When you’re young, life is a blank slate to fill. So we fill it with heroic stories. We act them out with our friends. And we dream big dreams of what life will be like when we grow up.

Then we get older and pretending turns to jealousy.

“If I was like him, I’d be unstoppable.”

“If I had more money, I’d be happier.”

“If life was fair, I’d have everything I wanted.”

Well, you’re not him.

You can earn more money.

And life will never be fair.

The problem with imagination

When I was a kid, I always imagined I was someone else.

We do that because we don’t think we’re enough on our own. We need help.  We need a superpower.  We need something to make us more attractive than we are without that little something extra.

I was 23 years old before this truth hit me in the chest.

Zig Ziglar taught that if you’re not using what you have now, you wouldn’t use what you had if you were someone else. It’s not the power or the skill that matters.  It’s what you do with it that counts.

I wasn’t a natural at basketball. I had to throw a lot of balls at the net before one went in.  And I had to throw even more to hit the basket more than once a day.

It all began when I saw myself hitting the net—in my imagination. Like the Little Engine That Could, I thought I was able, so I did.

How would my life have been different if I had imagined myself as the superhero? What could I have accomplished if I acted as if I had the traits I wanted?

I can’t say for sure, but I know this: I’d have had more courage, more confidence, and a stronger imagination.

What does this have to do with writing?

We all know creative writers use their imaginations regularly.

But what about nonfiction writers?

And what if imagination didn’t have to stop with the stories we tell?

Imagination is the fountain that waters the dreams you’ve planted. Use it to write the story you’re living and the story you sell to others.

Why is this important?

Imagination is full of pictures. Vivid imagination has sounds, tastes, and feelings to go with it—but without pictures, it’s empty.

What do we use when we teach kids to read? Pictures. Lots of them. On every single page.

When you see it, you believe it.

No matter what you write, paint pictures. Facts without stories are dull.  Data without connection is meaningless.  Circumstances without a narrative are forgettable.

If you want to learn how to win people to your way of thinking, listen to a storyteller. Watch a TV program.  Study that commercial that led you to buy that course, that car, or even that brand of toothpaste.  What picture did they paint?  What pictures did they draw in your imagination?

Learn that and you’ll have a power that amazes you and your readers.

Start painting word pictures now

Word pictures are easier to paint than you think.

Here are some we use regularly in conversation:

• Metaphors
• Analogies
• Anecdotes
• Jokes
• Comparisons
• Allegories
• Hypotheticals

Most of the time we do this when we’re trying to make something complex easy to understand. We want the light to come on for our audience so they can say, “Oh, now that makes sense.” We do that by comparing the unfamiliar with something we know like the back of our hands.

Once they see, they can agree.

Then they can decide to act on what they know.

Want to add power to this technique? Decide before you write a word what you want your reader to feel when she reads them. Do that, and the words will flow out of you like water flows down the side of a mountain.

I’ll leave you with an exercise to try next time you write. If you’re tempted to tell your reader what you want them to know, show them instead. Just describe what you see so your reader can see it, too.  Bonus points if you can evoke emotion with your picture.

Telling is as boring as listing your points on a PowerPoint slide. Would you tell people about your wedding without showing them pictures?

Imagination is a powerful thing. Use yours for good, and you’ll be an unforgettable writer.

By Frank McKinley

Source:positivewriter.com

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By Lisa Hall-Wilson

Trauma is defined as anything that’s overwhelming or unpleasant that causes long-term mental or emotional problems. Trauma rewires the brain and causes disordered thinking. So, if you’re looking for a way to SHOW a character’s trauma background, to show the WHY behind poor choices, irrational behaviour, etc., use internal dialogue that reflects this disordered thinking. This is the key to creating emotional connections for readers. 

Below are some common ways that trauma causes problematic thinking patterns. Showing this flawed thinking, the emotional reactions to it, and the behaviours it causes will reveal to readers what’s important to your character, what inner obstacles they face, and often a whole lot about their priorities, values, and self-worth.

1. Fear And Safety Are Constantly Considered

For a character who’s endured trauma and continues to struggle with the aftermath of that event, the brain becomes preoccupied with staying safe and is very sensitive to any sense of fear. Imagine placing a smoke alarm directly over your toaster. You’d get a lot of false alarms, but that wouldn’t mean the alarm or the toaster were malfunctioning.

