Others, Not Being Believed, Persecution, Rejection, Repeating a Cycle of Abuse

HOW THIS SECRET COULD HOLD THE CHARACTER BACK
Taking on the sins of the family as their own and being burdened with guilt and shame
Struggling with internal dissonance because they want to protect the family but they also want to be honest
Isolating themselves to avoid humiliation
Feeling like they can’t trust anyone

BEHAVIORS OR HABITS THAT HELP HIDE THIS SECRET
Lying about the family business
Pretending a particular relative is dead or lives far away
Misdirecting people who wander too close to the truth
Constantly monitoring family members who know the truth to be sure they’re keeping things quiet

ACTIVITIES OR TENDENCIES THAT MAY RAISE SUSPICIONS
The family’s activities (or history) making the news
The character becoming agitated when pressed for information about the family
Frequent fights behind closed doors with relatives
Relatives having different stories about the family’s history or certain events

SITUATIONS THAT MAKE KEEPING THIS SECRET A CHALLENGE 
Having to attend a family gathering
A love interest wanting to meet the character’s family
A journalist becoming interested in the family
Incriminating evidence being aired

Other Secret Thesaurus entries can be found here.

Need More Descriptive Help?

While this thesaurus is still being developed, the rest of our descriptive collection (18 unique thesauri and growing) is accessible through the One Stop for Writers THESAURUS database.

If you like, swing by and check out the video walkthrough for this site, then give our Free Trial a spin.

BECCA PUGLISI

Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Character Secret Thesaurus: Hiding the Truth about Family appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

What secret is your character keeping? Why are they safeguarding it? What’s at stake if it’s discovered? Does it need to come out at some point, or should it remain hidden?

This is some of the important information you need to know about your character’s secrets—and they will have secrets, because everyone does. They’re thorny little time bombs composed of fear, deceit, stress, and conflict that, when detonated, threaten to destroy everything the character holds dear.

So, of course, you should assemble them. And we can’t wait to help.

This thesaurus provides brainstorming fodder for a host of secrets that could plague your character. Use it to explore possible secrets, their underlying causes, how they might play into the overall story, and how to realistically write a character who is hiding them—all while establishing reader empathy and interest.

For instance, let’s see what it might look like if your character…

Fled a Crime Scene

ABOUT THIS SECRET: Fleeing a crime scene—on purpose or unintentionally—is a secret that clings like gunshot residue. The character might not have committed the crime, but being there at the wrong time makes them look guilty, or at the very least, deeply suspicious. Staying silent isn’t just about avoiding legal trouble, it’s about dodging the endless fallout—like being blacklisted from jobs, losing friends, or becoming the hot gossip at every dinner party.

SPECIFIC FEARS THAT MAY DRIVE THE NEED FOR SECRECY: Being Attacked, Being Unsafe, Being Watched, Government, Letting Others Down, Losing One’s Social Standing, Losing the Respect of Others, Not Being Believed, Rejection, Trusting Others

HOW THIS SECRET COULD HOLD THE CHARACTER BACK
Being fearful of situations similar to where the crime was committed
Avoiding public activities out of fear a witness may recognize and out them
Fearing that if they come forward, they’ll face legal and social repercussions or jail time
Close relationships being compromised due to the character’s dishonesty about what happened

BEHAVIORS OR HABITS THAT HELP HIDE THIS SECRET
Destroying evidence that places them at the scene of the crime
Avoiding the location where the crime was committed to prevent being recognized
Lying about their whereabouts during the time of the crime
Breaking off contact with anyone who may suspect the truth
Becoming isolated out of fear for their own safety

ACTIVITIES OR TENDENCIES THAT MAY RAISE SUSPICIONS
Exhibiting avoidance tendencies when the topic comes up with a partner or spouse
Lying “tells” being activated when topics around the event come up—e.g., excessive sweating, stammering, or not making eye contact
Becoming obsessed with the victim
Being unable to explain evidence that points to a crime (a crumpled fender, bloodstains on a shirt, bruised knuckles, etc.)

SITUATIONS THAT MAKE KEEPING THIS SECRET A CHALLENGE 
Being asked directly about the events surrounding the crime
An accomplice wanting to confess
Being connected to the setting or people involved in the crime in a way that others know about
Being roped into the investigation because of their connection to an involved party, one of the investigators, or another witnesses

Other Secret Thesaurus entries can be found here.

