Angela Ackerman's Blog: Writers Helping Writers, page 6

Character Secret Thesaurus: Making a Black Market Purchase

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

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

So, of course, you should assemble them. And we can���t wait to help.

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

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

Made a Black Market Purchase

ABOUT THIS SECRET: A black-market purchase usually stems from desperation or a lack of options���both, compelling motivators. It could also be an option for someone who���s used to working in the shadows or has an antagonism for authority. Whether the purchase is an organ, contraband, a baby, or something else, the buyer will usually be compelled to keep others from finding out.

SPECIFIC��FEARS��THAT MAY DRIVE THE NEED FOR SECRECY: A Loved One Dying, Abandonment, Being Attacked, Being Capable of Harm, Being Judged, Being Separated from Loved Ones, Being Taken Advantage of, Being Unsafe, Being Watched, Betrayal, Conflict, Criticism, Death, Government, Letting Others Down, Losing Autonomy, Losing Financial Security, Losing One���s Social Standing, Losing the Respect of Others, Rejection, Sickness

HOW THIS SECRET COULD HOLD THE CHARACTER BACK
Diverting energy and resources from personal or professional growth to covering their tracks
Experiencing side effects from buying unregulated health or food products
Paying a premium and going into debt to buy a product that ends up being substandard (and being unable to get their money back)

BEHAVIORS OR HABITS THAT HELP HIDE THIS SECRET
The character quickly acquiring the needed item after being unable to get it through any available channel
Fabricating receipts, paperwork, or other documentation to legitimize the purchase
Using intermediaries or third parties to make the purchase

ACTIVITIES OR TENDENCIES THAT MAY RAISE SUSPICIONS
Developing a fascination with illegal purchases that becomes a habit and draws attention
Frequently associating with shady characters or hanging out in ���underground��� environments

SITUATIONS THAT MAKE KEEPING THIS SECRET A CHALLENGE��
Learning of the negative impacts of the transaction on others���e.g. learning someone was murdered to harvest the purchased organ
Being questioned by authorities in an investigation on black-market activities
Being contacted by the seller while the character is with others
Being exposed in a raid of the black-market network that reveals their contact details and purchase

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.

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Writing 101: Point of View Basics

Understanding point of view basics is essential for writing strong, emotionally resonant fiction, so this is a good topic to explore as part of our 101 series.

The viewpoint you choose determines who tells the story, how much the reader knows, and how deeply they connect with the characters. From first-person to third-person omniscient, your decision about point of view can make or break how your story unfolds and how readers experience it.

First-Person POV (���I���)

Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. (To Kill a Mockingbird)

This option puts readers inside the narrator���s experience. That character���s voice, thoughts, and emotions are used to convey what���s happening to readers, with every detail being filtered through their perspective.

Writers often gravitate toward first person when they want to create a strong emotional tie between the reader and protagonist. This POV works for stories where the reader is meant to connect deeply with a single character or perspective.

The limitation with this viewpoint is scope, because readers will only know what the narrator knows. If the narrator has blind spots, the reader will also be blind in those areas.

Common Problems to Avoid

Filter words (I saw, I heard, I felt) create distance between the reader and viewpoint character, which you don’t want in this viewpoint. Remove those words and simply show the character seeing, hearing, feeling, etc.Don’t resort to clunky methods or devices to convey information the narrator wouldn���t share (such as looking in a mirror to reveal appearance details). Show those details naturally, in ways that ring true for the character and the circumstances.Neglecting to fully develop the narrator���s voice. If you want to build intimacy between the character and your readers, it���s key to get the voice right. Do the background work so you know the character well, and write their voice consistently.Second-Person POV (���You���)

With your ticket in hand, you follow a continuous line of patrons into the circus, watching the rhythmic motion of the black-and-white clock as you wait. (The Night Circus)

As you can see, this POV makes the reader the main character, allowing them direct access to the story events. When used intentionally, second-person viewpoint can have a strong emotional or stylistic impact and is good when you want to create a sense of disorientation, intimacy, or immediacy.

This format is popular in choose-your-own-adventure tales, literary fiction, and experimental short stories.

