Do You Need a Prologue? Take the Test!
Writers Helping Writers | Descriptive Writing Blog
by Guest Contributor
12h ago
By Julie Artz Affiliate links below After nearly ten years working with writers, I’ve decided the only inviolable rule in writing is that a romance must have either a happily ever after (HEA) or a happy for now (HFN) ending. And yet blog posts like these are full of writing “rules.” I loved Jami Gold’s post on rule breaking in fiction right here on Writers Helping Writers. Today I’d like to talk about one of the first rules she mentioned: Avoid Prologues. Most writers recognize one of the most famous prologues in English-language literature, William Shakespeare’s sonnet opener in Romeo and Ju ..read more
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Write Like a Magician: Creating the Illusion of an Unseen Character
Writers Helping Writers | Descriptive Writing Blog
by MARISSA GRAFF - Resident Writing Coach
3d ago
Whenever we write a protagonist who lost someone important within their backstory, we have some heavy lifting ahead of us. That “unseen” character—a character who has died or who is simply away for one reason or another—is going to need to be developed and brought to the page somehow to deepen the emotion beneath the protagonist’s loss. It won’t be enough that we tell the reader our character misses that person, or how that we label how the unseen character used to make the protagonist feel—good or bad. That sort of writing reduces the relationship down to what we call “emotional abstraction ..read more
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Character Type & Trope Thesaurus: Reluctant Hero
Writers Helping Writers | Descriptive Writing Blog
by BECCA PUGLISI
6d ago
In 1959, Carl Jung first popularized the idea of archetypes—”universal images that have existed since the remotest times.” He posited that every person is a blend of these 12 basic personalities. Ever since then, authors have been applying this idea to fictional characters, combining the different archetypes to come up with interesting new versions. The result is a sizable pool of character tropes that we see from one story to another. Archetypes and tropes are popular storytelling elements because of their familiarity. Upon seeing them, readers know immediately who they’re dealing with and wh ..read more
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Phenomenal First Pages Contest – Guest Editor Edition
Writers Helping Writers | Descriptive Writing Blog
by MINDY ALYSE WEISS
1w ago
Hey, wonderful writerly people! It’s time for Phenomenal First Pages, our monthly critique contest. So, if you need help with the beginning of your novel, today’s the day to enter for a chance to win professional feedback. Six winners will receive feedback on their first five pages! Entering is easy. All you need to do is leave your contact information onthis 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 i ..read more
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The Secret To a Compelling Author Bio
Writers Helping Writers | Descriptive Writing Blog
by LUCY V. HAY - Resident Writing Coach
1w ago
Goodbye to Boring Bios Are you struggling to write the perfect author bio for your book, social media or website? Then this post is for you! Say goodbye to boring bios and hello to a profile that truly reflects who you are as a writer. Let’s dive in and unlock the power of an unforgettable author bio … Let’s go! Why Is an Author Bio Important? At grass roots level, an author bio is a brief summary of who you are and what you do as a writer. It may seem like just another piece of information to include on your book cover or website, but it holds much more significance than that. In fact, it ca ..read more
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Character Type & Trope Thesaurus: Adrenaline Junkie
Writers Helping Writers | Descriptive Writing Blog
by BECCA PUGLISI
1w ago
In 1959, Carl Jung first popularized the idea of archetypes—”universal images that have existed since the remotest times.” He posited that every person is a blend of these 12 basic personalities. Ever since then, authors have been applying this idea to fictional characters, combining the different archetypes to come up with interesting new versions. The result is a sizable pool of character tropes that we see from one story to another. Archetypes and tropes are popular storytelling elements because of their familiarity. Upon seeing them, readers know immediately who they’re dealing with and wh ..read more
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The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus (May 2024 Release)
Writers Helping Writers | Descriptive Writing Blog
by ANGELA ACKERMAN
2w ago
We’re adding to our Thesaurus family! It’s been a while since our last book as we needed to recalibrate our release schedule from fall to spring (resulting in a year gap), but now we’re back in the thesaurus-making saddle. May 13th is coming fast, so it’s time to dish some details about our next writing guide! First up…the cover! As this is an upgraded second edition and companion to The Emotion Thesaurus, we wanted the style of the books to match. This book is now a true thesaurus, packed with incredible help to showcase your character’s emotional state and help readers feel closer to your c ..read more
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Continuing a Series: Is This Info Too Repetitive?
Writers Helping Writers | Descriptive Writing Blog
by JAMI GOLD - Resident Writing Coach
2w ago
We’ve probably seen advice warning that any time our story revisits information, we risk the idea feeling repetitive or redundant to readers if we’re not careful. Not surprisingly, the same risk can apply even across books in a series. Yet when we write a book series, we usually need to repeat some information from book to book. Depending on the type of series, we might need to repeat character introduction or worldbuilding information, or we might need to touch on events from previous books, and so on. So how can we avoid the repetitive/redundant risk when presenting information in a book se ..read more
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Character Type & Trope Thesaurus: Matriarch
Writers Helping Writers | Descriptive Writing Blog
by BECCA PUGLISI
2w ago
In 1959, Carl Jung first popularized the idea of archetypes—”universal images that have existed since the remotest times.” He posited that every person is a blend of these 12 basic personalities. Ever since then, authors have been applying this idea to fictional characters, combining the different archetypes to come up with interesting new versions. The result is a sizable pool of character tropes that we see from one story to another. Archetypes and tropes are popular storytelling elements because of their familiarity. Upon seeing them, readers know immediately who they’re dealing with and wh ..read more
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Breathing Life into Characters
Writers Helping Writers | Descriptive Writing Blog
by LISA POISSO - Resident Writing Coach
3w ago
Picture a protagonist who stumbles upon a mysterious artifact but shows no curiosity, or a group of friends who sit down separately at the summit of a hike under a breathtaking sunset, without a moment of communal awe. Keeping your characters engaged with the story keeps readers engaged with it, too. Whenever something significant happens in the story, readers expect the characters to sit up, notice, and process its impact at some level. The plot’s unfolding impact on the characters lends an organic quality to the storytelling. The characters’ reactions and their attempts to derive meaning fr ..read more
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