Angela Ackerman's Blog: Writers Helping Writers, page 2

Amazing Resources for Neurodivergent Writers

My last post highlighted Writing Tips for the Neurodivergent Brain, but what about writing resources and tools? What sorts of ��helpers�� are out there to help people with not-so-great executive functions get to the end?

What the Heck Is ��Executive Function”?

This is the part of the brain that manages tasks, time, focus, and self-control. For most people with any neurodivergence, some part of this is going to be hard.

For example, I have self-control all day long, but sustaining focus and managing details feel like climbing Mount Everest. And every day, I start at the bottom and start climbing again. If I��m tired or ill, it��s even worse. To continue the Mount Everest analogy, on those days, I can��t even remember how to get my rope harness on. Forget climbing.

Another way to look at it…

Crappy executive function is like having a broken internal ��manager.�� You know what to do, but organizing, starting, or finishing can feel overwhelming, inconsistent, or impossible, even when you want to get things done.

One of the blogs I follow �� Creatively ADHD �� rocked my world with this quote: ��Writers love to say writing is like wrestling alligators. If that��s true, writing with ADHD is like wrestling an alligator with one hand��sometimes both��tied behind your back.��

Although I agree that ADHD can be a creative superpower, that superpower can��t always overcome the snarled-into-knots disorder of a neurodivergent brain.

For a writer, this might look like:

Analysis paralysis: You constantly try to dissect the problem, but never really figure out how to solve it.

Inability to recover from interruptions. My kid has learned that when she sees those two lines in between my eyebrows, I��m in the flow. I will completely lose hold of my forward progress if she interrupts me then. Which of course makes me really crabby.

Boredom leading to tangents. Boredom feels excruciating for the neurodivergent brain. Which means that boredom often leads to *squirrel* tangents.

Sometimes those tangents can lead to good, and sometimes they can lead to evil. One full-of-boring-tasks day, I spent two hours looking at Drew Barrymore��s entire family tree. Another one, I found out that Lucille Ball backed Star Trek after the network turned it down, and ultimately helped it get on the air.

(I used the second tangent in a book for a Trekkie character, so that tangent wasn��t all bad.)

There are other things like hyperfocus, distraction, perfectionism, and doubt in our abilities that can also plague this kind of brain.

It��s a lot to corral.

Neurodivergent Tools Can Help!

There are a lot of great tools and resources to help corral a busy brain. I��ve gathered some of my favorites below, in case they can help you too.

Tools & Tech that Help Neurodivergent Writers

Sometimes, the best tool is one that helps you stay on task. I��ve tried all sorts, as you��ll see below.

1. Writing Software with Minimal Distractions

If distractions are getting the best of you, try some of these.

FocusWriter (free): Full-screen, customizable writing environment.Scrivener: Great for organizing nonlinear thoughts, scenes, and research (but has a learning curve).FocusMate is another one I��ve tried. You can co-work with total strangers if you want.2. Timers & Focus Aids

The later versions of Windows have their own focus/timer tool if you click on the clock in the bottom right corner of the taskbar.Forest app: Pomodoro timers with visual aids, typically 25 minutes.My own kitchen timer has been a magic productivity tool. (ProTip: Go digital so the ticking doesn��t drive you nuts.)3. Note Capture for Fast MindsOtter.ai: The free version will let you record for 5 minutes at a time. Plus, you can easily move between the app on your phone and your computer.Evernote and OneNote are aces for keeping notes that are searchable.I��m a huge fan of keeping a mini-recorder on your person at all times for quick recording.In a pinch, I text myself, but this is a last resort because it��s too slow.Productivity Strategies Designed for ADHD Brains

I stumbled across many of these during my days with NaNoWriMo. I��ve had to go get the official terms for some of them, but every one of them helped my productivity skyrocket.

1. Body Doubling. This just means write with a friend. I like to do Zoom writing sprints. Many authors co-work on Discord.

2. Use Timed Sprints + Rewards. There are some tricks to this. Start with a short sprint �� anything from 20 to 40 minutes. Follow with some small dopamine reward that works for you. Could be snacks, dancing, or a quick brainstorming session if you��re stuck.

3. Set Tiny Goals with Fast Wins. I��ve talked about this before. The smaller you can chop up your goals, the better.

Note: Don��t go big, like write chapter 3. Go tiny like, write conversation between [character names] to accomplish [fill in the blank].

4. Externalize Everything. Visual cues help busy brains stay on task. Sticky notes, dry-erase boards, or storyboards help get the ideas out of your head AND help you focus on only that one idea.