Need More Descriptive Help?

While this thesaurus is still being developed, the rest of our descriptive collection (18 unique thesauri and growing) is accessible through the One Stop for Writers THESAURUS database.

If you like, swing by and check out the video walkthrough for this site, then give our Free Trial a spin.

BECCA PUGLISI

Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Character Secret Thesaurus: Fleeing a Crime Scene appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

What secret is your character keeping? Why are they safeguarding it? What’s at stake if it’s discovered? Does it need to come out at some point, or should it remain hidden?

This is some of the important information you need to know about your character’s secrets—and they will have secrets, because everyone does. They’re thorny little time bombs composed of fear, deceit, stress, and conflict that, when detonated, threaten to destroy everything the character holds dear.

So, of course, you should assemble them. And we can’t wait to help.

This thesaurus provides brainstorming fodder for a host of secrets that could plague your character. Use it to explore possible secrets, their underlying causes, how they might play into the overall story, and how to realistically write a character who is hiding them—all while establishing reader empathy and interest.

For instance, let’s see what it might look like if your character…

Made an Anonymous Financial Donation

ABOUT THIS SECRET: There could be many reasons your character decides to support a particular person or organization anonymously. Their altruistic actions may be offset by the desire to avoid being solicited for donations by others. If the recipient is controversial in some way, the donor want to support them without inviting undue conflict. Keeping the peace could also be a motivator if certain relatives wouldn’t be happy about money leaving the family coffers.

SPECIFIC FEARS THAT MAY DRIVE THE NEED FOR SECRECY: Being Judged, Being Labeled, Being Taken Advantage of, Being Watched, Conditional Love, Conflict, Criticism, Discrimination, Letting Others Down, Losing One’s Social Standing, Losing the Respect of Others, Putting Oneself Out There, Rejection, Trusting Others

HOW THIS SECRET COULD HOLD THE CHARACTER BACK
Being identified with selfishness and stinginess instead of generosity
Having to hide their true allegiances
Not being able to publicly embrace the recipient and engage with others who are likeminded

BEHAVIORS OR HABITS THAT HELP HIDE THIS SECRET
Never mentioning the person or organization they’ve donated to
Donating the money from a secret or foreign account
Starting a rumor that the donation was made by someone else
Feigning support for people or organizations whose values or goals are opposed to those of the recipient

ACTIVITIES OR TENDENCIES THAT MAY RAISE SUSPICIONS
Money being withdrawn from their bank account with no paper trail
The organization sending the character literature via the contact information provided when donating
Someone discovering the character’s alias or pseudonym
Having meetings with a lawyer for the organization

SITUATIONS THAT MAKE KEEPING THIS SECRET A CHALLENGE 
The character being audited
The family falling on hard times and needing money that’s no longer there
A letter of gratitude coming in the mail
The money being used for something the donor didn’t intend

Other Secret Thesaurus entries can be found here.

Need More Descriptive Help?

While this thesaurus is still being developed, the rest of our descriptive collection (18 unique thesauri and growing) is accessible through the One Stop for Writers THESAURUS database.

If you like, swing by and check out the video walkthrough for this site, then give our Free Trial a spin.

BECCA PUGLISI

Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Character Secret Thesaurus: Being an Anonymous Financial Donor appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

Strong dialogue isn’t just about the words being said—it’s also about how those words are presented on the page.

If you’re newer to writing, there’s a lot to learn about storytelling—from big-picture techniques like show-don’t-tell to the more foundational aspects surrounding punctuation and capitalization. The technical part of writing isn’t very sexy, so we don’t talk much about it. But knowing those basics is super important if we want to write stories that contribute to the reader’s experience instead of interfering with it. And Angela and I want to make sure Writers Helping Writers offers help for authors at all stages and experience levels.

So today I’m starting a new 101 Series surrounding the foundational skills I see writers struggling with the most. Each post will cover a key element of fiction writing, and we’re starting off with dialogue mechanics—because even the most interesting conversations can fall flat if they aren’t written correctly. Poorly drafted dialogue can make the writing clunky, drag the pace, or cause confusion for readers, all of which can pull them out of the story. And no one wants that.

If you’ve ever struggled with where the punctuation goes (inside or outside the quotes?), when to use a comma vs. a period, or when to start a new paragraph in a scene of dialogue, you’re not alone, and this post is for you.

