Angela Ackerman's Blog: Writers Helping Writers, page 7

How to Use Show, Don’t Tell to Strengthen Your Story

Writers hear it all the time: Show, don���t tell. In fact, this advice is so iconic I wouldn���t be surprised if a few tattoos of it are kicking around the community. After all, our job as writers isn���t to explain what���s happening to readers, it���s to help them experience the story for themselves. And show, don���t tell is how we do it!

Showing Creates an Experience.
Telling Hands Out Information.

Imagine your story as a culinary masterpiece and your reader a dinner guest. Sure, you could slap a plate down and say, ���It���s lasagna, enjoy,��� or you could slide the steaming dish in front of them and let those saucy layers, bubbling cheese, and heavenly aroma rev them up for the first bite.

Telling has its place–and for more on that, zip over here–but showing engages readers. It will bring them in close, make them feel involved, and awakens their emotions and memories.

One problem with show, don���t tell?

Somewhere along the way, it became so integrated with character emotion that writers didn’t necessarily think to use it for other things.

To be clear, showing emotion is great advice! I���m sure you���ve attended workshops and been told not to say your character is sad���instead, describe them standing at their school locker, clutching a break-up note, blinking fast and swallowing hard. If you’ve read The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer���s Guide to Character Expression, you know Becca and I preach loud and proud about showing emotion. But it has so many other applications, so let’s recap a few.

Showing Can Anchor Readers in the Setting

When it comes to worldbuilding, readers should be able to imagine the character���s world and feel part of each scene.

Telling: The castle was massive, with stone walls and high towers.

Showing: The castle loomed over the village, its stone walls etched with centuries of wind and war. Torchlight flickered along the high towers, where banners snapped against the night sky.

Telling works for delivering details that aren���t important, but showing can draw a reader in, help them imagine what they reader, convey the history or importance of a location, and more.

Showing Can Set the Mood

Part of creating an experience is steering how readers should feel. The details we share, especially sensory description, can nudge them to view a setting a certain way���safe, dangerous, calming, worrying. It���s up to us.  

Telling: The alley was dark and scary.

Showing: The alley narrowed, its brick walls leaning inward, swallowing the last flickers of streetlight. Garbage bags sagged against dented cans, the air thick with something damp and rotting.

Here, telling is factual, but showing creates foreboding. Only one will push readers to eagerly read on to see what sort of bad thing is waiting in the dark.

Showing Can Define a Relationship Without Labels

Characters shouldn���t have to say they���re best friends, mortal enemies, or hopelessly in love. Their actions should make that obvious.

Telling: Jake and Connor had been best friends for years.

Showing: Jake barely knocked before pushing open Connor���s door. ���Bro, I got a problem with someone and need backup.���
Connor shut his textbook. ���Let���s go. I���m driving.���

Best friends? Yup! Telling would work if this friendship wasn’t relevant, but if it is, we need to see that closeness in action. Showing does that, pulling the reader along for the ride.

Showing Can Reveal Character Motivation

Characters need to have agency, doing and saying things for a reason. But if we just tell readers what���s driving them, it falls flat.

Telling: Olivia wanted to prove she was just as capable as her older brother.

Showing: Olivia tightened the laces on her running shoes. She could still hear her brother���s voice from last night: ���You won���t last a mile.��� Gritting her teeth, she stepped onto the track. She���d make it ten.

A character���s motivation is more likely to land with readers if they empathize with their reasons. Showing here utilizes a common human experience���a lack of support and voiced doubt���and places readers in Olivia���s corner. They want her to succeed.

Showing Helps Deepen Conflict and Stakes

If the stakes matter, readers should feel it.

Telling: If Sam lost, he���d have to leave town for good.

Showing: Sam rolled his poker chip across the felt. One hand. One chance.

Across the table, Mason smirked. ���Don���t worry, I���ll pass on your goodbyes to everyone at the wedding tomorrow.���

Here, telling readers what’s at stake is equivalent to a sad trombone (womp-womp). Showing makes readers care about Sam and invested in what happens next.