Common Problems to Avoid

Because it���s so rarely used, some readers may find it off-putting, so only use this viewpoint when you’re sure it’s the best choice for your project.The unorthodox format and level of sustained intimacy can result in reader fatigue in long works, so it���s better reserved for short stories or brief chapters from a certain character���s perspective.Third-Person POV (���He/She/They���)

Third-person narration is the most common viewpoint in fiction, and it comes in three variations.

Third-Person Limited

At the first gesture of morning, flies began stirring. Inman���s eyes and the long wound at his neck drew them, and the sound of their wings and touch of their feet were soon more potent than a yard full of roosters in rousing a man to wake. So he came to yet one more day in the hospital ward.��� (Cold Mountain)

Third-person limited focuses on one character at a time and is especially useful for utilizing multiple characters��� perspectives to tell the story. The great benefit of this viewpoint is that the author can choose how tight and personal the narration should be. For example, if they want to draw readers close to a certain character, those narrators��� accounts can be written from a tight and personal perspective. But if the authors wants to give readers space from another character���maybe the villain, or someone readers don���t want to connect deeply with? Pull out and write their sections with more distance.

Common Problems to Avoid

Head-hopping. Only one character is narrating at a time, so during their time in the spotlight, you can only share details from their perspective. If you want to switch narrators, you���ll need to wait for a chapter break to do so.This viewpoint allows you to decide which character will narrate each scene. These decisions are important, so choice carefully and strategically, just as you would when choosing one character to narrate the whole story.Third-Person Omniscient

The mother of our particular hobbit���but what is a hobbit? I suppose hobbits need some description nowadays, since they have become rare and shy of the Big People, as they call us. (The Hobbit)

In this viewpoint, the narrator has access to everyone���s thoughts, feelings, and memories, and since he or she isn���t bound to one character���s perspective, the story can move freely across people, places, and timelines. Omniscient narrators often share their own opinions and feelings about what’s happening, which is a handy way for the author to inject other perspectives (or perhaps their own) into the reader’s experience. Because of the scope it allows, it���s an ideal choice for epic fiction.

Common Problems to Avoid

Hopping heads too frequently or chaotically can create confusion and a jolting flow for readers. As with third-person limited, change narrators at chapter breaks, not mid-scene.With an omniscient narrator, it���s easy to get carried away and slip into long passages of exposition, which is death for reader engagement. So keep that to a minimum.If the narrator feels god-like or too far removed, the reader may have trouble relating, resulting in a loss of intimacy. Give your omniscient narrator a clear personality and voice. Make them knowable, and therefore, relatable.Third-Person Objective

With the first gray light he rose and left the boy sleeping and walked out to the road and squatted and studied the country to the south. Barren, silent, godless. He thought the month was October but he wasnt sure. He hadnt kept a calendar for years. They were moving south. There’d be no surviving another winter here. (The Road)

In this least common of the third-person perspectives, the narrator can see everything that���s happening in the story world���but only what’s visible to the naked eye. They can’t access any character’s internal thoughts, feelings, etc. This narrator is strictly an observer, reporting what they see in an observational tone, without events being colored by their own worldview. In this way, the narrator is a neutral character, merely noting and reporting what’s happening in the story.

Common Problems to Avoid

As an outside observer, this narrator can’t get into anyone’s head, so you’ll have to find other ways to convey other characters’ emotions and thought processes. This narrator is neutral, so resist the urge to give them feelings and ideas about what’s going on.

Choosing the point of view for your project is an important decision that will impact the story on many levels. I hope this information helps clarify the options and simplify the decision making process!

Other Posts in This Series

Dialogue Mechanics
Effective Dialogue Techniques
Show-Don���t-Tell, Part 1
Show-Don���t-Tell, Part 2

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Reading Like a Writer

We all know that as writers we should be reading a lot. It���s one of the best ways to learn the craft, and Stephen King���s quote on the topic is legendary: ���If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write.���

While it���s great to beat your annual Goodreads challenge, quantity is not the only factor. How we read is at least as important. One effective way of learning the craft of writing from published novels is to do an exercise that exposes their skeletons.