Supportive Communities

If you want to hang out with people who get you, and who have great tips��

Writers with ADHD on FacebookNeurodivergent Writers & Artists Discord (active, inclusive)Great Blogs

I��ve gotten some amazing tips and insight here:

Rebecca Makkai has a great Writing With ADHD SubstackI also like Creatively ADHD on Substack, especially this post Passionate Writer Coaching has great resources for ADHD writers.Books & Guides

These books are both on my TBR list, and were recommendations from a therapist pal. (affiliate links)

Your Brain’s Not Broken by Tamara Rosier �� Insights on motivation and energy for ADHD minds. Refuse to Be Done by Matt Bell. I��m super excited about this one. Its subtitle is ��how to be done in 3 drafts.�� (Yes, please!) It��s supposed to be excellent for nonlinear writers, and has a kind, persistent tone.Bonus Productivity Tips from ADHD Writers!

Every single one of these made me happy.

��Write during the dopamine window �� whatever time of day you��re weirdly energized.�� @ADHD_Alien (Pina Varnel)��Make writing into a game: Word count bingo. Scene roulette. Anything to keep it fun.�� Reddit: r/adhdwriters��Let yourself write out of order. Your brain isn��t broken, it��s nonlinear. Embrace it.�� Jessica McCabe, How to ADHD��Progress over perfection. Finish messy, edit later.�� Dana Rayburn, ADHD Coach��If you keep forgetting your ideas, text them to yourself. Future-you will thank past-you.�� @neurospicywords (X)A Few Final Notes

When I realized (and accepted) that my brain was different, I was able to stop beating myself up for taking a different path to The End. ��The way all my friends did it�� just didn��t work for me. But I still wanted to get my work done.

Here are the top changes that made the biggest difference in my productivity:

Break down tasks: I recommend you divide large writing projects into small chunks. It reduces overwhelm and increases progress.Utilize visual aids: Whiteboards have been a game-changer. Also, index cards with story questions on my bathroom mirror. You might use something else.A dedicated writing environment: I didn��t have this for a long time, but I��m seeing that I��m more productive. In a perfect world I have two spaces �� changing locations sparks creativity for me.Regular exercise: Science-y reason��physical activity boosts dopamine and norepinephrine. My reason��it improves my ability to focus for longer periods of time.Find your highest focus times: Work during periods of natural focus, whether in short bursts or longer sessions. My highest focus tasks happen right after the first cup of coffee and late at night. It��s so freeing to find out when your highest focus times are and lean into them.Prioritize self-compassion: Knowledge is power. Recognizing and being compassionate about the challenges associated with a neurodivergent brain is sometimes most of the battle. Treat yourself with kindness and understanding and enjoy your unusual brain.

I hope some of these tools and resources help you on your writing journey. If you have found other fabulous ones, please do share them with us in the comments.

Happy writing!

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Published on August 05, 2025 00:00

How to Amp up Your Story Setting

Taking the time to choose the right setting for each scene is one of the best ways to ensure our writing has impact. Why? Because the setting touches everything. It can characterize the story��s cast, evoke mood, generate conflict, shape the plot, and even use symbols and emotional triggers to show readers what the protagonist fears, yearns for, and needs most of all. Setting is a formidable tool to wield in fiction, so much so that Becca and I dedicated not one, but two books to showing writers how to use it more effectively.

When described well, a specific location will draw readers into the scene��s action and the mindset of the POV character at the same time. Our description should provide an experience, encouraging readers to emotionally invest. Thinking outside the box to pick a setting that is unique works great to achieve this, but sometimes genre or story logic narrows our options, forcing us to take a different route.

Some settings tend to get used more than others in fiction, such as forests, parks, restaurants, and bedrooms. Genre can influence this, like the high school hallways and locker rooms found in YA fiction. Or plot may demand a specific setting, which unfortunately happens to be a bit on the bland side. Either way, to avoid boring readers who have experienced these settings many times before, we have to work harder and keep interest levels high. Here are three techniques to help you make any setting, even a boring one, pop!

Customize the Familiar

If you are unable to use a setting that is fresh because of your plotline or the expectations of a genre, don��t worry, the setting can still be reinvented. For example, a static location like a high school hallway (dull, scuffed lockers, milling students, and shut classroom doors) will have a signature look if the school prizes creative expression. Eclectic wall murals, lockers painted a rainbow of colors by students, and posters asking for entries for an art show will each put a unique stamp on this setting. Or try another customization and imagine how the hallway will look if decorated for a holiday or a celebration specific to the school. What if a water pipe were to break, flooding the hall with water, or worse, sewage?

Even through routine this boring hallway can transform. Think of the last day of school when kids pack up personal items and escape, leaving the rest of their school DNA bleeding from half-open locker doors or crammed into overflowing trashcans. Bottom line: your imagination is what flavors a setting, so open your mind to the possibilities.