Showing Can Showcase Characterization

Each character will have their own personality, talents, beliefs, tendencies, quirks, etc. How you convey who they are can mean the difference between a cardboard character and someone so authentic it feels like they stepped out of the real world.

Telling: Jonas was a germaphobe.

Showing: Jonas pinched the edge of his plate, avoiding contact. Across the table, a man sneezed into his palm, then grabbed the breadbasket. Jonas stiffened. Bacteria���everywhere. He chewed fast, breathed shallowly. The sooner he finished, the sooner he could scrub this place off his skin.

When we show it, Jonus��� fear feels authentic. Readers can surmise how this phobia will shape his life in the story.

Look for Opportunities to Make Your Story Immersive!

Showing can vastly improve a story, but crafting the right descriptions is not easy. This is why it can be so tempting to slip into telling. It’s worth the worth though, when the situation in the story warrants showing.

It comes down to knowing what to show, and what to tell. Readers never need to know every little thing about the story and your characters, but they know the important stuff that helps them follow the story, care about the characters, and feel invested in the outcome.

Focus on what���s important, what readers need to know, and what makes them care the most. And if you need help finding telling that you suspect needs to be converted to showing, try: 7 Ways to Find Telling in Your Writing.

The post How to Use Show, Don’t Tell to Strengthen Your Story appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS��.

Secret Thesaurus: Withholding Help from Someone in Need

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���

Withheld Help When it Was Needed

ABOUT THIS SECRET: A complex web of emotions can develop if a character saw someone in need and chose not to help. While this could be a dark secret stemming from refusing to be a good Samaritan or a desire to see a rival fail, your character might also withhold help for fear of being taken advantage of or enabling destructive behavior (if the other party is battling an addiction, for instance). Whether their motivations were selfish or good-natured, guilt will muddy the waters, creating inner conflict and self-doubt over their choice.

SPECIFIC��FEARS��THAT MAY DRIVE THE NEED FOR SECRECY: Being Responsible for Others, Being Taken Advantage of, Failure, Hope, Humiliation, Infidelity, Isolation, Leading, Leaving No Legacy, Letting Others Down, One’s Instincts Being Unreliable, Putting Oneself out There, Rejection

HOW THIS SECRET COULD HOLD THE CHARACTER BACK
Feeling immense regret and guilt that they didn���t act when they should have
Worrying about how friends and loved ones would react if they knew the truth
Their relationship with the person in question being strained
Their refusal to act immobilizing them in other areas of life
Doubting their instincts

BEHAVIORS OR HABITS THAT HELP HIDE THIS SECRET
Claiming they didn���t know that aid was needed
Acting surprised when they���re told the other party needed assistance
Avoiding the person who needed help
Overcompensating by going above and beyond to help others
Getting out of the spotlight by blaming someone else for not helping

ACTIVITIES OR TENDENCIES THAT MAY RAISE SUSPICIONS
Expressing doubt about whether the person really needed assistance
Protesting too much about their ability to help
Reverting to a superficial relationship with the person so they won���t have to discuss their needs or how they���re doing
Asking too many questions about the person (out of guilt)
Behaving recklessly to assuage their guilt���drinking, driving dangerously, etc.

SITUATIONS THAT MAKE KEEPING THIS SECRET A CHALLENGE��
An official investigation into the situation being started
The incident going viral on social media
The other party getting angry and being vocal about the situation

Other Secret Thesaurus entries can be found here. Need More Descriptive Help?

While this thesaurus is still being developed, the rest of our descriptive collection (18 unique thesauri and growing) is accessible through the One Stop for Writers THESAURUS database.

If you like, swing by and check out the video walkthrough for this site, then give our Free Trial a spin.

The post Secret Thesaurus: Withholding Help from Someone in Need appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS��.

Phenomenal First Pages Contest

Hey, wonderful
writerly people!

It���s time for Phenomenal First Pages, our monthly critique contest. So, if you need a bit of help with your first page, today’s the day to enter for a chance to win professional feedback! (We’ve had past winners tell us they’ve found their dream editors through this contest, and even ended up with offers of representation!)

Entering is easy. All you need to do is leave your contact information on this entry form (or click the graphic below). If you are a winner, we’ll notify you and explain how to send us your first page.

