Ah, character emotion. It's one of the hardest things to write right. It's also one of the most important. You can have a deep, complex character, a compelling, well-crafted plot, and the setting descriptions nailed down to the tiniest details. But if you can't write character emotion in a compelling way, your book will be … Continue reading 3 Tips for Showing Character Emotion
Characters
The Pitiable Antagonist
Gollum. The Phantom of the Opera. Draco Malfoy. Severus Snape. What do all of these have in common? They're all antagonists, of course. And, probably, we have another emotion associated with them besides hate. Sometimes, we love to hate the villain (Umbridge, anyone?). If they're evil enough, we might love being terrified. Occasionally, we might … Continue reading The Pitiable Antagonist
Lessons from Lemony
Why are you doing an entire post about Lemony Snicket? Isn't this a writing blog, not a fangirl blog? Why Lemony Snicket, and not one of your top favorite authors? If that sounds like you, let me tell you now: you're asking all the wrong questions. If you've read his books at all, you know … Continue reading Lessons from Lemony
Seeing the World through His Eyes
Some people call it stepping into their shoes. I call it seeing through their eyes. Either way, it means basically the same thing: taking on another's viewpoint, thinking the way they think, seeing the way they see, experiencing things the way they experience them. It's crucial when writing, because every character interprets the story differently. … Continue reading Seeing the World through His Eyes
The Power of Empathy: How to Keep Readers in Thrall
Hi everyone!! Today, I have a very special post... I am absolutely THRILLED to have Angela Ackerman on my blog! She's here to talk about character empathy. So, without further ado, I'll hand things over to her. 🙂 *** Gluing readers to the page. This is a writer’s goal each step of the way, from … Continue reading The Power of Empathy: How to Keep Readers in Thrall
#NaNoPrep: Overcoming Impostor Syndrome + Giveaway!!
Hi everyone! Today I have a very special post as part of the Writers Persevere event that authors Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi are running for the next few days to celebrate their newest book, The Emotional Wound Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Psychological Trauma. This book looks at the difficult experiences embedded in our … Continue reading #NaNoPrep: Overcoming Impostor Syndrome + Giveaway!!
#NaNoPrep: Fantastic Words and Where to Find Them
Disclaimer: This post has nothing to do with Newt Scamander or his magical beasts. One of the biggest issues all writers have during NaNoWriMo is... yep, you guessed it, writing. Duh. If you do the math, 50,000 words divided by 30 days is approximately 1,667 words per day. That may seem feasible, but you're going … Continue reading #NaNoPrep: Fantastic Words and Where to Find Them
The Difference between Salvation and Redemption
I've been doing a lot of character development lately. It's my new favorite aspect of writing. I've been reading a lot about the different Myers-Briggs types (and yes, each of my twelve main characters is a different type), delving into backstories, and figuring out their inner motivations. My latest endeavor is to answer this question: … Continue reading The Difference between Salvation and Redemption
The Last Hurrah
Hello, friends, and welcome to the Monthly Theme! You probably noticed that my blog looks different. I was bored, so I redesigned it. I think that now it echoes my personality more. I know I haven't done a Monthly Theme in quite a few months, so really it shouldn't be called "monthly." But I came … Continue reading The Last Hurrah
In Honor of Tolkien
Hi everyone, I'm really sorry I haven't blogged in a while. Maybe I'll tell you about my Camp NaNoWriMo adventures sometime, but today I have something special to write about. Apparently there's this thing going around where lots of bloggers write Tolkien-related posts in honor of the release of The Fellowship of the Ring on July … Continue reading In Honor of Tolkien
For His Glory Alone 