Deconstructing a Novel

Take a novel you know relatively well���or one that compares to what you���re writing���and deconstruct it. This means pinpointing everything from the protagonist and antagonist to their narrative goals, the relationship arcs, and the key structural points. It���s easy to appreciate the magic of a novel but you won���t truly understand how the author achieved that magic without dissecting it for yourself. With most of the novels I���ve done this for, I���ve been astonished to discover the complexity behind what seemed like a simple and straightforward narrative.

Case Study: Jane Eyre

At first glance, Charlotte Bront�����s beloved novel, Jane Eyre, seems like a relatively clear-cut Bildungsroman (a genre that focuses on the protagonist���s maturation through various experiences). But once you start picking it apart, it turns out Bront�� has done something more interesting and more complex than this. She divides Jane���s life into five stages of maturity���childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, adulthood, and married life���using setting as the key structural element so that each stage takes place in a different setting. Structurally, each of these sections has its own arc. Each has a distinct stasis, inciting incident and climax, but only a semi-resolution until the ultimate resolution at the end.

Why does this matter? For any writer struggling to handle a novel that spans a character���s lifetime, this becomes a structural answer to a very real problem: how to sustain causality when your chapters jump over large periods of time. When you deconstruct Jane Eyre, you learn exactly how to do it: by concentrating these periods of time in separate episodes, giving each an arc, and maintaining causality within each episode, thus allowing you to make big leaps in time without breaking the causal chain.

For Every Problem There Is an Answer

Want to tell a story that circles around one key event? Analyze The Godfather, where Mario Puzo has used an event structure to anchor all the various subplots around the attempted assassination of Vito Corleone.

Want to start your story after the inciting incident has already happened? Take a look at how John Steinbeck handles it in Of Mice and Men. He throws the reader into the middle of the story, only referencing the inciting incident in passing.

For every peculiarity of structure you can think of, there is likely an author who has tackled it brilliantly and can teach you what you need to know���if you sit with their novel and study it piece by piece.

Why Does Structure Matter?����

Narrative structure might seem like a mechanical affair until you realize it is what creates a reader���s emotional investment. We empathize with a protagonist who has a specific and tangible goal. We become even more invested if the stakes for them not achieving that goal are high���and even more so if those stakes are personal. Home run if we can relate to the goal and the character who���s trying to achieve it.

Because all the structural elements in a novel revolve around the protagonist���s attempt to achieve their narrative goal, each element has a part to play in maintaining or increasing the reader���s emotional investment in the story.

Stasis gives us an idea of what the protagonist has to lose, as well as cementing the underlying motivation that will form their narrative goal. The inciting incident is the disruption to the protagonist���s life that spurs them to action. The point of no return is the place at which the protagonist becomes stuck in the story and has no choice but to see it through to the end. Rising action involves obstacles that prevent the protagonist from achieving their goal.

Midpoint is the structural fulcrum in a novel that often signals some kind of shift. Maybe the stakes go up, the conflict deepens, or the narrative changes direction. Whether a novel has a false victory or an all-is-lost moment depends on whether it���s a tragedy or a comedy (not haha comedy, but in the old-school Greek dramaturgy sense). In a comedy, the protagonist will achieve their goal in the climax, so for maximum drama an all-is-lost moment takes readers to the edge of their seats worried that this won���t happen. In a tragedy, however, the protagonist does not achieve their goal in the climax and their transformation happens too late. In this case, a false victory is what you want to keep the reader emotionally invested in the story���s outcome.

The climax answers a question that was asked in the inciting incident: will the protagonist achieve their goal, or will they fail but learn something important in the process? The resolution brings together all the story threads and leaves us with a particular emotion.