Play With Light and Shadow

Things look different at night. I don��t know about your bedroom, but in mine, the ceiling fan above my bed becomes a gangly netherworld creature ready to take me out at 2 am, and my digital clock morphs into a video camera display (thanks to reoccurring ��being watched�� type nightmares my brain likes to feature). Anyway, the point is, changing the quality of light can transform a setting and cause an emotional response. Because people view light and dark as symbols for ��safe or not safe,�� and ��good or bad,�� we can use this to our advantage. Darkness can warp even the most innocent location and bright light can make a dangerous place seem safe, lowering the character��s (and so reader��s) guard. So play with light and dark, thinking about how dingy windows, the time of day, spotty electricity, moonlight, or even the dying embers of a fire can steer your reader��s perceptions.

Use Weather Elements

Bringing the real world into our fiction gives it authenticity. Yet, many writers choose to walk on the bland side when it comes to weather: it��s sunny out, or there��s a breeze. Maybe some fog rolls in.

There are many incredible types of weather elements that can be used, so don��t be afraid to explore something different as long as it works with the location. Weather is terrific at building mood, and because we are tactile creatures, people are very alert to temperature shifts and how the air feels on our skin. Weather also draws out emotions, making people feel a certain way, and can even add a nice bit of complication to the action as it unfolds.

Even with indoor locations, it is possible to bring weather in through the earthy scent of mud crusting one��s shoes, a snow-damp coat being hung to dry, or the persistent fingers of cold that reach up through the floorboards, sending your character closer to a space heater. Sensory details triggered by weather elements can bring about that realism our audience expects to see and will help customizes their experience.

Harness the power of the setting with The Rural Setting Thesaurus and The Urban Setting Thesaurus.��

Part how-to, part brainstorming tool, they��re like a masterclass in maximizing your setting. Access sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures of 100+ natural and personal locations or over 120 modern locations.

These books will help you:

Immerse Readers in the StoryAdd Depth and MoodGenerate Realistic Conflict in the Perfect LocationsUse Setting to Shape Plot��Utilize Figurative Language for Powerful, Layered Descriptions. Repurpose descriptive details as metaphors that add layers of meaning and stir the reader��s emotions.What techniques do you use to make a bland setting unique and interesting? Let me know in the comments!

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Published on July 31, 2025 00:00

How to Fictionalize Your Family

Linda Ulleseit, an award-winning author of historical fiction, shares tips and tricks for fictionalizing your family.

Everyone has a story! The themes that run through family stories can have universal appeal, but actual evidence of a person��s life can be hard to find. Sometimes fiction is the only way to tell their story. Fictionalizing family history requires managing the facts, the fiction, and the family itself. Read on to learn about interviewing, finding historical sources, filling in the fictional pieces, and how to manage the delicate process of explaining the book to your family.

Uncovering the Facts

Begin by talking to family members who may have lived through the period you want to write about, or who have heard stories about it from other family members. Use photographs or journals to jog relatives�� memories, and ask open-ended questions to find out details such as personality and profession that might complete your character profile. Encourage them to tell you other stories about the family. You might hear an amazing tale that you can add to your story, or that will be inspiration for another book!

Next, look outside the family to get a feel for the world around the character or story you have decided to explore. Libraries and historical societies are a good source for personal papers and nonfiction books. They also have old newspapers, magazines, catalogs, and phone books. The internet is another valuable place to research. Basic research sites include WorldCat, JSTOR, Google Scholar, online newspaper archives, and census records.

Adding the Fiction

You might decide to write a historical novel because you lack factual information and need to embellish the truth. Recorded events capture only the highlights of a life and can be awfully far apart in a timeline. But what characters do on a daily basis is an important part of backstory and character development. You will need to make things up to bridge the gaps between the story and the history.

Start by filling in the details of daily life. What plot-advancing thing did your antagonist do the Thursday before the big event? Or that morning over breakfast? Or yesterday at the market? You can add in setting and the historical landscape��people in period dress, places where your characters might go, vehicles they might use, things they might eat. Your novel also needs the characters�� emotions and motivations��although, as we all know, why a character did a certain thing may not be recorded. It has to be inferred from attitudes of the times, relationships with other people, or sometimes, just made up. Emotional reactions lead to character development, which gives you the arc needed for a novel.

Remember that real life is not a novel. A novel needs a beginning and end, and something at stake for the protagonist. Adhering too closely to the real life story can weaken your fictional story.Managing the Family

When writing a novel rooted in an ancestor story, you may run up against resistance from relatives who view your shared family history differently. They may want the story told the way they see it or not at all. In some rare cases this has even led to lawsuits against authors and publishers. It��s important to remember that an author filters information that comes to them through their perception. So, how do you convey that you��re not writing a biography��you��re writing fiction?

