Angela Ackerman's Blog: Writers Helping Writers, page 11

How to Use Amplifiers to Motivate Emotionally Challenging Characters

Like many other kids, I got my first job as a babysitter. You���re probably picturing me as a competent, CPR-trained teenager armed with craft supplies and a boatload of determination. But this was 1981, which means I was a whopping nine years old when someone put me in charge of their kids.

Who does that? The mom who couldn���t get anyone else to watch her little hellions, that���s who. Those kids were everywhere, into everything. And they weren���t listening to me, because just the day before, I was making mud pies with them in my backyard.

It wasn���t pretty, but we survived the afternoon. They ate as much ice cream as they wanted, the mom got a few hours to herself, and I walked away (directly to the arcade) with 75 cents in my pocket. In ���81, we called that winning.

Some days, being an author feels like the same gig. I think I know the characters. I���m sure of their roles and where they need to go in the story. But they just look at me and laugh. No one does what I tell them to do, and I spend most of my time trying to keep them from burning the place down.

Any babysitter worth their salt has a bag of tricks to help them manage the difficult kids, and the same should be true for authors.

Some of the most challenging characters are those that are emotionally stunted in some way; they���re unable to experience a full range of emotions, or past trauma has forced them into a guarded position that shields them from uncomfortable feelings. The tricks we���d use to motivate a run-of-the-mill character just don���t work.

And this is a problem, because our job is to guide every character through a journey of self-discovery and revelation that will enable them to achieve their goals. But if they���re unwilling or unable to be emotionally vulnerable, they���ll never face their past, work through their issues, and reach that place of healing and fulfillment. So we���ve got to use methods that will provide the necessary learning opportunities and reflective moments. A tool that works really well for this is a strategically employed emotion amplifier.

An emotion amplifier is a specific state or condition that influences what the character feels by disrupting their equilibrium and reducing their ability to think critically. Addiction, confinement, boredom, hunger, and exhaustion are all examples. These states heighten the character���s emotions and make them more volatile, pushing them to act or respond in ways that often create more difficulty. Employ enough amplifiers, and the character���s situation will worse until they eventually hit rock bottom and will be forced to evaluate their situation and themselves.

In short, amplifiers serve as catalysts to push characters into action and propel them along their arc. Because of their universal nature, they���ll work on most characters, but they���re especially helpful with those who fall outside of the emotional norm.

Sociopaths and Psychopaths

Like their well-adjusted counterparts, these characters have goals they���re struggling to achieve. Where they differ is that they lack empathy and are less likely to lose emotional control. But at some point, that���s what we need them to do: lose their cool, act rashly, and see the need for change so they can get whatever it is they want. It takes a bit more work to trigger a blowup for a psychopath or sociopath, but a potent amplifier like pain, arousal, or danger can strong-arm them into an unfiltered or explosive reaction that will start them on the journey to self-awareness.

Emotionally Numb Characters

Characters who are disconnected from their emotions may appear to readers as if they don���t feel anything. Forging connections between readers and these characters is especially challenging; using an amplifier can nudge them toward volatility, producing feelings readers can recognize and relate to.

Another reason amplifiers work well for an emotionally numb character is because of their commonality. The character may be unable to express what they feel in the wake of an amplifier, but if the writer can make the cause and effect clear, readers will be able to fill in the emotional blanks. This works even for amplifiers the reader hasn���t experienced but has heard or read about, such as psychosis or possession.

Highly Traumatized Characters

Past trauma is another universal element of the human experience. It can upend a character���s life, sowing dysfunction in key ways.

Painful experiences force characters to emotionally protect themselves, and not always in a good way. They become skilled at keeping people and hurtful situations at a distance, but their methods often cause isolation and difficulty connecting with others. When negative feelings do break through, unhealthy coping mechanisms like detachment, disassociation, or avoidance keep the character from experiencing them. If this repeated buffering prevents them from working through the past and moving forward in a healthier way, the damage from trauma remains ongoing.

Unresolved trauma can also lead characters to believe they���ll be hurt again if they let their guard down. This outlook erodes one or more of their basic human needs, and the emotional shielding they���ve adopted to protect themselves keeps them from achieving the goals that would bring their needs back into alignment.

A highly traumatized character who isn���t open to healing won���t be able to tackle their past head on, all at once. Instead, their confidence and self-worth must be built up a bit at a time. This can be done by introducing amplifiers the character can successfully navigate. Here’s an example:

Mikhail paces a path in his living room carpet, sweating and aching while substance withdrawal sinks its claws into him. As his anguish increases, his determination to get clean weakens. He scrolls through his mental list of places to get what he needs to take away the pain. Those names, those faces, those places . . . all are waiting beyond his apartment door.

He takes a step toward it.

���Daddy?��� A sleep-heavy voice cuts through his thoughts. Abel, in his duck-print onesie, stands in the bedroom doorway. ���Can I have a drink?���

���Of course.��� Mikhail���s voice cracks and he hurries to the kitchen faucet before Abel sees his tears. Remember why you���re doing this.

While putting the three-year-old back to bed, he notices one of Abel���s stuffed animals on the floor. He carries it to the living room, wedges a chair against the front door, and places the bedraggled giraffe on it. All night, through shakes and fever, he stares at the stuffed toy, an unlikely guardian against the darkness on the other side, until the sun rises and the shadows disperse.