A Deconstruction Checklist

Here���s a quick list of questions to consider when taking a novel apart:

Who is the protagonist?How does the novel���s stasis show the protagonist���s underlying motivation?Where is the inciting incident?What is the protagonist���s narrative goal that crystallizes as a result of the inciting incident?What���s at stake if they don���t achieve it?Who is the antagonist?Can you identify the point of no return?What���s the midpoint and how does it impact the protagonist���s trajectory?When do stakes rise?What are the key relationships in the novel and how do they evolve?Can you pinpoint either a false victory or an all-is-lost moment?Where is the climax?What is the emotional payoff at the end?In Conclusion

The time you spend deconstructing a novel to study its various parts and how they all fit together is as good as any MFA class. I know this because my writing partner and I took 21 classic novels and novellas apart to crack their code. We outlined their narrative structure in Story Skeleton: The Classics. There���s a reason why some novels work, why they create a certain magic and stand the test of time. Understanding these reasons is the first step in creating a masterpiece of your own. 

Michelle is generously giving away an EBook of Story Skeleton: The Classics to 10 lucky winners. Click the Rafflecopter below to enter. Winners will be shouted out here and contacted via e-mail on May 24.

Here���s more about the prize:

Story Skeleton: The Classics

This book unlocks the secrets of twenty-one enduring novels���from Pride and Prejudice to The Godfather���revealing the plot points and craft genius that make them masterpieces. Discover the method behind the magic, and learn how to apply these timeless techniques to elevate your own writing and captivate readers for generations.

A novel���s structural elements can be organized strategically, creatively, unusually���but in a satisfying narrative, they���re all there in some form. That form might be surprising when you realize what the author has really done���which often isn���t clear the first or even second time you read a complex novel. But once you crack the code, it���s immensely satisfying.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A huge thanks to Michelle Barker and David Griffin Brown for this generous prize. Good luck, everyone.

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New Writing Resource: A Character Type & Trope Thesaurus + Save 25%

In 2024, Becca and I began exploring character tropes and archetypes with one goal in mind: to create a resource that helps writers better use tropes by providing each one’s behaviors, strengths, flaws, tendencies, and more, so they could write characters with confidence.

But we also wanted our thesaurus to do something else too: make it easy for writers to transform a trope or archetype into a fresh, original character.

The Character Types and Tropes Thesaurus

This database is now at One Stop for Writers, home to our signature show-don’t-tell THESAURUS and other powerful storytelling tools. Covering 100+ tropes and types, you’ll find all the classic characters your readers are drawn to, including those Hot Billionaires, Reluctant Heroes, Rebels, and Femme Fatales.

Building a unique character and writing them with authority will be even easier with our lists of characterizing details. We’ve also queued up ideas for specific story complications that will challenge each character type, and listed out internal struggles to give them depth.

Ready to see a few characters found in this database? Try ANTIHERO, RULER, and HOPELESS ROMANTIC.

Celebrate with Us!

To explore the Character Type and Trope Thesaurus and test other tools at One Stop for Writers, start a free trial or grab this discount code: FINISHYOURBOOK to save 25% off a 6-month subscription.

To redeem this 25% discount:

Sign up or Sign inGo to Account >> My Subscription and choose the 6-month planEnter your payment detailsAdd & activate the FINISHYOURBOOK code in the box provided. (You���ll see this one-time discount apply onscreen.)Click the terms box, & hit subscribe!

Already a subscriber? Just add/activate this code in the space provided on the My Subscription page, and it will apply the discount to your next invoice. (If you are not currently on a 6-month plan, you’ll need to change to that plan after adding the code to your account.)

This code will be active until June 1st, 2025. Happy saving!

The post New Writing Resource: A Character Type & Trope Thesaurus + Save 25% appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS��.

New Writing Resource: A Character Type & Trope Thesaurus

In 2024, Becca and I began exploring character tropes and archetypes with one goal in mind: to create a resource that helps writers better use tropes by providing each one’s behaviors, strengths, flaws, tendencies, and more, so they could write characters with confidence.

But we also wanted our thesaurus to do something else too: make it easy for writers to transform a trope or archetype into a fresh, original character.

The Character Types and Tropes Thesaurus

This database is now at One Stop for Writers, home to our signature show-don’t-tell THESAURUS and other powerful storytelling tools. Covering 100+ tropes and types, you’ll find all the classic characters your readers are drawn to, including those Hot Billionaires, Reluctant Heroes, Rebels, and Femme Fatales.