One way to address family controversy is to craft a disclaimer like, ��This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either a product of fiction or are used in a fictitious manner, including portrayal of historical figures and situations.�� If you want to be even more specific, you can use phrases like ��timelines have been condensed and expanded.�� You might say, ��with the exception of public figures�� or ��scenes including a famous person/well-known event have no factual basis.��

Another way to establish credibility is through an end-of-the-book Author��s Note. Readers of historical fiction expect the author to have adhered (mostly) to historical facts, but may be curious about how closely the author stuck to the truth��especially if the characters aren��t well-known. Detail the facts and identify the fiction, including why you decided to fictionalize it. Give insight to anything that is still debated, especially within the family. Also tell the rest of the story: any backstory you didn��t have room for, maybe even what happened after the novel ends. You might want to include a family tree that shows how you are related to the characters in the story.

Finally, emphasize that your story was ��inspired by�� a person or event rather than being about them. Family history can provide unique and meaningful scaffolding to a work of fiction. It��s your creative approach to an ancestor��s story, though, that will entertain and educate not only blood kin but a wider audience of readers keen to learn more about how everyday people in history��who happen to be related to you��navigated the human experience.

Linda Ulleseit, an award-winning author of historical fiction based on her female ancestors, has spoken at international conferences and led writing workshops. She believes in the power of unsung women living ordinary lives. Linda has an MFA in Creative Writing from Lindenwood University and is a founding member of Paper Lantern Writers. This post is adapted from a chapter of Paper Lantern Writers�� book Crafting Stories From the Past: a How-To Guide for Writing Historical Fiction. You can connect with Linda in the Paper Lantern Writers’ Facebook group, Paper Lantern Readers.

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Published on July 29, 2025 00:00

Tap into Your Character’s Unmet Need to Strengthen Your Story

Life can be painful, especially for our characters. In fact, the fallout of an emotionally wounding event such as a car accident, failing to save someone��s life, infertility, or being sent away as a child can derail their life for years (or even decades!) if left unresolved. Not only that, it can change the character��s personality, damage their relationships, and seed their life with dysfunction and unfulfillment.

This is why at the start of a story the protagonist is usually dissatisfied, lost, unhappy, or yearning for something more. They are experiencing something called an unmet need.

Unmet needs are created because emotional wounds generate a FEAR of being hurt again (which can manifest in many ways).

The result? The character holds back in life. They settle. They avoid things that can lead to their happiness because being hurt again is too big of a risk.

A fear of trusting the wrong person after a betrayal keeps Mary from seeking love.

A fear of death after a near-fatal climbing accident keeps Rodney from living life to the fullest.

A fear of losing her only child after the death of her spouse keeps Tonya imprisoned by an inflexible mindset and need to control.

Fear is powerful, but unmet needs can direct behavior above all else, meaning, if the urgency is strong enough, needs will push characters to act even if their deepest, most debilitating fears are telling them not to.

Mary��s need to share her life with someone pushes her to open herself to love again.

Rodney��s need to achieve a lifelong goal of summitting Everest convinces him to take up his passion once more, even knowing the risks.

Tonya��s need to have a healthy relationship with her daughter forces her to let go and support her daughter��s independence.

Your Character��s Arc

Now, this shift won��t happen overnight. We really must ensure that our characters go through a gauntlet of unhappiness and struggle until finally they say Enough! and act. When we do this, readers believe that our characters are pushing forward toward their goal regardless of whatever stands in their way because their inner motivation (an unmet need) is driving them to do so.

A terrific tool to understand the connection between Motivation and Unmet Needs is the Hierarchy of Human Needs, a theory created by psychologist Abraham Maslow. It looks specifically at human behavior and the drivers that compel people to act. Separated into five categories, it begins with needs that are the most pressing to satisfy (physiological) and ends with needs centered on personal fulfillment (self-actualization).

This pyramid representation of Maslow��s original hierarchy makes a great visualization tool for writers as they seek to understand what motivates their characters:

The categories are arranged by importance. So, food, water, and other primal physiological needs are the most critical to fill since they are based on survival. Next is the need to be safe, then to be loved, to be respected, and, finally, to reach one��s potential.

These needs, when met, create balance and lead to satisfaction within. But if one or more needs are absent, a hole is created, a feeling that something is missing. As this ��lack�� builds in intensity, the psychological pressure will grow until finally it pushes the character to seek a way to fill the void.