A Few Definitions

Before getting into the common dialogue mistakes, let’s identify three key elements of any good written conversation.

• Dialogue: The actual words spoken by a character. (“I can’t believe it.“)
• Dialogue Tag: A phrase that identifies the speaker. (“I can’t believe it,” she said.)
• Dialogue Beat: An action that accompanies the words being spoken. (“I can’t believe it.” Becca threw the bag of chips in the trash.)

Tags and beats are important because they’re a vital part of our real-life conversations. Including them breaks up the dialogue, creates rhythm, clarifies for readers who’s saying what, and makes the interaction between characters more authentic.

Now that we’re clear on the terminology associated with a passage of dialogue, let’s talk about the familiar stumbling blocks.

1. Proper Punctuation and Capitalization

First, let me start with a disclaimer that the rules I’ll be referencing are specific to American English. I know we have readers in Britain and Canada and many other places where English is used but the rules are slightly different. But because I don’t use the other versions and can’t speak to proper usage, and because the majority of our readers are using American English for their manuscripts and submissions, I’ll be focusing on that today.

So, in American English, always use double quotes for dialogue. Single quotes have their own purpose, but they shouldn’t be used as the main marks for dialogue.

When it comes to the rest of the punctuation for a line of dialogue…well, that depends on the sentence structure.

Complete Sentences with Tags

We know a complete sentence has a subject and verb that conveys a complete thought. In dialogue, you can determine if the sentence is complete by removing the tag or beat and just looking at the words inside the quotation marks.

When a complete sentence of dialogue is accompanied by a tag, the sentence should be punctuated as follows:

“I love these chips,” she said.

Because the tag is part of the sentence, the period goes at the end, after “said.” The dialogue portion ends with a comma (since it’s not the end of the sentence yet), and the tag begins with a lowercase letter because it’s in the middle of the sentence.

If the dialogue consists of a question instead of a statement, use a question mark instead of a comma inside the quotation marks. The period still goes at the end. And if you’re using someone’s name instead of a pronoun, it should be obviously capitalized.

“Do you like pickle chips?” Angela asked.
“Pickle chips make me barf,” Becca said.

A Complete Sentence with the Tag in the Middle

If a dialogue tag comes in the middle of a sentence, treat it as an interruption to the complete sentence, and use commas to separate it:

“I think,” she said, “barbecue flavor is the best.”

Note that the punctuation before the closing quotation mark in each segment is inside the marks. Also, because this is one complete sentence, the only capital letter is at the beginning. The exception would be if the tag contained a proper noun (Becca said); then the noun would be capitalized, too.

Sentences with Beats Instead of Tags

Beats are meant to stand alone and should usually be written in complete sentences themselves.

Angela shook her head. “I really don’t understand you.”

The beat is a complete sentence, and so is the dialogue. So both elements start with a capital and end with a period (or question mark or exclamation point as needed).

2. A Word About Thoughts

While we’re talking about different kinds of dialogue, let’s look quickly at thoughts. Because they aren’t spoken, they shouldn’t have quotation marks. However, the formatting is different depending on whether the thought is direct or indirect.

Direct Thoughts capture the character’s exact thoughts and are always italicized. Notice that any tags aren’t italicized (because the tag isn’t part of the character’s actual thought).

Please, no more, I thought.

Enough with the dad jokes.

Indirect Thoughts summarize what the character is thinking. Because they’re not exact thoughts, they aren’t italicized and are formatted like regular text.

She thought he was quite tasty.

He really hoped she wasn’t interested in him that way.

3. When Should a New Paragraph Start?

A common area of struggle in dialogue is knowing when to start a new paragraph. It’s an important question because if we get this wrong, the reader is confused about who’s saying and doing what:

“No car for a week?” Ivy’s voice squeaked into the stratosphere. “That’s ridiculous!” her brother said. “Everybody just calm down.”

But when we start a new paragraph each time the speaker changes, things become much clearer.

“No car for a week?” Ivy’s voice squeaked into the stratosphere.
“That’s ridiculous!” Jacob said.
“Everybody just calm down.”

This rule holds true for beats, too. If Character 2 does something while Character 1 is talking, that action needs to go into its own paragraph.

“So I hit a mailbox,” Ivy said. “Also, the shepherd in the church’s nativity scene is now sheep-less.”
Her mother closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath.
“And I may have taken out Mr. Henderson’s azaleas—but that totally wasn’t my fault!”