Building a unique character and writing them with authority will be even easier with our lists of characterizing details. We’ve also queued up ideas for specific story complications that will challenge each character type, and listed out internal struggles to give them depth.

Ready to see a few characters found in this database? Try ANTIHERO, RULER, and HOPELESS ROMANTIC.

Celebrate with Us!

To explore the Character Type and Trope Thesaurus and test other tools at One Stop for Writers, start a free trial or grab this discount code: FINISHYOURBOOK to save 25% off a 6-month subscription.

To redeem this 25% discount:

Sign up or Sign inGo to Account >> My Subscription and choose the 6-month planEnter your payment detailsAdd & activate the FINISHYOURBOOK code in the box provided. (You���ll see this one-time discount apply onscreen.)Click the terms box, & hit subscribe!

Already a subscriber? Just add/activate this code in the space provided on the My Subscription page, and it will apply the discount to your next invoice. (If you are not currently on a 6-month plan, you’ll need to change to that plan after adding the code to your account.)

This code will be active until June 1st, 2025. Happy saving!

The post New Writing Resource: A Character Type & Trope Thesaurus appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS��.

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. Six 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. It would help to supply a synopsis up to 500 words (a rough one is fine) so Michelle has context for her feedback.The editor you’ll be working with:Michelle Barker

Michelle holds an MFA in creative writing from UBC and has been a senior editor at��The Darling Axe��since its inception.��She has experience with��both developmental and line editing and��loves working closely with writers to hone their manuscripts and discuss the craft.��Many of them have gone on to win publishing contracts and honors for their work.��

Her newest book, coauthored with David Griffin Brown, is��Story Skeleton: The Classics. They are also the authors of��Immersion and Emotion: The Two Pillars of Storytelling.��Her novel��My Long List of Impossible Things,��came out in 2020 with Annick Press.��The House of One Thousand Eyes��was named��a Kirkus Best Book of the Year and won numerous awards including the Amy Mathers Teen Book Award.��Her fiction, non-fiction and poetry have appeared in literary reviews world-wide.��

Tip: Watch for Michelle’s next Resident Writing Coach post on Tuesday, May 20th…which includes an EPub giveaway of Story Skeleton!

You can find Michelle on Twitter and GoodReads.

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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Write a 5-Star Book 2

When I set out to write Book 2 in my Fountain series, I made the common mistake of thinking it would be easier than the first one, which took me more than four years to write. After all, I���d already created the world and gotten to know my characters inside and out. I knew what I wanted their next adventure to be. What could possibly be so hard about continuing a story I already knew so well?

But when I sat down with my detailed outline and started writing scenes, writing that second book was harder. Much harder.

Within the first few chapters, I realized I was repeating myself. The writing was strong enough because I���d learned so much while writing my award-winning debut, but this *new* book was coming out like an abbreviated version of Book 1, and I was even boring myself. I found myself writing things readers already knew about my characters, rediscovering my world, rehashing relationships, and explaining backstory that had already been resolved in Book 1. I was stuck in a loop. I didn���t want my characters to explore the same issues again, but I also couldn���t assume readers remembered every little detail that happened in the first book.

Luckily, I figured out where I went wrong in time to meet tight deadlines while working full time and raising my family, and in the decade since, I���ve helped hundreds of writers tackle their second books with ease.

The Trap of the Sequel

Writing a second book isn���t just a continuation of your story���it���s a new story altogether. Even if you decide to make your Book 2 a ���stand-alone��� novel in the series, where, in theory, readers could read Book 2 without going back to read Book 1, the reality is you���ll have three types of readers who will buy your new book:

Your Loyals ��� readers who just finished Book 1, remember everything, and are hungry for moreYour Casual Fans ��� those who read Book 1 a while ago and remember what happened���sort ofNewbies ��� readers who somehow found Book 2 first and read it without ever diving into Book 1

So, who are you writing this second book for? With a little planning, your book can be an immersive experience for any one of these three types of readers.