A brain preoccupied with staying safe will see danger around every corner – literally, whether that’s the reality or not. And when danger lurks around every corner, the energy required to see it coming, be ready at a moment to react to it, is exhausting. Every decision is filtered through this risk assessment. 

Does your character need to sit near a door? Do they need to know a LOT of details about a party, event, or meeting before they can agree to go? Will they avoid anything that might remind them of the past trauma? Maybe they take ten flights of stairs everyday because the elevator feels unsafe (since there’s no quick escape from it). The illusion of control is very comforting. And of course, this can stray into self-sabotage, right? Because when an office shuffle moves them out of a workspace with a door and into a cubicle, they end up quitting.

2. Truth Isn’t Based on Fact or Reality

Decisions are made based on a blending of past experience, this preoccupation with fear and safety, anxiety of what could happen, and/or on personal truth (see below for inner dialogue problems). Those with PTSD assess everything based on what DID happen and strive to make sure it never happens again. Those with generalized anxiety see the world through the lens of what COULD happen. Often though, these assessments always skew to the negative. They don’t often see the hope or potential in a new situation or positive change, only what could be harmful.

One of my favourite examples of this is Karl Urban’s portrayal of “Bones” in the latest Star Trek movies.

Kirk : I think these things are pretty safe.

‘Bones’ : Don’t pander to me, kid. One tiny crack in the hull and our blood boils in thirteen seconds. Solar flare might crop up, cook us in our seats. And wait’ll you’re sitting pretty with a case of Andorian shingles, see if you’re still so relaxed when your eyeballs are bleeding. Space is disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence.

Kirk : Well, I hate to break this to you, but Starfleet operates in space.

‘Bones’ : Yeah. Well, I got nowhere else to go. The ex-wife took the whole damn planet in the divorce. All I got left is my bones.

These sentiments don’t have to be spoken aloud; sometimes, the negative can be shown through internal dialogue. This edge-of-your-seat-expectation that the sky is falling, or that sense of waiting for the other shoe to drop – imagine what that would feel like. How exhausting that would be. The juxtaposition between what the character wants to do to feel safe and the decision or action they actually take can be very compelling.

This goes past just being grumpy or irritable. The key is showing the inner tension and the real impending sense of constant doom that pervades the trauma character’s thinking and emotions. For example, many who struggle with PTSD believe they’ll die young, though they won’t have a concrete reason for that belief. So maybe they want to do everything right now. Maybe they take risks that are truly unsafe.

3. Most Of Life Becomes Black or White

When a character with a trauma background is struggling, their disordered thinking often becomes very black and white. There’s little nuance or room for subtlety in the effort to stay safe and not feel afraid.

I can’t trust anyone.
I can’t trust any man.
Everyone hates me.
Everyone is talking about me behind my back.

Show the reader this isn’t actually true. For instance, you can have other characters counter this with behaviour or dialogue. By showing that the character’s thinking is unreliable, the reader gets a sense that something’s out of balance. The reader can see why the character makes the decisions they make while also seeing the flaws in that thinking or rationale. The character’s decisions only need to be rational TO THEM in that moment.

4. Inner Monologue Delivers Harmful Messages

For the character with a trauma backstory who’s unconsciously (or consciously) preoccupied with safety and predisposed to fear, often the messages they tell themselves influence their reactions. The character may in fact seek out situations where those messages are confirmed (confirmation bias or a self-fulfilling prophecy). How you craft these messages can show the reader a whole lot about how the character sees themselves and their place and value in their world.

The messages are not based on fact or reality but on a personal truth/belief that’s been reinforced over time. In real life, many people aren’t aware of those harmful messages, but in fiction, we need to show this clearly so the WHY of the character’s decisions make sense. Some common harmful messages those struggling with past trauma repeat to themselves include:

I’m not lovable.
I’m stupid.
It was my fault this happened.
I don’t matter.
There must be something wrong with me.

Sprinkling in thoughts like these shows the reader the character’s foundational understanding of their worth. If this is done well, it adds buckets of tension. These small bits of inner reflection answer the WHY for readers without needing to tell them the character struggles with depression or PTSD or intrusive nightmares, etc. They can also show that the character isn’t consciously looking to harm themselves with risky or dysfunctional behaviors, that they may be seeking out those situations because they actually believe they deserve the consequences.