When a human need is diminished or missing to the point of disrupting the character��s life, it becomes a motivator. For example, a person can skip lunch and only experience minor discomfort until the next meal. But if it��s been a week since he last ate, his discomfort becomes a gnawing hole that demands to be filled, an obsession he must pursue. He might cross moral lines to steal food, resort to personally humiliating actions such as begging or digging in a dumpster, or even take foolish risks, such as eating spoiled food all because his singular focus is on meeting his need. Everything else��pride, fear, self-esteem, even safety��becomes secondary.

Sacrificing one need to satisfy others happens often, which is why there��s a hierarchy. If a character must choose between a job where he��s universally admired (esteem) or financially stable (safety), he��ll choose the latter. Or his goal to become a doctor (self-actualization) may be set aside if his wife is diagnosed with a terminal disease and he must leave school to care for her (love). Just like that skipped meal, placing one need before others usually isn��t a problem in the short term, but the longer a need goes unmet, the more disruptive it becomes until it eventually hits a breaking point. Unhappy marriages end in divorce when the pain reaches an unbearable level. An employee quits a job when workplace esteem levels bottom out or mistreatment escalates. Everyone has a ��final straw�� moment, after which they can take no more. How quickly it��s reached will depend on the individual and the reasons he has for being in the situation in the first place.

Change isn��t easy. In fact, it is often painful, and it takes great courage to step into the unknown. The temptation is always there for a character to stay in the safe yet dysfunctional comfort zone: to settle for less while trying to ignore the hole created by an unmet need.

If you need help understanding what unmet needs an emotional wound might create, just check out the entries in The Emotional Wound Thesaurus. In fact, here��s an example of a wounding event right from the book: Accidentally Killing Someone.

If you want to access a tool that helps you plan an unbelievably strong character arc based on Maslow��s Hierarchy of Unmet Needs, try One Stop for Writers�� Character Motivation Thesaurus.

Do you know your character��s unmet need? How does it drive them toward their goal? Let me know in the comments!

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Published on July 24, 2025 00:25

How to Use Hidden Experiences to Pull Readers In

No matter who your protagonist is��a formidable galactic emperor, a morally complex teenager, or the retiree down the street with too many cats��readers must find something fundamentally relatable about them, something that resonates with their own human experience. This causes them to feel bonded to the character in a way they didn��t expect, and we need that to happen to get them invested in the story.

Tapping into our reader��s psyche to pull on their emotions is essential. Often writers focus on likeability, giving a character admirable traits, a passion, or a noble mission that readers can get behind. But the secret sauce is something more subtle yet nuanced: emotional common ground.

Tell me, do these experiences seem familiar?Not knowing what to doMaking a mistakeRegretting a choiceTrying and failingWanting to quitNeeding to hide disappointmentBeing unsure as to how to ask for helpRecognizing a truth too lateKnowingly doing the wrong thingPretending to be okayFeeling taken advantage ofHaving no good options

These are emotionally challenging moments common to us all, ones that stick with us due to the discomfort and vulnerability they cause. When we feel exposed, it��s human nature to keep those feelings to ourselves. As a result, they often become hidden experiences��things we go through that stir deep emotions but are rarely shared or discussed.

Hidden experiences are interesting because while we can feel utterly alone when they happen if we realize someone else is going through the same thing, our first response is to feel empathy and possibly a desire to help. In fiction, hidden experiences can be a goldmine. If a character goes through something that makes them feel threatened, exposed, or inadequate, readers will instantly recognize it. Even better, a kinship forms because they know what it��s like to be in that character��s emotional shoes.

Where to Use Hidden Experiences

While it��s not exactly enjoyable to face life��s challenges��especially when we don��t handle them as well as we��d hope��the silver lining is that we can use those experiences to our advantage in fiction. Giving readers a front-row seat to a character��s vulnerability, insecurities, and struggles is a powerful way to foster empathy and make them invested in what happens next. To get the best mileage from a hidden experience, we should think about points in a story where reinforcing common ground makes the most sense. A few ideas��

Moral Dilemmas

Navigating conflicting morals or values is never simple or easy. When a character wrestles with a moral problem, they instinctively turn inward, reasoning through their options. This process will draw the reader in, especially as they recognize that whatever the character decides, it will say something about who they are. A solution is never perfect, either, meaning a consequence or cost, which is also relatable. Whenever something important is at stake��like a person��s identity��readers can��t help but think about what they would do in the same situation and be reminded of similar moral struggles they��ve faced in their own lives.

Relationship Friction

Humans are social creatures, and we invest in certain relationships. Try as we might to pretend otherwise, we do care what certain people think, and we want to belong. This is why characters experiencing difficulties in a relationship��a partner constantly putting work first, parents who love conditionally, a daughter who is growing more distant��pull on a reader��s heartstrings. It��s easy to relate to the desire to erase tension, a gnawing sense of unfairness, or how it feels to have a relationship-based need going unmet.