The trauma that created Mikhail���s addiction is still there, and he may not be ready to work through it yet. But introducing an amplifier in the form of substance withdrawal provides a stepping-stone opportunity for him to successfully navigate just one night of his recovery journey. This gives him strength and purpose, both of which set him up for more growth in the future.

Amplifiers are super useful for getting a character where you need them to go���especially if they���re resistant to change or have some emotional challenges. To get them there, we need to stop babysitting and start life coaching. Use amplifiers to provide opportunities that will help them grow personally, generate tension and conflict in the story, and keep readers glued to the pages.

The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus will help you:Showcase a Character’s Hidden EmotionsWrite Realistic ResponsesAdd Tension and ConflictShow Character Arc GrowthBrainstorm High-Stakes Moments

Check out the emotion amplifiers covered in this book!

The post How to Use Amplifiers to Motivate Emotionally Challenging Characters appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS��.

Best Ways to Pace Your Story’s Key Moments

Great novels don���t hook readers by accident. They strategically build up tension and feelings, then release them at just the right moment. This perfect timing isn���t about fancy writing tricks; it���s baked into how the story itself is built.

When a story pulls readers through the pages so smoothly they forget all about the clock, it’s not just clever words doing the work���it’s smart structure doing its job. That irresistible “just one more chapter” feeling happens when the story’s building blocks create a natural flow that keeps readers turning pages without even thinking about it.

Stories built on four-act structure (three-act structure minus the oversized, saggy middle) hit those sweet spots consistently. These natural turning points occur at the quarter mark, halfway point, and three-quarter mark, never allowing any section of the story to drag on too long.

Missing these points by a substantial margin results in a misshapen book with sagging or surging momentum. A lumbering, oversized Act 1 bores readers by taking too long to get moving. A missing midpoint creates that notorious bane of three-act story structure, the ���mushy middle.��� And a mistimed dark moment, one that hits too soon or straggles in too late, can make even a potentially explosive climax fall flat.

Applying story structure to your novel doesn���t imply blind adherence to some lockstep formula. What it suggests is the wisdom of tapping into a storytelling form readers already get���the same ups and downs that have made stories work since people first shared them around the fire.

That pattern shows up everywhere, from novels to movies to symphonies. ���It is interesting to note that within the structure of classical music for several centuries known as sonata form, the first act of three was called Exposition, followed by Development and Recapitulation,��� notes screenwriter Scott Myers. It���s no accident these sound familiar���they���re the same building blocks of the four-act structure we recognize in novels.

Act 1: Exposition As the story opens, readers discover the character���s situation and witness their internal disunity.

Act 2: Development The character reacts to the story challenge, which puts pressure on their internal issues, beginning the process of deconstruction.

Act 3: Development When their initial efforts don���t pay off, the character pushes for more proactive progress. They may already be reconstructing their internal balance.

Act 4: Recapitulation External forces (plot) and internal forces (character arc) come together to achieve synthesis, unity, and resolution.

The mix of plot and character through these four phases gives your story its momentum. Early on, readers feel they���re on a journey headed somewhere specific. Each act pulls them closer to what they think is the story���s destination. And those turning points between acts? They���re the rocket fuel that launches readers from one part to the next.

Turning Point 1

Between Act 1 and Act 2, about 25% into the story

Turning Point 1 inextricably tangles the protagonist in the story���s web. It���s that big moment when they have to deal with the main story conflict head on, whether they want to or not, as the story ship irrevocably leaves the dock for a specific destination or goal.

How does Turning Point 1 serve readers?�� By now, readers have plowed through a good chunk of your book, about 20 to 25 percent. That���s a real investment of time. If your main character is still just poking around the story���s starting situation at this point, readers might decide there���s no real point to your story���and they���ll bail.

Books that suck readers in often hit that first big turning point earlier than the textbook quarter mark, often around 20% in. This gives readers that crucial ���I need to know how this turns out��� feeling before they have a chance to get bored.

Turning Point 2

Between Act 2 and Act 3, about 50% into the story

Turning Point 2, the midpoint complication, injects a fundamental plot twist that flips your protagonist���s strategy on its head. Whatever they tried in the first half of the book just isn���t cutting it, or something big has changed or come to light���and now they need a new approach. The early plan (the easy way) isn���t working anymore; now your character has to push beyond what they thought would be necessary or what they believe they can handle (the hard way).

How does Turning Point 2 serve readers? Stories can���t feel like a laundry list of ���All the Stuff I Gotta Take Care of Before the Inevitable Climax.��� The midpoint keeps your story from bogging down in a monotonous slog toward the same old goal.

Turning Point 3

Between Act 3 and Act 4, about 75% into the story

Turning Point 3 pulls all the conflicts together, creating your protagonist���s absolute low point, their ���dark night of the soul.��� With hope seemingly extinguished and success looking impossible, this moment sets up everything that follows, making the final resolution meaningful instead of simply predictable.

How does Turning Point 3 serve readers? This rock-bottom moment gives your character somewhere to push off from as they rally for the climax. For readers, it cranks up the suspense. Can your protagonist really pull this off? How? This turning point hits readers with that emotional gut-punch showing exactly what will be lost if your character gives up now. It turns readers from spectators into allies, cheering your protagonist on: Get back in there. Find your guts. Stand up and fight for what matters.

Irresistible Momentum

These turning points aren’t random checkboxes in some rigid formula���they’re powerful currents that pull stories forward. Each one catapults your story into its next phase with fresh energy and urgency. This natural momentum keeps reading turning pages late into the night, whispering “just one more chapter” despite their 6 a.m. alarm.