4. Interruptions and Hesitations

Real-life dialogue is full of interruptions, stops and starts, and people talking over each other. Your characters’ conversations should be no different. Luckily, the punctuation for each of these is pretty simple.

Use Em Dashes for Interruptions

When your character’s being interrupted, use an em dash (—) inside the quotation marks to show their words are being cut off. This is true whether the interruption comes in the form of someone’s words or actions.

Her mom’s eyebrows shot upward. “The azaleas? Ivy—”
“It was a squirrel,” Jacob sputtered. “A deranged, kamikaze squirrel that fell out of a tree and stumbled right into the road. It was rabid, foaming at the mouth—”
Ivy shoved him. “You’re not helping.”

Use an Ellipse for Hesitations

Interruptions indicate a clean break, with the person’s speech abruptly stopping. Hesitations are more, well…hesitant. If there’s a pause in your character’s speech, or if their dialogue trails off slowly rather than bluntly, use an ellipse.

“Seemed deranged,” Jacob mumbled. “Stumbling…middle of traffic…” He rubbed the back of his neck and decided Ivy could fight her own battles.

Clean Dialogue Makes for Stronger Writing and Easier Reading

The mechanics of dialogue may not be the most exciting thing to study but mastering them makes your story easier to read and understand. The good news is that, like most elements of writing, the more you incorporate proper punctuation, capitalization, and paragraphing into your dialogue, the easier it gets. Then you can move on to higher level techniques that will make your characters’ conversations authentic, engaging, and full of added depth—techniques that we’ll discuss in our next 101 post.

For more help with the nitty-gritty of dialogue (and other) mechanics, give English Grammar for Dummies a try.
(affiliate link)

BECCA PUGLISI

Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Writing 101: Dialogue Mechanics appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

What secret is your character keeping? Why are they safeguarding it? What’s at stake if it’s discovered? Does it need to come out at some point, or should it remain hidden?

This is some of the important information you need to know about your character’s secrets—and they will have secrets, because everyone does. They’re thorny little time bombs composed of fear, deceit, stress, and conflict that, when detonated, threaten to destroy everything the character holds dear.

So, of course, you should assemble them. And we can’t wait to help.

This thesaurus provides brainstorming fodder for a host of secrets that could plague your character. Use it to explore possible secrets, their underlying causes, how they might play into the overall story, and how to realistically write a character who is hiding them—all while establishing reader empathy and interest.

For instance, let’s see what it might look like if your character…

Withheld Help When It Was Needed

ABOUT THIS SECRET: A complex web of emotions can develop if a character saw someone in need and chose not to help. While this could be a dark secret stemming from refusing to be a good Samaritan or a desire to see a rival fail, your character might also withhold help for fear of being taken advantage of or enabling destructive behavior (if the other party is battling an addiction, for instance). Whether their motivations were selfish or good-natured, guilt will muddy the waters, creating inner conflict and self-doubt over their choice.

SPECIFIC FEARS THAT MAY DRIVE THE NEED FOR SECRECY: Being Responsible for Others, Being Taken Advantage of, Failure, Hope, Humiliation, Infidelity, Isolation, Leading, Leaving No Legacy, Letting Others Down, One’s Instincts Being Unreliable, Putting Oneself out There, Rejection

HOW THIS SECRET COULD HOLD THE CHARACTER BACK
Feeling immense regret and guilt that they didn’t act when they should have
Worrying about how friends and loved ones would react if they knew the truth
Their relationship with the person in question being strained
Their refusal to act immobilizing them in other areas of life
Doubting their instincts

BEHAVIORS OR HABITS THAT HELP HIDE THIS SECRET
Claiming they didn’t know that aid was needed
Acting surprised when they’re told the other party needed assistance
Avoiding the person who needed help
Overcompensating by going above and beyond to help others
Getting out of the spotlight by blaming someone else for not helping

ACTIVITIES OR TENDENCIES THAT MAY RAISE SUSPICIONS
Expressing doubt about whether the person really needed assistance
Protesting too much about their ability to help
Reverting to a superficial relationship with the person so they won’t have to discuss their needs or how they’re doing
Asking too many questions about the person (out of guilt)
Behaving recklessly to assuage their guilt—drinking, driving dangerously, etc.