Temptation

What makes a moral dilemma or tough choice even more difficult? The presence of temptation��to take the easy road, offload a problem onto someone else, give into a bad habit, or be untruthful about what��s transpiring. Temptation is a great hidden experience to use because all readers have been lured by its song. Everyone has felt the pull to justify their actions even knowing they are wrong. They also very likely have experienced the cost of giving in to temptation, so while they will root for a character to resist, they will be somewhat sympathetic if it goes the other way, too.

Connect Hidden Experiences to the Fabric of Your Story

Life can be painful, so we all have a lot of real-world hidden experiences on our bingo card. But this doesn��t mean we shouldn��t be choosy about which ones we write into the story. Sure, readers can relate to a protagonist��s shame and guilt at being caught in a lie, but if their choice to do so has no real bearing on the story or character��s arc, it won��t land right with readers.

For hidden experiences to juice your story with meaning, think about where the plot needs to go, the lessons your character needs to learn, and what common internal suffering will be the perfect fit to make the character��s situation more relatable and poignant to readers.Don��t Hold Back

Some of you might find it hard to poke your character��s soft spots, but I promise you, the payoff is huge. Not only are you building powerful points of connection between characters and your audience, but you also ensure they become deeply invested in the story��s resolution. Readers want to see good things happen for the people they care about, especially those who have endured familiar trials and struggles.

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Published on July 21, 2025 23:46

Phenomenal First Pages Contest �� Guest Editor Edition

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 five pages, 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 five pages.

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 five pages.Please have your pages ready in case your name is selected. Format it with��1-inch margins, double-spaced, and 12pt Times New Roman font.��The editor you’ll be working with:Marissa Graff

Marissa Graff has been a freelance editor and reader for literary agent Sarah Davies at Greenhouse Literary Agency for over five years. In conjunction with Angelella Editorial, she offers developmental editing, author coaching, and more. She specializes in middle-grade and young-adult fiction but also works with adult fiction.

Marissa feels if she��s done her job well, a client should probably never need her help again because she��s given them a crash-course MFA via deep editorial support and/or coaching. Connect with Marissa on her Website, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

You can find Marissa’s Resident Writing Coach posts at Writers Helping Writers here.

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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Published on July 16, 2025 22:13

Writing 101: Avoiding Purple Prose

Purple prose is one of those writing problems that��s easy to see in someone else��s work but hard to spot in our own. Simply put, this writing is overly elaborate or self-indulgent. It��s wordy, heavy on description, and often prioritizes the sound of the words over clarity and pacing. The result? Writing so ornate, flowery, or dramatic that it calls attention to itself and gets in the way of the story.

This kind of writing can be found in long passages (a full page describing a sunset) or in small samples (an overwrought metaphor or sentence in an otherwise well-written scene). Either way, it��s a sign the writing (and the author) is trying hard to impress.

Why It Doesn��t Work

While a beautifully written sentence can be a pleasure to read, purple prose takes things too far. Here��s what happens when things get too flowery:

The pace slows to a crawl. Prose tends toward long, drawn-out passages with little movement or character interaction.The writing is unclear. As more details and complex comparisons are added, readers have to work harder to understand what��s meant. Reading the story becomes difficult rather than effortless.Melodrama takes over. When an emotion, description, or story event is described with multiple metaphors and lyrical phrasings, it starts to feel over the top.The voice sounds artificial. Most of the time, purple prose isn��t a reflection of the character��s style; it��s the author��s. When readers realize the author is narrating instead of the protagonist, the story loses some of its authenticity.

Basically, the writing is supposed to serve the story, not the other way around. So let��s identify the common elements that contribute to purple prose so you��ll know it when you see it in your own manuscript.

Too Many Adjectives and Adverbs

Purple: The tall, brooding, mysterious stranger walked solemnly and silently across the desolate, fog-laced, moonlit street.

Better: The stranger drifted down the fog-laced street, quiet and unreadable.

When you��re describing something, always know what you want the description to do. (Hint: it should do more than just create a visual image.) Whether you want to create mood, characterize, foreshadow, or provide contrast, go with the details that will accomplish that purpose.

And when it comes to adverbs, remember that most of them can be replaced with a strong verb, and you get a better result with more economy.

Clunky Comparisons

Metaphors can be powerful because they create connections for readers. But if too many are used or the metaphors are mixed, the meaning is less clear, and the writing reads as amateurish. Pick one image and let it do the heavy lifting.

Purple: Her laughter was a symphony of spring rain, golden sunlight, and wind in the trees.

Better: Her laughter was like a rain shower��quick and unexpected.