Common Pitfalls When Writing Book 2

Here are some of the biggest mistakes I���ve made myself���and seen writers make���in second books:

Over-summarizing Book 1 Events: Repeating what happened in Book 1, often in unnecessary detail, slows the pace and is too indulgent. Yes, your readers will need context, so you���ll have to include a bit of information, and I���ll give some tips on how to balance this below.Having Characters Reference Book 1 Events: This can show up as casual mentions, or inside jokes, where one character says, ���Remember the time we������ and relates a funny anecdote from Book 1 for a laugh. You���re probably including this snippet because you think what happened was just so cool, you don���t want new readers to miss out. But resist this urge. These recaps are almost always off topic for what���s happening in Book 2, and you���re better off adding to your characters��� shared history with new events.Characters Repeating Their Story Arc: Every story features a character who changes from beginning to end, whether it���s a subtle shift or a huge transformation. If Book 2 features the same character, give them a new growth curve, so we don���t have to watch the same transformation again. Example: If in Book 1, your character goes from being a wallflower to speaking their mind, in Book 2, if they���re still trying to speak their mind, it���ll feel stale.Keeping the Reader���s Takeaway the Same: What did you hope readers would learn, decide, or know by the end of reading Book 1? I call this your Reader���s Takeaway . If this core message, or theme, is the same in Book 2, the two books will feel eerily similar, even if the events are different.��Breaking a Contract With Your Readers: If you���re writing a sequel, chances are you have built a following with Book 1, and it was well received. Pay attention to what feedback you got because that���s what readers are coming back for. If they swooned over the romance? Don���t make Book 2 an extended breakup. If they loved your brainy sci-fi world? They���ll be disappointed if there���s no science in Book 2. Your first book sets their expectations, and they want more of the same, so don���t change the rules.Tips for Keeping a Book 2 Feeling Fresh

It can be daunting to tackle Book 2, especially if Book 1 did well.

– Will readers love Book 2 as much?

– Can you live up to the hype?

Here are some tips to keep in mind when writing, so that your sequel will push your series over the top, leaving readers anticipating Books 3, 4, and 5���

1. Change Something Big

If the setting and the characters are the same as they were in Book 1, you���ll find your outline for Book 2 will need a lot more content to make up for it. To avoid this, try setting Book 2 in a new location, expand the magic or political system, introduce new characters, or write from a different character���s Point of View (POV). That way, you���ll have lots of new world-building and character-building to round out your plot.

2. Tackle a New Character Arc

Share a new part of your main character���s journey���how do they change from your opening scene to the end? Example: if in Book 1 she started out as a wallflower and by the end was speaking her mind, maybe in this book she starts out thinking she has to do everything for herself, and learns by the closing scene that her life is richer if she lets people in. Knowing where she���s headed will help you create a new take on everything she touches in this book.

3. How Much Recap is Too Much?

This is the number one question I get from series writers. Where���s the balance between giving readers enough information from Book 1 that the new story makes sense, but not so much information that you���ve rehashed your entire plot?

Here���s a handy question that will help you decide if you should include information from Book 1. Every time you���re tempted to include backstory from Book 1, ask yourself:

Does the reader need this information to understand what���s happening in Book 2?

If the answer is no���ditch it and don���t look back. If the answer is yes���include it but build on it.

For example, instead of just reminding readers that your character had a traumatic experience in Book 1, show how that experience has shaped their behavior now. Maybe they���ve developed a new fear, or they’ve misremembered what happened, or they���re finally ready to deal with it differently.

When you build on what happened in Book 1, you���ve gotten new readers up to speed, but you���ve also rewarded your loyal readers who remember the event from Book 1 by giving them new information to pique their interest, not just boring them with a recap.

4. Push Yourself

I like to challenge myself to do something new in every book���whether it���s creating a different plot structure, practicing writing in a new tense or POV I haven���t used in a full-length novel before, or changing up my main character���s traits. Not only will leveling up with each book you write keep you growing as a writer, but it also means each book will feel different than the last, while still maintaining your writing voice and personal style.

Get to It!

Here���s the good news���if you���re writing Book 2, it means that you���ve successfully completed a novel from start to finish before. That means you know what writing a book takes (more than most of us think when starting out!), and can tackle this next challenge with all you���ve got.