SITUATIONS THAT MAKE KEEPING THIS SECRET A CHALLENGE 
An official investigation into the situation being started
The incident going viral on social media
The other party getting angry and being vocal about the situation

Other Secret Thesaurus entries can be found here.

Need More Descriptive Help?

While this thesaurus is still being developed, the rest of our descriptive collection (18 unique thesauri and growing) is accessible through the One Stop for Writers THESAURUS database.

If you like, swing by and check out the video walkthrough for this site, then give our Free Trial a spin.

BECCA PUGLISI

Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Secret Thesaurus: Withholding Help from Someone in Need appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

Hey, wonderful
writerly people!

It’s time for Phenomenal First Pages, our monthly critique contest. So, if you need a bit of help with your first page, today’s the day to enter for a chance to win professional feedback! (We’ve had past winners tell us they’ve found their dream editors through this contest, and even ended up with offers of representation!)

This contest is closed. Please try again next month. If you’d like to be notified when the next one goes live, consider subscribing to the blog (in the sidebar).

Entering is easy. All you need to do is leave your contact information on this entry form (or click the graphic below). If you are a winner, we’ll notify you and explain how to send us your first page.

Contest Details

• This is a 24-hour contest, so enter ASAP.
• Make sure your contact information on the entry form is correct.
• Three winners will be drawn. We will email you if you win and let you know how to submit your first page.
• Please have your first page ready in case your name is selected. Format it with 1-inch margins, double-spaced, and 12pt Times New Roman font. 
• All genres are welcome except erotica.

Sign Up for Notifications!

If you’d like to be notified about our monthly Phenomenal First Pages contest, subscribe to blog notifications in this sidebar. 

Good luck, everyone. We can’t wait to see who wins!

PS: To amp up your first page, grab our  First Pages checklist from One Stop for Writers. For more help with story opening elements, visit this Mother Lode of First Page Resources.

BECCA PUGLISI

Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Phenomenal First Pages Contest appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

What secret is your character keeping? Why are they safeguarding it? What’s at stake if it’s discovered? Does it need to come out at some point, or should it remain hidden?

This is some of the important information you need to know about your character’s secrets—and they will have secrets, because everyone does. They’re thorny little time bombs composed of fear, deceit, stress, and conflict that, when detonated, threaten to destroy everything the character holds dear.

So, of course, you should assemble them. And we can’t wait to help.

This thesaurus provides brainstorming fodder for a host of secrets that could plague your character. Use it to explore possible secrets, their underlying causes, how they might play into the overall story, and how to realistically write a character who is hiding them—all while establishing reader empathy and interest.

For instance, let’s see what it might look like if your character…

Is Hiding Their Wealth

ABOUT THIS SECRET: Transparency is a vital part of healthy relationships. But not everyone is comfortable sharing their financial status, for a variety of reasons. Whether a character’s motivation is noble, self-serving, or coming from a place of fear and distrust, no one likes being lied to, and a secret this big is bound to come out eventually, laying the foundation for inter-relational conflict down the road.

SPECIFIC FEARS THAT MAY DRIVE THE NEED FOR SECRECY: Becoming What One Hates, Being Judged, Being Labeled, Being Responsible for Others, Being Taken Advantage of, Being Unsafe, Betrayal, Competition, Conditional Love, Criticism, Isolation, Leading, Losing the Respect of Others, Rejection, Relational Commitment, Trusting Others

HOW THIS SECRET COULD HOLD THE CHARACTER BACK
Having to live well below their means to maintain the façade
Always worrying that if people find out they’re rich, it will change the way they view the character
Money taking up too much space in the character’s mind and choices, making it too high a priority for them

BEHAVIORS OR HABITS THAT HELP HIDE THIS SECRET
Living frugally
Helping friends or family surreptitiously through anonymous donations
Using a lawyer or steward to manage their wealth, or channeling it through a business
Claiming to be struggling financially

ACTIVITIES OR TENDENCIES THAT MAY RAISE SUSPICIONS
Maintaining a modest middle-class lifestyle but placing children in expensive private schools or joining elite clubs
Purchasing new vehicles, the latest tech, or high-quality clothing
An audit of the character’s business showing finances that don’t match the character’s claims

SITUATIONS THAT MAKE KEEPING THIS SECRET A CHALLENGE 
Encountering an unexpected personal, legal, or financial issue, such as a medical emergency or expensive repair, that requires large expenditures to handle
Being targeted by government institutions for audits or other financial scrutiny
Having to disclose financial documents as part of a lawsuit

Other Secret Thesaurus entries can be found here.