That���s the power of turning points: They transform your story from words on a page into a voyage readers can’t help but follow all the way to the end.

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6 First Page Inclusions for Drawing Readers In

There are a lot of Dos and Don���ts for a story���s first pages. Do introduce the protagonist(s). Do start in medias res. Don���t start with a dream sequence. Don���t info dump.

These techniques are important because they accomplish one of the main purposes of your opening: they encourage reader connection. And that���s key because if the reader doesn���t make that connection in the first few pages, they likely won���t read on to chapter two or ten or The End.

Because of the first page critique contests I do, I have a lot to say about story openings���what works and what doesn���t. And today I���d like to share some story elements you can include in your first pages that will pull readers in, along with some opening-page examples from fiction that show this in action. You don���t want to include them all, but if you can add even one, you���ll increase your chances of hooking readers right away so they become invested in your story.

1. Characterization

We know readers connect primarily with characters. When you can start characterizing right away���showing readers how the protagonist is likable or relatable, their defining traits, where they���re vulnerable���the connection is forged.

In the following example from a classic, we learn quite a lot about one of the main characters in the very first paragraph. This is an older book, published before show-don���t-tell became a cornerstone writing technique. Even so, we begin to form a picture of this character���her personality traits and a few physical features���that starts the process of us getting to know them.

In Fort Repose, a river town in Central Florida, it was said that sending a message by Western Union was the same as broadcasting it over the combined networks. This was not entirely true. It was true that Florence Wechek, the manager, gossiped, yet she judiciously classified the personal intelligence that flowed under her plump fingers and maintained a prudent censorship over her tongue. The scandalous and the embarrassing she excised from her conversation. Sprightly, trivial, and harmless items, she passed onto friends, thus enhancing her status and relieving the tedium of spinsterhood. If your sister was in trouble and wired for money, the secret was safe with Florence Wechek. But if your sister bore a legitimate baby, it���s sex and weight would soon be known all over town.

~Alas Babylon

Tools to help you build relatable, vulnerable, and well-rounded characters: The Positive Trait Thesaurus, The Negative Trait Thesaurus, and One Stop for Writer���s Character Builder.

2. What���s Missing?

If your character���s navigating a change arc, there will be something wrong or missing in their life from the get-go. This is important for readers to see early on, because it plays into those vulnerability and relatability pieces. We���ve all been there. We all have things in life we wish were different, or we feel stuck in some way. If you can hint early on at something missing for the character (their inner motivation), readers will empathize with them and immediately want that void to be filled.

It is my first morning of high school. I have seven new notebooks, a skirt I hate, and a stomachache.

The school bus wheezes to my corner. The door opens and I step up. I am the first pickup of the day. The driver pulls away from the curb while I stand in the aisle. Where to sit? I���ve never been a backseat wastecase. If I sit in the middle, a stranger, could sit next to me. If I sit in the front, it will make me look like a little kid, but I figure it���s the best chance I have to make eye contact with one of my friends, if any of them have decided to talk to me yet.

The bus picks up students in groups of four or five. As they walk the aisle, people who were my middle-school lab partners or gym buddies glare at me. I close my eyes. This is what I���ve been dreading. As we leave the last stop, I am the only person sitting alone.

~Speak

Most of us could empathize with this character simply because it���s the first day of school, and we recognize the associated nerves and angst. But in these opening paragraphs, we learn that this character has lost all her friends. She is utterly alone. There���s a lot we don���t know about her situation, but at the very least, we know that for her to find fulfillment, she���ll somehow have to reconnect with others.

3. The Story Goal

In a story with a change arc, the character���s overall goal (their outer motivation) is often (subconsciously) chosen because it���s going to meet their internal lack. Getting into Harvard Law and becoming a lawyer will help her get the boy (Legally Blonde). Catching the serial killer will help the quadriplegic ex-detective once again fine purpose in his life (The Bone Collector).

It���s not always possible to include the goal on the very first page, but if you can pull it off, do it. Then, readers will know straight away what has to happen for the character to succeed, and they���ll know what to root for.

Blue Sargent had forgotten how many times she���d been told that she would kill her true love.

~The Raven Boys

Here, we see in just one sentence what Blue���s story goal will be: she���ll have to somehow subvert the curse to find true love. There���s so much more to her situation, but this is all that���s needed to create a killer opening line that pulls readers in.

Tools for understanding character arc, inner motivation, and outer motivation: The Emotional Wound Thesaurus and One Stop���s Story Maps.

4. Foreshadowing and Conflict

When we see a character in conflict, we feel for them. We know how it feels to be in conflict, whether the conflict creates awkwardness and discomfort or impending pain and death. Including conflict in the opening pages is a good way to tweak the readers emotions and get them firmly on the character���s side.

When possible, we want it to tie directly to the main conflict or storyline. In other words, it���s not random. Let readers see a small piece of the character���s overall struggle that will plague them throughout the story.

Foreshadowing is a great way of enticing readers with future conflict, or the promise of it.

���We should start back,��� Gared urged as the woods began to grow dark around them. ���The wildlings are dead.���

���Do the dead frighten you?��� Ser Waymar Royce asked with just a hint of a smile.