Want a little extra support as you write? I���ve got you. Check out my programs to support writers as they go www.suzyvadori.com/programs

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Workshop: How to Write Compelling Inner Conflict with Angela Ackerman

Ready to dive into your character’s internal struggle and put all that incredible gut-twisting conflict on the page?

If so, don’t miss this upcoming Zoom workshop on Saturday, May 24th, 11 AM Eastern Time.

Inner Conflict: Writing About
Your Character’s Personal Struggle

Not only is internal conflict central to character arc, but it’s also a magnet for reader fascination and empathy.

Join Angela as she explores how internal struggles drive your character’s choices and actions, and the way common ground ensures readers connect emotionally with your character���s psychological battles.

This 90-minute workshop covers…

An overview of conflict and its role within a story Common types of internal conflictHow to show (not tell) when a character is struggling5 forms of common ground that draw readers into a character’s inner battleCognitive and emotional dissonanceWhat emotional reasoning is and how characters use it to make tough decisionsHow to show it when a character’s resolved inner conflict leads to positive changeA wrap-up Q & A

When: Saturday, May 24th, at 11 am EST/EDT
Where: Zoom
Your Host: Angela Ackerman
Cost: $25 US/seat
(Limited seating)

This session will be recorded, so if the timezone or date doesn’t quite work, don’t worry! Everyone who registers will have replay access for two weeks afterward.

SAVE ME A SEAT

I hope you can join me for this one. Bring your questions; I want you to leave feeling confident in your ability to write compelling inner conflict!

The post Workshop: How to Write Compelling Inner Conflict with Angela Ackerman appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS��.

Writing Tips from a Neurodivergent Brain

Last Fall, when I wrote about writing a novel ���scene by scene,��� I received a ton of interesting feedback. Most of it was a variation on these three questions:

How can you possibly write out of order?How can you keep things straight when you write like that?I get hives even thinking about writing out of order!

I���ll give you my answer in a nutshell.

I don���t write out of order to be different or creative. I write out of order so I can finish books. When I wrote like all my writer friends ��� opening a Word doc and writing until the book was done ��� the book(s) NEVER got done.

Seriously, I had 13 unfinished novels and a truckload of self-loathing by the time I stopped banging my head against that wall.

I had to break a book down into tiny little pieces, or the process would break my brain and make me loathe writing. But, there are a few caveats to this approach. Even a disorganized ADD brain like mine had to implement a little bit of order.

Must-Haves for the “Scene Writing” Approach

You don’t have to have every one of these mastered, but it really, really helps if you at least have the first one. I tend to use them all when I get to the editing process.

You must have a good grasp of writing structure.

Otherwise, you end up with a pile of scenes, or “story blocks,” you can���t use. It also helps to know the 12 steps of the Hero���s Journey.

Here���s a great link from Grammarly on the hero’s journey.I work with more with 3-Act structure because I can keep track of it better in my head.Two words ��� conflict lock.

According to Bob Mayer, ���If you don���t have a conflict lock, you don���t have a story.��� He���s the author of Warrior Writer and co-founder of Cool Gus Publishing, and the Conflict Lock is a very cool tool. Here���s a blog from Shannon Curtis to tell you more.

Scene-dissecting tools like Margie Lawson’s EDITS system.

If you don’t have tools like the ones Margie teaches you, it’s difficult to figure out where you missed with a scene, especially if you’re a pantser. I really appreciated her EDITS system, because it is so visual.

My recommendation: Invest in yourself with classes or lecture packets from Lawson Writers Academy…you’ll be glad you did.

Understand your story’s DNA (theme) before you get too far.

I think hard about theme pretty early in my process for an important reason. If you have a strong visual of your story’s underlying message, I believe you will automatically write to it. That story DNA will inform every scene choice you make because it has to.

John August, the screenwriter for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Big Fish, says it much better than I do in this post.

Some Pros and Cons of Scene Writing

And yes, these are all going to be completely subjective. However, if you’re on the fence about your process, I thought it might be helpful to see why you might like or dislike this writing method.

The advantages.