Need More Descriptive Help?

While this thesaurus is still being developed, the rest of our descriptive collection (18 unique thesauri and growing) is accessible through the One Stop for Writers THESAURUS database.

If you like, swing by and check out the video walkthrough for this site, then give our Free Trial a spin.

BECCA PUGLISI

Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Character Secret Thesaurus: Hiding Wealth appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

I truly believe that excellent stories require excellent characters. And with so many books already out there, we’ve got to be able to deliver compelling and realistic characters to set our stories apart. How do we do it? By focusing on the details. And one of the markers that can really boost individuality and memorability for a character is their particular talents or skills.

Every person has something they’re good at. Sometimes it’s a gift they’re born with that comes naturally; for others, it’s a carefully nurtured and honed ability. Many times, a character’s talent says something about who they are: it may tie into their belief system, meet a missing need, honor an influential person in their life, or reveal associated personality traits.

But despite the many talents and skills out there, we tend to see the same ones in books all the time. Now, if your story requires your character have a certain ability, that’s fine; sometimes, we don’t get to choose their special abilities. But if you’ve got more latitude, consider one of the following techniques for coming up with a skill that’s a little more original.

Go for Something Unusual

Sometimes it’s as easy as thinking beyond the obvious options. Instead of being a strong runner or artist, maybe your character could have a talent that’s a little less mainstream, like sleight of hand, lip-reading, or a knack for languages. Do you need them to be an athlete? Consider a sport readers haven’t seen a million times, like cricket, curling, water polo, or parkour. Your skilled forager could be urban rather than rural, fishing goodies out of storm drains or dumpsters. If you’re writing in a genre with fantastical elements, you can get really creative by giving your character an extrasensory ability or something that’s specific to your fantasy or paranormal world. Their skill will obviously have to work within the overall story and the world you’ve created, but you have more choices than you know, so don’t be afraid to branch out and try something new.

Encourage Your Character to Specialize

One way to come up with an unusual ability is to take a popular one and make it more specific. If your character is mechanically inclined, they may be particularly adept with machines from a certain region, time period, or industry. A marksman might specialize in one weapon, and maybe it’s not the typical rifle (Crossbow? Darts? Slingshot?). Your assassin may prefer to work with and have extensive knowledge of poisons. Breathe new life into a ho-hum strength by narrowing the focus.

Give a Common Talent a Twist

It’s not always necessary to reinvent the wheel; often, you can come up with something new by tweaking a popular talent. If musicality is your character’s thing, don’t make her a singer or piano player; maybe she really shines by writing music or crafting certain instruments. A character’s photographic memory may only be reliable for a few hours after events have happened. A person who blows off steam by knitting might use their talent to create blankets for preemies or hats for the homeless. In the latter case, the talent can also hint at personality traits (empathy, selflessness, generosity), hobbies, or other areas of passion. We get more bang for the buck when our characterization and description elements do double duty, so if a character’s skill can also say something about who they are, that’s a bonus for readers.

Pair It with an Unexpected Personality Trait

Many skills are associated with certain traits because they often go together. For instance, people who are good with numbers are usually pretty analytical. But that doesn’t mean the two have to go together. A character with this ability could be highly creative or emotional, instead, and you’d end up with someone unexpected. Likewise, you could have a gifted public speaker who is painfully shy, stumbling their way through one-on-one conversations. This trick can be especially helpful when your story requires a common talent; get creative with your character’s traits, instead, and you can come up with something new that will pique readers’ interests.

In conclusion, an area of skill is a great way to individualize a character—but remember that it can’t be random. There are reasons people embrace and nurture certain talents. They come from somewhere: a natural aptitude, a shared passion with a loved one, the desire for approval or acceptance, etc. So, a special ability shouldn’t be chosen at random. Always know the why behind it. Once you’ve ensured it ties naturally into their overall character profile, use these suggestions to take a character’s talent or skill to the next level.   

Would you like help
finding the perfect
talents and skills
for your characters?

Check out the Talents & Skills Thesaurus
at One Stop for Writers!

BECCA PUGLISI

Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post How to Choose the Perfect Talent for Your Character appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.