���We have a long ride before us,��� Gared pointed out. ���Eight days, maybe nine. And night is falling.���

Will could see the tightness around Gared���s mouth, the barely suppressed anger in his eyes under the thick black hood of his cloak. Gared had spent forty years in the watch, man and boy, and he was not accustomed to being made light of. Yet it was more than that. Under the wounded pride, Will can sense something else in the older man. You could taste it; a nervous tension that came perilous close to fear.

Will shared his unease. He was a veteran of a hundred rangings by now, and the endless dark wilderness that the southron called the haunted forest had no more terrors for him.

Until tonight. Something was different tonight.

~A Game of Thrones

Tools for writing conflict: The Conflict Thesaurus, Volumes One and Two

5. Questions

One of the best ways to keep readers reading is to create intrigue. Raise questions that will only be answered if they keep going. In the first pages I critique, I look for at least one question���something that isn���t fully explained that whets my whistle and makes me want to know more.

Pip knew where they lived.

Everyone in Fairview knew where they lived.

Their home was like the town���s haunted house; people���s footsteps quickened as they walked by, and their words strangled and died in their throats. Shrinking children would gather on their walk home from school, daring one another to run up and touch the front gate.

But it wasn���t haunted by ghosts, just three sad people trying to live their lives as before. A house not haunted by flickering lights or spectral falling chairs, but by dark spray-painted letters of ���Scum Family��� and stone-shattered windows.

~The Good Girl���s Guide to Murder

What happened to this family?
Why do their lives look so different than before? Before what?
Why are the people in town so afraid of them?

Full disclosure: I haven���t read this book. I found it in a stack of library books in my kid���s room when I was paging through first pages, looking for examples. But I’m adding it to my list simply from reading the first four paragraphs and wanting answers to the questions the author raised.

6. An Unusual Character or Authorial Voice

This one is impossible for every story because not every narrator has a stand-out voice. And that���s perfectly fine. But if yours does, get it out there right from the start. This gives readers an immediate feel for the character, and they���ll know they���re in for a treat.

Look, I didn���t want to be a half-blood.

If you���re reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: close this book right now. Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life.

Being a half-blood is dangerous. It���s scary. Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways.

If you���re a normal kid, reading this because you think it���s fiction, great. Read on. I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened.

But if you recognize yourself in these pages�����if you feel something stirring inside���stop reading immediately. You might be one of us. And once you know that, it���s only a matter of time before they sense it too, and they���ll come for you.

Don���t say I didn���t warn you.

~Percy Jackson and the Olympians

I���ll close with this example because it hits a lot of the points: strong voice, some some characterization, foreshadowing, and questions. It���s a great example of how multiple techniques can be included on the very first page to pique the reader���s interest.

So next time you���re revising your opening, see if your first few pages tick any of these boxes. If not, revise to include one or two of them, and you���ve got a better chance of pulling readers in right from page one.

The post 6 First Page Inclusions for Drawing Readers In appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS��.

How to Avoid Flat Characters in Your Story

Has an editor or critique partner said, ���Your character feels flat��� when offering feedback on your story? Or perhaps they worded it another way: ���Your protagonist didn���t grab me,��� or ���This character needs more depth.���

However it���s phrased, being told we���ve missed the mark on a character is a bit of a gut punch. But it���s okay. Flat characters, like anything else, can be fixed.  

A flat character is one-dimensional, lacking the depth and human complexity required to feel true to life. Not only do they seem unrealistic, they also fail to capture a reader���s curiosity or interest.

Flat characters can be written as such on purpose: a surly shopkeeper unwilling to bargain on price or the nosy neighbor trying to unearth your protagonist���s secrets. These types of characters have a small role or specific function (comic relief, mentorship, etc.) and don���t need a lot of depth.

But if an important character is seen as
shallow or boring���we have a big problem.

Characters are the heart of a story. For readers to care about them, they must feel like real people. Distinct personalities, belief systems, emotions, and histories shape them and their behavior. Personal needs, desires, struggles, and worldviews give them depth. All this, and a capacity for growth, is the magic recipe that will draw a reader in. 

What Causes a Character to Seem Flat?

Characters can feel underdeveloped for many reasons, but it often comes down to one thing: something essential about them has been overlooked. Some common offenders:

Shallow Backstory

A character���s past influences who they become, how they behave, and how they view the world around them. If a character���s backstory is missing, weak, or generic, their behavior may lack credibility or be inconsistent.

The Cure: Go deeper. Explore their past, including their emotional wounds, experiences, life lessons, fears, and insecurities.

Tools to Fix Backstory Issues: The Emotional Wound Thesaurus and One Stop for Writers��� Character Builder Tool.

A ���Basic��� Personality

A character���s personality should contain specific traits that emerge because of their history/upbringing, the people who influenced them, and formative their life experiences, both good and bad. When writers gloss over the building out of a unique personality, they tend to give character ���typical��� traits and so they come across as generic and unrealistic.

The Cure: People are complex, and characters will be, too. Spend time thinking about who your character is and why, and the traits most likely to appear in their personality. Be sure to also understand how negative experiences lead to personality flaws (and the behaviors and tendencies that go with them). Each character should have a mix of traits as no one is ever all good or bad.  

Tools to Fix Personality Issues: The Positive Trait Thesaurus, The Negative Trait Thesaurus, and One Stop for Writers��� Character Builder Tool.

Over-Reliance on Character Tropes or Stereotypes

Due to their familiarity, using character tropes (e.g., the villain, the reluctant hero, the absent-minded friend) can fast-track the reader���s understanding of a character���s role. But leaning on one too hard turns them into a stereotype or clich��, which is a huge turnoff.