Contest DetailsThis is a 24-hour contest, so enter ASAP.Make sure your contact information on the entry form is correct. Three winners will be drawn. We will email you if you win and let you know how to submit your first page. Please have your first page ready in case your name is selected. Format it with 1-inch margins, double-spaced, and 12pt Times New Roman font. All genres are welcome except erotica.Sign Up for Notifications!

If you���d like to be notified about our monthly Phenomenal First Pages contest, subscribe to blog notifications in this sidebar. 

Good luck, everyone. We can’t wait to see who wins!

PS: To amp up your first page, grab our  First Pages checklist from One Stop for Writers. For more help with story opening elements, visit this Mother Lode of First Page Resources.

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How To Write A Likeable Character

Likeable characters can become the beating heart of your narrative. Readers root for them and stick with them throughout their journeys. But what exactly makes a character likeable? It���s not just about being nice but making them relatable.

So, let’s look at how to write such characters!

Kindness WITHOUT An Agenda

A likeable character is helpful, compassionate and patient with others because it’s part of their personality … NOT because they want something in return. They will even be kind when it’s not convenient to themselves.

Anne Shirley (Anne of Green Gables) can be dramatic and impulsive, but her deep kindness shines through everything she does.

Forrest Gump’s kindness is pure and never changes, even when others attempt to take advantage of him.

Ted Lasso always gives others grace, even when they’re contemptuous of him.

Give Them an Optimistic Outlook

Optimism can be endearing, especially when it���s grounded in awareness. An optimistic character can seem clueless or over-privileged if they are overly naive. Likeable characters acknowledge reality, but choose to see the positive in it.

Jo March in Little Women is a good sister to Meg, Beth and Amy. Jo also wants to earn her own money and is determined to succeed as a writer. Jo does not mention love, a rich husband, or children like many women of her time. When she gets her first pay cheque then, we cheer for her.

Phil Dunphy in��Modern Family��is goofy and sometimes child-like, but that is not where his characterization ends. He is a committed father and husband, providing for his family. When his real estate business is not going so well, he hides this from wife Claire as he doesn’t want her to worry. This makes him lovable rather than a man-child like Homer Simpson.

Have Them Lift Other Characters Up

A character become likeable when they put others first. They validate the other characters and support their own journeys. They help them deal with setbacks, as well as celebrate others’ wins.

In Lord of the Rings, Samwise Gamgee is a constant support to Frodo. Sam accompanies Frodo on his epic quest and encourages him through its trials and tribulations.

Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice is quite reserved, but offers constant support for her sisters. She understands the sacrifices she may need to make to ensure the family is financially secure. Her acceptance of this makes readers root for her.

Last Points

Remember there are three elements that contribute to a likeable character: kindness, optimism and uplifting others. Just ensure they are not naive or over-privileged in doing so. Then you will have a likeable character that resonates with readers and viewers alike.

Good Luck!

The post How To Write A Likeable Character appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS��.

Character Secret Thesaurus: Hiding Wealth

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

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

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

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

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

Is Hiding Their Wealth

ABOUT THIS SECRET: Transparency is a vital part of healthy relationships. But not everyone is comfortable sharing their financial status, for a variety of reasons. Whether a character���s motivation is noble, self-serving, or coming from a place of fear and distrust, no one likes being lied to, and a secret this big is bound to come out eventually, laying the foundation for inter-relational conflict down the road.

SPECIFIC��FEARS��THAT MAY DRIVE THE NEED FOR SECRECY: Becoming What One Hates, Being Judged, Being Labeled, Being Responsible for Others, Being Taken Advantage of, Being Unsafe, Betrayal, Competition, Conditional Love, Criticism, Isolation, Leading, Losing the Respect of Others, Rejection, Relational Commitment, Trusting Others

HOW THIS SECRET COULD HOLD THE CHARACTER BACK
Having to live well below their means to maintain the fa��ade
Always worrying that if people find out they���re rich, it will change the way they view the character
Money taking up too much space in the character���s mind and choices, making it too high a priority for them