TIP: If you��re unsure if your metaphors are working, ask critique partners and beta readers to specifically offer feedback in this area.

Abstract Emotional Language

If you describe an emotion in broad or over-described terms, it can come across as melodramatic.

Purple: He was consumed by a soul-crushing, bone-deep anguish that shattered him into a million irreparable fragments.

Better: His gut dropped��and kept dropping. He sank to his knees, tried to speak, but what could he say?

Instead of using emotional language, show what the character is feeling through their body language, visceral reactions, and thoughts. (TIP: The Emotion Thesaurus is a great tool for this.)

Thesaurus-Worthy Word Choices

Purple: The hound, cloaked in a patchwork of bedraggled fur and grievous olfactory offenses, appeared in dire need of ablution in sanctifying waters.

Better: The mangy dog smelled like death and needed a bath.

The goal isn��t to sound smarter. It��s to be clear and let your point-of-view character do the talking. Unless they��re supposed to sound like an encyclopedia, simpler words are usually better.

Too Much Description

Purple: The curtains were a cascading waterfall of burgundy silk. Gold threads caught the sunlight, shimmering with a majestic elegance. Lacy edges caught the breeze and undulated like a servant��s curtsy.

Better: Silk curtains and gold tassels fluttered in the early morning breeze.

Not everything needs to be described. Adding too much detail slows the pace because more words are being used when fewer will do. Remember #1 and focus on the details that matter.

Ornate or Overly Complex Sentences

When the sentences get long and complicated, they often become more confusing.

Purple: In a peculiar village where the mayor��s headaches��which are rumored to be sentient and deeply nostalgic��a chronically disoriented philosopher, whose thoughts manifest as translucent origami lizards that work against his ill-advised quest to retroactively nullify his own birth.

Better: Pretty much anything else.

Here we have an overly long sentence containing a lot of the mistakes we’ve mentioned. Overdone descriptions, fancy verbiage, misplaced commas, and a weird metaphor combine to produce a sentence with no subject-verb agreement. Despite its length, it’s actually a really long fragment that’s impossible to decipher. The idea of sentient headaches may be interesting, but readers won’t learn more about it because the work of disentangling the sentences to figure out what they mean just isn’t worth it.

Bottom line: It doesn��t matter how fancy or unique the writing is if readers can��t understand it. When we��re writing, clarity and ease of reading should always be a priority.

A Final Tip

Now that you know what to look for, it will be easier to fix this kind of overwriting. But if you��re not sure if a passage needs to be reworked, read it aloud. The act of hearing the writing with our own ears lets us process it differently and hear what the writing sounds like. If you��re stumbling over certain sentences or second-guessing that metaphor, it��s a sign that revision is needed.

Clarity and beauty (or originality) aren��t mutually exclusive; your writing can have both. Just make sure you write with purpose, and every word will earn its place.

Other Posts in This Series

Dialogue Mechanics
Effective Dialogue Techniques
Semi-Colons and Other Tricky Punctuation Marks
Show-Don��t-Tell, Part 1
Show-Don��t-Tell, Part 2
Point of View Basics
Choosing the Right Details
Character Arc in a Nutshell

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Published on July 15, 2025 00:37

How to Find Symbols in Your Settings

We all want our writing to be layered. Like a gourmet meal, we want there to be more to them than just what��s seen on the surface. In stories, this depth can be added a number of ways��through subplots, character arc, subtext, theme, and symbolism. Of them all, I think symbolism is one of the simplest methods to employ, and it packs a serious wallop.

Why is Symbolism Important?

Symbolism turns an ordinary object, place, color, person, etc. into something that goes beyond the literal. Babies represent innocence and unlimited potential, spring is synonymous with rebirth, shackles symbolize slavery, the color white brings to mind purity.

Symbols like these are universal in nature because they mean the same thing to many people. As such, universal symbols are helpful in representing what you��re trying to get across in your story; readers see them and understand what they literally and figuratively mean.

But a symbol can also be personal and more individual, meaning something specifically to the character. For William Wallace in the movie Braveheart, the thistle represents love since one was given to him by Murron when they were children. To most people, love in the form of a prickly weed wouldn��t compute, but as it��s used throughout the film at poignant moments, the audience comes to recognize it for what it means.

Whether the symbol is universally obvious or one that��s specific to the protagonist, it can add a layer of depth to a character or story.

But where do we find these symbols? How do we choose which object or thing should represent the important theme in a story? Well, it may not be the first answer that comes to mind, but the setting is actually the perfect place to find symbols because symbols are built into every location.

Sometimes, the setting itself can stand for something. Kristen Lamb wrote a great post about this using Shutter Island as an example. The prison is a prison, yes, but it also represents the guilt that keeps US Marshall Teddy Daniels locked away inside his own mind.