The Cure: Use any trope generalizations as a starting point only. Do the work and make each character someone fresh. Readers loved to be surprised by interesting and meaningful qualities that elevate the character in ways they didn���t expect.

Tools to Help Fix Overused Character Types: The Character Trope and Type Thesaurus or One Stop for Writers��� Character Builder Tool.

Tunnel Vision

Characters who are only about one thing���the mission or goal, proving loyalty, success, etc.���come across as one-dimensional and unrealistic. For readers to connect with characters, they need to have relatable life layers. Relationships and social interactions. Dreams and desires. Responsibilities. Quirks, interests, problems.

The Cure: Real people can get obsessive about certain things, but they have other things going on. To give your character a better balance, imagine their entire life, not just the plot of your story. Explore how your character���s professional life or obsessions may collide with their personal life.

Tools to Help You Create Dynamic Characters: One Stop for Writers��� Character Builder Tool and The Occupation Thesaurus.

A Lack of Drive

In the real world, it can take time for us to know what we want, but in fiction, characters must be motivated and act. If your protagonist is wishy-washy about what they want or can’t settle on a goal, they’ll come off as weak.

The Cure: Characters who lack urgency when it comes to choosing or achieving a goal need to be put in the hot seat. Raise the stakes. Add conflict and tension. Make it clear that doing nothing leads only to pain and consequences. Additionally, know your character inside and out (#1) because past trauma, fears, and negative interactions will point you to their soft spots and unmet needs.

Tools to Fix Unmotivated Characters: The Emotional Wound Thesaurus, The Conflict Thesaurus Volume 1, Volume 2, and The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus.

Distanced Emotions

Showing a character���s emotion, even when they���re trying to hide what they feel, is one of the most important tasks a writer has. Emotions are central to the human experience, and readers expect a front-row seat to whatever the character is feeling. When someone is closed off or seems imperviable to vulnerability, readers find it unrealistic.

The Cure: Become an expert at showing your character���s emotions, even when they try to hide what they feel from others. Readers must always be in the loop to empathize and feel invested. Understand how each individual will express emotion in their own way based on their personality, comfort zone, and backstory.

Tools to Help You Show Authentic Character Emotion: The Emotion Thesaurus, The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus, and The Emotional Wound Thesaurus.

Inadequate Internal Conflict

A well-developed character should have inner struggles, doubts, conflicting needs, fears, and insecurities, all of which make certain actions and decisions agonizing for them. If a writer doesn���t know a character well enough, their struggles will seem generic and readers will feel disconnected from their struggles.

The Cure: Understand your character inside and out, especially backstory and unresolved wounds that haunt them (#1). Know their life, their stresses, their pain, and how loyalty, expectations, or beliefs may tear at them so you can show powerful, meaningful inner conflict. Use psychology in fiction to show inner turmoil in ways readers recognize as they���ve experienced the same tendencies themselves. ��

Tools to Help You Show Internal Conflict and Psychological Processes: The Emotional Wound Thesaurus, The Conflict Thesaurus, Volume 1, and The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus.

Little to No Growth or Change  

In any story, characters will face challenges���often life-changing ones. Even in a flat arc, where the protagonist remains steadfast in their beliefs, they should still learn, adapt, and navigate obstacles in a way that feels authentic. Primary characters who respond to every problem the same way, repeat mistakes without growth, or remain rigid in their viewpoints can feel unrealistic and unconvincing to readers.

The Cure: All roads lead back to characterization. Go deeper. Get to know your character, and why they think, act, and behave as they do. Choose specific conflict scenarios that force them to confront misconceptions and fears that lead to change and growth.

Tools to Help You Write About Change and Growth: For growth journeys and the path of change, try The Emotional Wound Thesaurus. The Conflict Thesaurus Volumes 1 and Volume 2 are packed with help to craft powerful conflict that will strengthen and support character arc. The Character Builder Tool will take all your character-building information and create a character arc blueprint for you.

Flat characters can always be fixed. It���s worth the effort because once readers bind themselves emotionally to a character, they���re hooked. If you���re lucky, they���ll seek out more books by you, too.

READ NEXT: How to Write a Protagonist with True Depth

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Character Secret Thesaurus: Helping Someone Die with Dignity

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���

Helped Someone Die with Dignity

ABOUT THIS SECRET: This act of compassion, while well-intentioned, can place a heavy burden on the person carrying it out. They may struggle with the moral implications of their actions, be overwhelmed with guilt, and fear legal and social repercussions should others find out. The act can complicate relationships with loved ones, triggering questions about loyalty, ethics, and the sanctity of life itself.