1. It���s a great way to avoid writer’s block.

There’s always another scene to write or edit. Those scenes can jump start you back into any story that is stalled. You don���t even have to use it in the story���it can become a ���throwaway��� scene that you use as a newsletter giveaway.

2. I’m able to fall into the writing and stay immersed, because it’s “only one scene.”

3. Tools like Scrivener and Plottr allow you to store scenes separately and move them around.

4. The story theme is naturally interwoven when you write this way.

5. This method allows you to move between fiction and non-fiction pretty easily.

The disadvantages.

1. The biggest downside to this method is that I often need objective eyes to tell me when the story is “really done.” If you are focused at the scene level for a while, you might ���lose the forest for the trees.���

FIX: If I���m feeling lost, I compile the whole thing into a Word document so Word can read it to me in that super-boring computer voice it uses. It���s far easier to spot the problems when you see or hear your story in a different medium.

A few other authors have told me that even changing the font when they read helps them catch errors.

2. Continuity edits are a must for long works. Sometimes, you need another set of eyes to check and be sure that all the loose ends are tied up.

3. Scene transitions bug the heck out of me (and I’m pretty sure I’m terrible at them). The story quilting method stitches those glorious scenes of yours together with whatever quick  transitions you use to open a scene.

FIX: If you also feel like you’re not good at transitions, my solution is to find a writing pal who loves them and run the work by them.

Final Thought

My approach is certainly not for everyone. Believe me, I am super jealous of all you linear, organized writers.

There are times when going the ���scene-writing route��� is beneficial. Who would I recommend this non-linear method to?

People with neurodivergent brains like mine that get paralyzed by too many details.Writers who feel stuck. In my experience, the best way through writer���s block is by tricking yourself into any writing. Writing short is a great way to do that. You can always use any extra scenes as marketing giveaways.Big picture thinkers, who see the 50K foot view, but have trouble zooming in close.Writers who get a story idea and want to write some scenes before they commit to a whole book.I���m sure there are other populations of writers I haven���t even thought of here, so I���m going to turn this over to all of you. When do you think the non-linear approach could be helpful?

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Secrets Thesaurus: Knowing Death Is Coming for Someone

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���

Knows Death Is Coming for Someone

ABOUT THIS SECRET: Knowing someone is going to die is a heavy burden to bear, especially if the character cares for the person and can���t do anything to help. Whether because of precognition, being part of an organization who called for the death, or because they ordered it themselves, the character may feel personally responsible and experience great emotional distress as a result. But keeping the secret may be the only way to prevent a worse consequence to their loved ones or themselves.

SPECIFIC��FEARS��THAT MAY DRIVE THE NEED FOR SECRECY:
Being Attacked, Being Labeled, Being Unsafe, Betrayal, Change, Conflict, Death, Failure, Government, Hope, Letting Others Down, Losing Financial Security, Losing One���s Social Standing, Losing the Respect of Others, Not Being Believed

HOW THIS SECRET COULD HOLD THE CHARACTER BACK
Becoming anxious or depressed, resulting in physical or emotional issues
Becoming desensitized to the horror or trauma of the experience or the value of the lives that will end (if this happens often)
Struggling with the ethics of hiding their knowledge versus revealing it, causing inner turmoil and performance issues

BEHAVIORS OR HABITS THAT HELP HIDE THIS SECRET
Bribing or coercing into silence anyone who find out about the upcoming death
Rationalizing the character���s death as part of the greater good or for a higher purpose
Feigning ignorance or innocence when confronted about the person���s death

ACTIVITIES OR TENDENCIES THAT MAY RAISE SUSPICIONS
Being evasive when discussing future plans with the person marked for death
Becoming obviously depressed, anxious, avoidant, or distressed, especially when the person is present or being discussed
Overreacting to innocuous situations regarding the person; going overboard to protect them (accompanying them everywhere, not allowing them to travel, etc.)

SITUATIONS THAT MAKE KEEPING THIS SECRET A CHALLENGE��
Being forced to witness or be part of events that lead to the person���s death
Being questioned by the person marked for death, who suspects something
Being recruited as an ally by someone trying to protect the person
Having their own well-being threatened because of the secret

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.

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