Check out five important ways to add symbolism to your story.

Other Setting Symbols

A home could stand for safety. A river might represent a forbidden boundary. A church could symbolize either hope or corruption, depending on the prevailing culture or the character��s experience. A city, a business, a natural landmark��whether you��ve chosen a rural or urban setting for your scene, the location can often represent an important idea that you want to reinforce for readers.

But more often than not, your symbol will be something within the setting that represents an important idea to your character. And when you look within your protagonist��s immediate world, you��re sure to find something that holds emotional value for him or her.

For instance, if your character was physically abused as a child, it might make sense for his father to be a symbol of that abuse since he was the one who perpetrated it. But the father might live in another town or thousands of miles away. The character may have little to no contact with him, which doesn��t leave many chances to symbolize.

Choosing something closer to home within the protagonist��s own setting will have greater impact and offer more opportunities for conflict and tension. A better symbol might be the smell of his father��s cologne��the same kind his roommate puts on when he��s prepping for a date, the scent of which soaks into the carpet and furniture and lingers for days.

Another choice might be an object from his setting that represents the physical abuse: wire hangers in the closet, a heavy dictionary on the library shelf, or the tennis racquet in his daughter��s room that she recently acquired and is using for lessons. These objects won��t be exact replicas of the ones from his past, but they��re close enough to trigger unease, bad memories, or even emotional trauma.

Symbols like these have potential because not only do they clearly remind the protagonist of a painful past event, they��re in his immediate environment, where he��s forced to encounter them frequently.

In the case of the tennis racquet, an extra layer of complexity is added because the object is connected to someone he dearly loves��someone he wants to keep completely separate from any thoughts of his abuse.

As you can see, whatever settings you choose for your story can be mined for emotionally charged symbols and motifs. Sometimes it can be tough to figure out which one to go with, though; the good news is that symbols can be added at any point in the writing process.

If you know beforehand what your theme will be, consider choosing settings that could reinforce that idea. If your theme emerges organically as you write, you can bolster it by adding motifs later with objects that naturally inhabit the locations you��ve chosen.

Symbolism Tip

If you need a little help coming up with symbols for your story, check out our Theme and Symbolism Thesaurus, which explores a boatload of popular themes and possible symbols that can be used for them.

Setting is such a versatile tool that most of us frankly underuse. Make it pull its own weight by unearthing the symbols within it.

You can also harness the power of the setting with The Rural Setting Thesaurus and The Urban Setting Thesaurus. Part how-to, part brainstorming tool, they��re like a masterclass in maximizing your setting. Access sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures of 100+ natural and personal locations or over 120 modern locations.

These books will help you:

Immerse Readers in the StoryAdd Depth and MoodGenerate Realistic Conflict in the Perfect LocationsUse Setting to Shape Plot Utilize Figurative Language for Powerful, Layered Descriptions. Repurpose descriptive details as metaphors that add layers of meaning and stir the reader’s emotions.

The post How to Find Symbols in Your Settings appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS��.

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Published on July 10, 2025 00:01

Find Symbols in Your Settings

We all want our writing to be layered. Like a gourmet meal, we want there to be more to them than just what��s seen on the surface. In stories, this depth can be added a number of ways��through subplots, character arc, subtext, theme, and symbolism. Of them all, I think symbolism is one of the simplest methods to employ, and it packs a serious wallop.

Why is Symbolism Important?

Symbolism turns an ordinary object, place, color, person, etc. into something that goes beyond the literal. Babies represent innocence and unlimited potential, spring is synonymous with rebirth, shackles symbolize slavery, the color white brings to mind purity.

Symbols like these are universal in nature because they mean the same thing to many people. As such, universal symbols are helpful in representing what you��re trying to get across in your story; readers see them and understand what they literally and figuratively mean.

But a symbol can also be personal and more individual, meaning something specifically to the character. For William Wallace in the movie Braveheart, the thistle represents love since one was given to him by Murron when they were children. To most people, love in the form of a prickly weed wouldn��t compute, but as it��s used throughout the film at poignant moments, the audience comes to recognize it for what it means.

Whether the symbol is universally obvious or one that��s specific to the protagonist, it can add a layer of depth to a character or story. But where do we find these symbols? How do we choose which object or thing should represent the important theme in a story? Well, it may not be the first answer that comes to mind, but the setting is actually the perfect place to find symbols because symbols are built into every location.

Sometimes, the setting itself can stand for something. Kristen Lamb wrote a great post about this using Shutter Island as an example. The prison is a prison, yes, but it also represents the guilt that keeps US Marshall Teddy Daniels locked away inside his own mind.

Check out five important ways to add symbolism to your story!