SPECIFIC��FEARS��THAT MAY DRIVE THE NEED FOR SECRECY: Abandonment, Becoming What One Hates, Being Attacked, Being Capable of Harm, Being Judged, Being Labeled, Being Responsible for Others, Conditional Love, Conflict, Criticism, Isolation, Letting Others Down, Losing One���s Social Standing, Losing the Respect of Others, Not Being Believed, Rejection

HOW THIS SECRET COULD HOLD THE CHARACTER BACK
Unresolved guilt or shame causing greater mental health difficulties or relationship issues with others
Fearing for their soul (even if they stand by their actions) because they helped take a life
Pulling away from or abandoning other loved ones facing terminal or chronic illnesses because their situations are triggering for the character

BEHAVIORS OR HABITS THAT HELP HIDE THIS SECRET
Lying, deflecting questions, or withholding details about the events surrounding their friend���s death
Creating alibis about where they were at the time of death to remove suspicion of their involvement
Avoiding people who might know or suspect the truth

ACTIVITIES OR TENDENCIES THAT MAY RAISE SUSPICIONS
Appearing too calm or detached about the loss
Being overly attentive to the departed���s family, as if the character is seeking absolution
Having more than one close friend who was assisted by someone in ending their life prematurely

SITUATIONS THAT MAKE KEEPING THIS SECRET A CHALLENGE��
Being exposed by an unexpected witness who knows what the character did
Witnessing a public debate or news story about assisted suicide or euthanasia, prompting feelings of guilt or outrage about opposing viewpoints
Being caught in a lie about the circumstances surrounding their friend���s death

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.

The post Character Secret Thesaurus: Helping Someone Die with Dignity appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS��.

Phenomenal First Pages Contest

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!)

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 DetailsThis 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.

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How to Improve Your Chances of Getting Published

If only there was a magic formula, a secret trick that would improve your chances of getting published. Well, there is���but it isn���t magic or secret, and in the end, it can���t guarantee publication. But it���s still the best formula I know of for getting a shot at a contract. Some of this might not sound like good news, but I think it is, because in my opinion, talent is not the deciding factor in getting published. Instead, it���s hard work, patience, and an openness to feedback���things that are accessible to everyone.

Beginner���s Mind

This is a term that comes from Buddhism. What it means is to approach things with the attitude that you might not know everything, which allows for a willingness to learn new ways of seeing and doing. That���s what creativity is all about���seeing and doing things differently.

One of the best ways to keep an open mind is by reading. Studying novels. Taking them apart. Applying what you learn to your own work and practicing it. Another way is to take classes and workshops, go to conferences, listen to podcasts. Find out how others have done things. What works for them might not work for you, but there are many ways to approach the act of writing a novel. Try them on. See what fits.

Beginner���s mind also means being open to feedback. Honest critique. While feel-good feedback is nice, it won���t land you a publisher. You need to be resilient enough to hear that maybe this thing you���ve created could be better. Maybe there���s a kernel of a good idea there, but the rest of it is, well, compost, and you need to start over.

Does that sound harsh? It���s definitely unpleasant. But I���ve lost count of the number of times I���ve had to start a novel over from scratch with only the shred of the idea left on the page. Two of my published novels were created that way, and I���m just putting the finishing touches on another that also came into being by way of the garbage can.

Bestselling YA author John Green talks about how 90% of his first drafts end up in the round file. Another bestselling author, Barbara Kingsolver, throws out hundreds of pages in the process of finding a novel���s voice. I used to think it was just beginners who threw out work (well, beginners, and me). But now I know this is the process.

Writing is rewriting. It was probably the first thing our novel-writing instructor said to us in the MFA program, and it���s the truest thing I know about writing. The great lines, the poetry, the character development���most of that gets created in revision.��

Steep Grade Ahead

Writing plays a nasty trick on us. Because we learn how to write essays in school���and maybe the odd short story���we assume we know how to write a novel. Writing is writing, after all. It���s words on a page. But that���s like saying that because a person knows how to play the piano, they will automatically be proficient at the saxophone. True, they���ll know how to read music���but that���s the only advantage they���ll have.

The learning curve for writing a novel is steep. I���m talking years. Maybe ten years. That was how long it took me, and I���d been writing for years before I tackled my first novel. And I���m still learning. Every novel I read or edit or write has something to teach me. There will never come a time where I���ll feel I know all I need to know about writing a novel. That shouldn���t depress you. I think it���s exciting, a testament to the genre���s potential.

The Querying Process

All right. You���ve put in the years, you���ve gotten the tough feedback and revised until you���re cross-eyed. It���s time for the rubber to meet the road.

When it comes to querying, improving your chances of landing a publisher is both simpler and more complicated than you might think. Follow the submission guidelines. Widen your scope to include small publishers. Write a decent query letter. Easy.

Your letter won���t make or break your submission. But there are a few things that will: your synopsis and your opening pages.

Your synopsis shows a publisher that you understand structure and can execute the great idea you described in the pitch of your query letter. If the structure is broken, the novel will be broken. They won���t want to read it. That���s why synopses are so hard to write. And it���s why publishers and agents ask for one.

Then come your opening pages, the true showcase of your novel���s awesomeness. You can write the best query letter in the world, but if your opening pages don���t land, if they don���t grip the reader by the throat and insist that they turn the page, the publisher won���t ask for more.

How do you understand structure and write fabulous opening pages? By working hard. By taking apart the structure of novels you���ve read and trying to understand how the author created their magic. By writing and revising and writing and revising. This is what Steven Pressfield meant by turning pro: taking your craft seriously, developing the necessary discipline to see a project through to the end, not being crushed by feedback but instead using it as a learning tool. There will be setbacks and rejections, but a pro keeps showing up day after day and putting in the work. A pro doesn���t give up.

That���s the magic formula. That���s what will give you the best chance of getting there.

Writers Helping Writers holds a monthly critique contest that can help make your opening gleam. Come back to our blog Thursday, February 20 for a chance to win a 1st page critique from Becca Puglisi!