BEHAVIORS OR HABITS THAT HELP HIDE THIS SECRET
Living frugally
Helping friends or family surreptitiously through anonymous donations
Using a lawyer or steward to manage their wealth, or channeling it through a business
Claiming to be struggling financially

ACTIVITIES OR TENDENCIES THAT MAY RAISE SUSPICIONS
Maintaining a modest middle-class lifestyle but placing children in expensive private schools or joining elite clubs
Purchasing new vehicles, the latest tech, or high-quality clothing
An audit of the character���s business showing finances that don���t match the character���s claims

SITUATIONS THAT MAKE KEEPING THIS SECRET A CHALLENGE��
Encountering an unexpected personal, legal, or financial issue, such as a medical emergency or expensive repair, that requires large expenditures to handle
Being targeted by government institutions for audits or other financial scrutiny
Having to disclose financial documents as part of a lawsuit

Other Secret Thesaurus entries can be found here. Need More Descriptive Help?

While this thesaurus is still being developed, the rest of our descriptive collection (18 unique thesauri and growing) is accessible through the One Stop for Writers THESAURUS database.

If you like, swing by and check out the video walkthrough for this site, then give our Free Trial a spin.

The post Character Secret Thesaurus: Hiding Wealth appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS��.

How to Show Emotional Volatility

Facts are facts: writers throw a lot of rocks at characters. Enemies. Obstacles. Maybe a rabid zombie or two. And we aren���t nice about it, spacing out each projectile, no. We like to line up our canons and see just how many hits a character can take���all in the name of character arc growth.

Whether it���s marriage problems, a car breakdown, or a killer taunting our character by choosing victims they know, at a certain point, our character is going to blow up. And when they do, they���ll set aside rational thought and act. Luckily for us, this almost always turns out bad for them, but good for the story because poor judgment, rash decisions, and risks usually generate conflict.

When characters become volatile, it doesn���t matter if they have a good reason or not, only the mistakes and missteps that often follow. But what does ���acting on emotion��� look like���is it all road rage and smashed windows? Heck no!

What a Loss of Control Can Look Like

Impaired Decision-Making

When someone is emotionally activated, they aren���t thinking clearly. Feelings are so close to the surface they can crowd out everything else. In this state, your character may. . .

Fail to apply common senseJump to conclusionsThink irrationallyAdopt an all-or-nothing mindsetBe swayed by personal biasRefuse to compromise

It never bodes well when a character acts without thinking. All the above can lead to a delicious stew of misjudgments, poor decisions, risk-taking, and mistakes. Hello, conflict!

Damaged Relationships

If a character���s emotions are elevated, whatever is causing them to be upset is their focus, not the people around them. Even though they may not intend to hurt anyone, they may do so anyway, especially if your character . . .

Shuts loved ones outLashes out in frustrationQuestioning someone���s motives or loyaltySpurns an offer of helpMakes a false accusationSays something hurtful or rude

Things said and done in the heat of the moment usually end with regret as the fallout and misunderstandings will take time to undo. Most likely the character will feel bad for anything unfair said or done, but they will need to take accountability and make amends to undo the damage.

Questioning Themselves

Sometimes a small burden comes along that is small on its own but becomes the ���one thing too much��� when added to everything else. The feeling of being undone by something small can cause self-destructive thoughts and a crisis of faith in themselves. This might be shown through. . .

Feeling less thanHeightened vulnerabilityBecoming self-criticalTearing themselves down to othersMaking self-destructive choices as punishmentGiving up

Characters who break under an additional strain that on its own they could handle will have a hard time moving past it because they will be left feeling like they���ve let themselves and everyone else down. They will need to regain perspective and see the entire load they carried, not just the one thing that broke them.   

Compromised Values

When a character experiences a heightened state of emotion, they may do things they never thought they would do. Maybe others are pressuring them and they give in, or an emotion like frustration, desire, or anger has taken over. In any case, this might cause them to . . .

 Cross a moral line Break the law Act on their biases Give in to violence Do what���s easy, not what���s right

Of all the messes that can result from losing control, a character going against their morals or beliefs will be the most difficult thing for them to reconcile, especially if others are hurt by their actions. A person���s beliefs are tied to their identity, so crossing a line may lead to an identity crisis over who they truly are. Depending on what they���ve done, it may be very hard for the character to live with the consequences.