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Character Secret Thesaurus: Doubting One’s Faith

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 Doubting Their Faith

ABOUT THIS SECRET: When someone starts doubting their faith, it can leave them feeling unmoored. In addition to their inner turmoil, they may face disbelief, anger, and rejection from friends and family members, and even excommunication, leaving them unsupported as they work out new beliefs that align with their values. In extremist faith communities, keeping this process a secret is imperative since even voicing doubts or criticisms might endanger the character���s life.

SPECIFIC��FEARS��THAT MAY DRIVE THE NEED FOR SECRECY: Being Attacked, Being Judged, Being Labeled, Being Separated from Loved Ones, Being Unsafe, Betrayal, Certain Kinds of People, Change, Conditional Love, Conflict, Criticism, Death, Discrimination, Humiliation, Isolation, Letting Others Down, Losing One���s Heritage or Cultural Identity, Losing One���s Social Standing, Losing the Respect of Others, Not Fitting in, Persecution, Rejection

HOW THIS SECRET COULD HOLD THE CHARACTER BACK
Feeling as if they���ve lost their purpose
Pulling away from people in the faith and losing their support
Struggling to make life decisions while their values and morals are in flux
Feeling like a hypocrite for participating in rituals they no longer believe in
Wrestling with fear, anxiety, and depression as they question what they were taught and what they truly believe

BEHAVIORS OR HABITS THAT HELP HIDE THIS SECRET
Continuing to perform religious rituals (prayer, fasting, attending services, etc.) even though their heart isn���t in it
Expressing doubts by posing ���devil���s advocate��� questions
Diving deeper into their existing belief system to try to find answers to their questions
Overcompensating with excessive displays of devotion

ACTIVITIES OR TENDENCIES THAT MAY RAISE SUSPICIONS
Asking exploratory philosophical questions with trusted individuals
Referencing secular or non-religious sources when discussing doctrine
Cultivating friendships with people outside their community

SITUATIONS THAT MAKE KEEPING THIS SECRET A CHALLENGE��
Being in a position of authority in their community where they���re responsible for leading others in their faith
Being seen participating in another faith���s rituals
A disaster or tragedy that highlights the character���s doubts about God, making it more challenging to stay silent

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.

The post Character Secret Thesaurus: Doubting One’s Faith appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS��.

Use This Method to Identify Your Story���s Stakes

Stakes are a crucial part of your story because they define what will happen if the protagonist fails. To build reader empathy, you need this piece in place because when the reader sees what���s at stake, and they recognize why it matters to the character, the story becomes important. It matters.

Stakes also create tension when the reader realizes what���s on the line. So when the stakes are referenced early on, readers are more likely to be drawn in and root for the character���s success.

But that empathy connection only happens if the reader can see what���s at stake. And that can only happen if the author knows what���s on the line. Sometimes, it���s obvious. What are the consequences if Sheriff Brody doesn���t catch the shark in Jaws? Death and dismemberment. In the original Inside Out, if all of Riley���s emotions aren���t acknowledged and won���t work together, her identity is at risk.

But other times, it���s harder to identify what���s at stake in a story. So I���d like to share a simple method for figuring that out.

Outer Motivation + Inner Motivation = Stakes

All you have to do is figure out a couple of key elements for your story.

First: the protagonist���s goal. This is their overall objective. It���s what they���re hoping to achieve: getting the girl, enacting revenge, catching the criminal, etc. This is also called the Outer Motivation because it���s what the character is visibly working toward; everything he or she does is in pursuit of this objective. In The Lord of the Rings, Frodo���s goal is to destroy the one ring. In An Officer and a Gentleman, the protagonist���s goal is to become a Navy officer. The story goal should be pretty obvious because it���s what your character is actively seeking and pursuing.

But, often, there���s also something internally driving your character toward their goal. This is called the Inner Motivation because its private and is usually related to self-esteem or personal fulfillment. Figuring this out requires some digging into the character���s psyche and their past, but on a basic level, you can simply ask: Why is the goal so important to them?

In An Officer and a Gentleman, why does Zach Mayo want to become a Navy officer? There are lots of possibilities, but the true reason becomes clear when you know his backstory. His mother committed suicide, abandoning him as a ten-year-old. He was sent to live with his father, who was an excellent drinking buddy but not good for much else. And his dad���s military career had them moving all over so he could never put down roots. What Zach craves more than anything is belonging, and becoming a military officer will provide that for him. This is going to meet an internal need that���s missing. Belonging to a group is his inner motivation.

One interesting connection to note:
the inner motivation will often point back to a missing human need.

If you���ve followed Angela and me for long, you���ve likely heard about Maslow���s hierarchy of human needs and how it fits into character arc. The full explanation is here, but to summarize, there are 5 needs that are common to all human beings. If any of these are missing, people become vulnerable, and they���ll take action to fill the void.

Very often, that missing need is the inner motivation.

So, when we���re thinking about how to create meaningful stakes for a character, it���s helpful to zero in on which need is missing or most important to them���and be sure it���s tied to their inner motivation. For Zach, he���s missing love and belonging. He���s chosen a goal that, if he succeeds, will usher him into a ready-made community. So what���s at stake if he fails? Not belonging���continuing to live in isolation, alone.

SIDEBAR: It���s important to note that not every protagonist has an inner motivation. This happens a lot in stories that are plot-driven rather than character-driven: thrillers, action/adventure, etc. Think: Indiana Jones, Lara Croft, and vintage James Bond. Those stories are all about the character achieving the goal rather than them growing and maturing, so that internal piece isn���t necessarily needed. In stories like these, the stakes will be very obvious: the end of the world, someone dying, the Nazis getting the Ark of the Covenant and becoming all-powerful, etc.

Bonus: You Can Start from Anywhere

The cool thing about this method is you don���t have to know all your story elements at once; you can start with the inner or outer motivation to figure out the rest of the pieces.

Example 1: Start with the story goal. You know you���re writing a romance with a protagonist who���s looking for true love. What missing human need will be filled if they succeed (inner motivation/human need)?�� What���s at stake if they fail?

Example 2: Start with the human need/internal motivation that���s driving their behavior. You know your character inside and out, so you���ve already identified their wound and the human need that���s been compromised. Let���s say it���s Esteem and Recognition. What story goal might they pursue that would fill that void? What���s at stake if they fail to reach their objective?

And now you know how to figure out what���s at stake for your story. Convey that to readers early on, and you���ll show them why the story matters, making it engaging and difficult to put down.

Additional Stakes Resources:

Make the Stakes Personal
Tips for Raising the Stakes
Use Stakes to Establish Reader Expectations

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Thirty Ways to Promote Your Book

Depending on where you are on your writing journey, you may be finding out that writing your book is just the beginning of your journey as a writer. Finishing a book is a huge accomplishment, requiring significant time, energy, focus, and love. Job number one in a writer���s life is getting that darned book finished, polished, and then out into the world. But the reality in today���s market, whether you publish traditionally, use a hybrid publisher, or publish independently (Self Publish), you as the writer will have to get involved in spreading the word so that readers can find your book.

Yes, I���m talking about marketing and promotion. Even if you���re with a big publishing house, it���s rare these days to get a ton of budget or support for your book���s promotion, especially if you���re new on the scene. This comes as a shock for many new writers, who���ve watched umpteen Hollywood movies depicting huge book tours and lines down the block assembled to meet an author. The reality is more like calling around to see if bookstores will let you do a signing, and then wiling away hours, hoping that shoppers will stop to talk.��

Many writers find the idea of marketing their books terrifying, thinking that dancing on social media, or spending a fortune on ads and hoping for the best are the only options to get potential readers��� attention.

���But Suzy������ I hear from writers when I ask what their plan is for marketing. ���I hate public speaking, and I see you doing it but it���s just not for me.���

The good news? You don���t have to do any of the things I do. There are dozens of other options.  With my background in building businesses, I���ve always been fascinated with how writers promote themselves and their books, and jump at every chance I get to find out what���s working for writers I meet, and what isn���t. As a result, over the years I���ve personally tried dozens of strategies to reach readers ��� some that worked, and some that didn���t. I���ve also worked with hundreds of writers who are successfully marketing their books, each with their own special flair.

What Do All These Successful Authors Have in Common?They play to their own interests and strengths. What I love to do may not be your cup of tea���so don���t do it! If speaking and teaching in front of crowds, or talking with strangers is your kryptonite, find another way. You can use your written words to reach audiences by blogging, writing articles, or simply sharing your writing in creative places. ��They don���t spread themselves too thin. Pick one or two areas to focus on, and go deep, learning everything you can and giving it your all. If you choose to learn the art of promoting yourself and books using online ads and you focus your energy there, you���ll eventually get great at it. If you start a social media account or a blog on a topic related to your book and post regular content, you���ll attract a community of readers who might be interested in your book. If you try to do all the things, you���ll exhaust yourself, and you will see fewer results, making you wonder if all the hype about ���marketing��� is worth it.They show up consistently. Once you���ve found a strategy you enjoy and can sustain over time without burning out, do it consistently. These days, I focus on just two things: my Inspired Writing Newsletter for writers, and my Show, Don���t Tell Writing podcast . These are both free weekly content and have grown my community to over 12,000 amazing writers. When you���re first starting out, choose one thing you can do regularly, whether it’s monthly, biweekly, or weekly, and show up consistently. Resist making excuses, or giving up too soon. Over time, your audience will build.They show up as ���themselves��� when they interact with readers. Don���t be afraid to let your freak flag fly, whether that���s your obsession with Hot Wheels collectibles, poetry, or your relentless pursuit of perfect grammar. The biggest mistake I see writers make is trying to make all their communications with potential audiences so formal that their Voice and Point of View are missing. Readers are interested in knowing what their favorite writers are really like. And the bonus? Being yourself is much easier to sustain over time than trying to be who you think others expect you to be.They promote year-round, not just when they have a new book coming out. Even if you haven���t published your first book yet, the time to start building your author platform to promote your books is now. Get your feet wet as soon as you can, and try things out. It might take you a minute to learn which strategies give you the most joy and result in meaningful interactions with potential readers. But start somewhere. If you have 12 people in your audience waiting for your book when it comes out, that���s better than zero.��

As you explore your options to promote your books and find readers, you���re building a creative life for yourself. The best part is that you get to be creative about what that looks like. By all means, gather inspiration by watching and learning from writers you admire. But don���t try to emulate what they���re doing exactly, or marketing will feel like a chore, and you���ll quit. Instead, notice what those writers are doing that looks doable for you, and what feels exciting for you to try���and then try it.

Not Sure Where to Start?

I���ve compiled this list of 30 Ways to Promote Your Book, along with some thoughts on how I���ve seen each of them successfully implemented. I guarantee there���s at least one on this list that will fit your writing goals, your personality, and your available time for building up your public presence as a writer.

Enjoy!

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