Reputational Damage

In many situations, when a character loses control of their emotions, they aren���t alone, so what they say and do is on display. This includes when they . . .

Spout flawed logicLose their temperForget their filterBreak under pressureMake mistakes

People tend to judge others for their loss of control, meaning many of the people around your character will think less of them, even if they say otherwise. To repair damage to their reputation the character will have to exhibit strong emotional control moving forward. If they do, others will be more likely to view the past lapse as a one-time thing, not a pattern.   

Making Things Worse

When emotions run high, the character acts without considering the consequences. They may . . .

Take risksAct rashlyForego logicFail to spot a danger or mistakeEndanger others

If a character is too blinded by their need to ���do something��� to care about anything else, people get hurt, mistakes are made, and complications arise. In the aftermath, the character realizes they only have themselves to blame, and now they need to fix whatever they broke. Mistakes are also lesson, however, and to avoid making this one again, the character will be motivated to manage their emotions better in the future.  

Characters are unique. Some will be more in control of their emotions than others.

But make no mistake, all characters have a tipping point where they lose control. One strategy to help this along is to deploy an emotion amplifier–a state or condition that will activate your character���s emotions and push them toward volatility. Pain, Confinement, Hunger, Competition, Attraction, Scrutiny���these and other amplifiers can weaken or strain a character���s ability to self-regulate their emotions.  

Try this list of emotion amplifiers to brainstorm ways to mess with your character���s control and bring their hidden emotion out into the open. For more on the benefits of emotion amplifiers, check out our companion to The Emotion Thesaurus: The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus: A Writer���s Guide to Character Stress and Volatility.  

The post How to Show Emotional Volatility appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS��.

How to Choose the Perfect Talent for Your Character

I truly believe that excellent stories require excellent characters. And with so many books already out there, we���ve got to be able to deliver compelling and realistic characters to set our stories apart. How do we do it? By focusing on the details. And one of the markers that can really boost individuality and memorability for a character is their particular talents or skills.

Every person has something they���re good at. Sometimes it���s a gift they���re born with that comes naturally; for others, it���s a carefully nurtured and honed ability. Many times, a character���s talent says something about who they are: it may tie into their belief system, meet a missing need, honor an influential person in their life, or reveal associated personality traits.

But despite the many talents and skills out there, we tend to see the same ones in books all the time. Now, if your story requires your character have a certain ability, that���s fine; sometimes, we don���t get to choose their special abilities. But if you���ve got more latitude, consider one of the following techniques for coming up with a skill that���s a little more original.

Go for Something Unusual

Sometimes it���s as easy as thinking beyond the obvious options. Instead of being a strong runner or artist, maybe your character could have a talent that���s a little less mainstream, like sleight of hand, lip-reading, or a knack for languages. Do you need them to be an athlete? Consider a sport readers haven���t seen a million times, like cricket, curling, water polo, or parkour. Your skilled forager could be urban rather than rural, fishing goodies out storm drains or dumpsters. If you���re writing in a genre with fantastical elements, you can get really creative by giving your character an extrasensory ability or something that���s specific to your fantasy or paranormal world. Their skill will obviously have to work within the overall story and the world you���ve created, but you have more choices than you know, so don���t be afraid to branch out and try something new.

Encourage Your Character to Specialize

One way to come up with an unusual ability is to take a popular one and make it more specific. If your character is mechanically inclined, they may be particularly adept with machines from a certain region, time period, or industry. A marksman might specialize in one weapon, and maybe it���s not the typical rifle (Crossbow? Darts? Slingshot?). Your assassin may prefer to work with and have extensive knowledge of poisons. Breathe new life into a ho-hum strength by narrowing the focus.

Give a Common Talent a Twist

It���s not always necessary to reinvent the wheel; often, you can come up with something new by tweaking a popular talent. If musicality is your character���s thing, don���t make her a singer or piano player; maybe she really shines by writing music or crafting certain instruments. A character���s photographic memory may only be reliable for a few hours after events have happened. A person who blows off steam by knitting might use their talent to create blankets for preemies or hats for the homeless. In the latter case, the talent can also hint at personality traits (empathy, selflessness, generosity), hobbies, or other areas of passion. We get more bang for the buck when our characterization and description elements do double duty, so if a character���s skill can also say something about who they are, that���s a bonus for readers.

Pair It with an Unexpected Personality Trait

Many skills are associated with certain traits because they often go together. For instance, people who are good with numbers are usually pretty analytical. But that doesn���t mean the two have to go together. A character with this ability could be highly creative or emotional, instead, and you���d end up with someone unexpected. Likewise, you could have a gifted public speaker who is painfully shy, stumbling their way through one-on-one conversations. This trick can be especially helpful when your story requires a common talent; get creative with your character���s traits, instead, and you can come up with something new that will pique readers��� interests.

In conclusion, an area of skill is a great way to individualize a character���but remember that it can���t be random. There are reasons people embrace and nurture certain talents. They come from somewhere: a natural aptitude, a shared passion with a loved one, the desire for approval or acceptance, etc. So a special ability shouldn���t be chosen at random. Always know the why behind it. Once you���ve ensured it ties naturally into their overall character profile, use these suggestions to take a character���s talent or skill to the next level.   

Would you like help
finding the perfect
talents and skills
for your characters?

Check out the Talents & Skills Thesaurus
at One Stop for Writers!

The post How to Choose the Perfect Talent for Your Character appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS��.

Character Secret Thesaurus: Knowing Where a Body Is Buried

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 Where a Body is Buried

ABOUT THIS SECRET: The stakes are high with this kind of secret whether the character discovered the site by accident, was directly involved in the burial, or was entrusted with the knowledge by someone else. Fear of legal consequences, retaliation from dangerous people, or trying to protect someone involved in the death can keep them silent.

SPECIFIC��FEARS��THAT MAY DRIVE THE NEED FOR SECRECY: Being Attacked, Being Unsafe, Being Watched, Betrayal, Conflict, Death, Letting Others Down, Losing One���s Social Standing, Losing the Respect of Others, Not Being Believed

HOW THIS SECRET COULD HOLD THE CHARACTER BACK
Having to engage in further crimes to protect the secret
Becoming overly cautious and withdrawn due to fear, anxiety, or paranoia
The character experiencing flashbacks or emotional distress from what they saw
Relationship friction with a friend or family member who shares the secret and is pressuring the character to stay quiet

BEHAVIORS OR HABITS THAT HELP HIDE THIS SECRET
Destroying evidence at the site (covering tracks, changing the landscape, etc.)
Cleaning or destroying any tools and clothing used in the burial
Encouraging others to investigate the wrong places or people

ACTIVITIES OR TENDENCIES THAT MAY RAISE SUSPICIONS
Having an unexplained emotional reaction to a specific location
Expressing excessive interest in (or avoiding) crime-related news about missing persons
Holding onto something related to the deceased out of guilt, sentimentality, or fear of discovery

SITUATIONS THAT MAKE KEEPING THIS SECRET A CHALLENGE��
Personally knowing the person who was buried and their family
New forensic technology���e.g. ground-penetrating radar���making discovery easier
Discovering that the buried person wasn���t dead and was able to escape

Other Secret Thesaurus entries can be found here. Need More Descriptive Help?

While this thesaurus is still being developed, the rest of our descriptive collection (18 unique thesauri and growing) is accessible through the One Stop for Writers THESAURUS database.

If you like, swing by and check out the video walkthrough for this site, then give our Free Trial a spin.

The post Character Secret Thesaurus: Knowing Where a Body Is Buried appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS��.

How to Use Amplifiers to Motivate Emotionally Challenging Characters

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sociopaths and Psychopaths

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

Emotionally Numb Characters

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

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

Highly Traumatized Characters

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

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

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

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

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

He takes a step toward it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Check out the emotion amplifiers covered in this book!

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

Best Ways to Pace Your Story’s Key Moments

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Turning Point 1

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

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

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

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

Turning Point 2

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

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

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

Turning Point 3

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

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

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

Irresistible Momentum

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

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

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