5. The Status Quo Is A Survival Mechanism

When the character knows what’s coming–even if it’s harmful or painful—that’s better than facing what’s unknown. They know how to handle/survive the known. That illusion of control is pervasive. They can’t imagine a different future, and often don’t feel they deserve anything better. 

Stepping out into something new, changing old patterns, trusting someone new – these become heroic efforts for those struggling with past trauma. The character’s internal reaction, emotions, and thinking should reflect the monumental effort and courage this kind of change requires. 

Trauma and Disordered Thinking: Showing vs. Telling

To pull everything together, here’s what trauma looks like when it’s told vs. shown. You can decide which is more powerful, more compelling.

Telling: Stan woke up from the nightmare, sweat pouring off his face. He took a deep breath. It was just the PTSD again giving him bad dreams.

Showing: Stan bolted upright, chest heaving. He searched the dark corners of the bedroom, his heart pounding against his rib cage like a man buried alive. Sweat covered his chest and back, and he shivered under the brush of cool air from the ceiling fan. He’s at home. He kicks off the covers and sets his bare feet on the cold floor. Not in the desert. Not at the FOP. His toes curl under from the chill. There’s no sniper. His heart slows to a dull bone-jarring beat. He’s safe. 

But Billy is still dead. Tears fill his eyes and the moan that erupts from his gut stays trapped in his throat, constricting his airway. He stares at his hands, willing them to stop trembling. What’s the matter with him? He makes fists and pounds the mattress. This is what he got for coming home in one piece. He glances at the clock. Three hours til dawn. He reaches for the bottle next to the bed.

Trauma and anxiety are like the schoolyard bully who seems too big to fight. But the underdog character who takes this on, who pulls the curtain on the wizard, so to speak, is very compelling. Everyone has faced a similar situation in the form of a childhood bully, an overbearing boss, whatever. Most people know what that feels like and what it would take to stand up for themselves and enact change.

Source: writershelpingwriters.net

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Sometimes we need to use paper when we write. This post is about the importance of paper when you plan your story.

I love paper. There is just something about writing by hand on a piece of paper. The faint scratch that becomes a new story, a new picture, a new poem. All that potential. It is at once terrifying and glorious.

A new document in MS Word doesn’t quite feel the same, but I’ve learnt to appreciate that too. (Mostly because I have terrible handwriting and the rate of deterioration is alarming.) I have to type up my work. However, in every story, there comes a point where I need to print it out. I need to hold it in my hand. I usually only do this at the very end, but until then I need to be able to plan and I want to create the same effect for my planning. I need to make my ideas tangible and my story concrete.

Disclaimer: printing is a sacred act and not a decision that is taken lightly. Trees are important and I beg you not to waste.

This week in the 52 Scenes novel writing challenge we’re posting our 40^th scene. We have 12 more scenes to write until we reach the end. It was at this point that I realised how important paper was to me. Paper makes the idea real. It turns ideas into books. It brings my story to life.

Our homework for this stage of the challenge is to plot the end. This is not to say it is the first time we are plotting, but it is more about going back and making sure the right things are happening and that we are keeping track of the changes. This means we are making lots and lots of lists.

This is where the realness of paper comes in.

The Importance Of Paper When You Plan Your Story

1. You Can ‘See’ Your Book

There are many ways to do this. Scrivener has awesome corkboards. I use the headings function in Word, but that still means you are clicking back and forth between documents. What helps me the most at this stage is to ‘see’ the whole thing. Think of it as ‘your book at a glance’.

2. Material

Post-It-Notes, index cards, big whiteboards. Find what works for you and make your story visible. I use one scene per card, and I use colours to show who the viewpoint character is.

Extra Reading: Why All Aspiring Novelists Need A Vision Board

3. Placement

Put this board nearby when you write. You really want to be able to see it. Whenever you are stuck or need another line to add, look at the board and see which thread you can pick up.

4. Remember

Writing a book means you have a lot to remember. What was that character’s name again? Or which hotel did you send them to in scene 3? Glance at your board and see it all. No more scrolling and scrolling and scrolling. This is also a brilliant sub-plot tracker.

5. When Do You Do This?

Some writers can do this right from the beginning. For me, I need to keep the momentum going. When I find myself slowing down and needing to go back to find details it is good to formalise these things. This usually happens somewhere near the middle and becomes more and more important as the story progresses. Near the end, it is imperative for me.

My fellow writers have made amazing boards to keep track of their work:

Yogani Singh

Hanri Mostert

Susanne Bennett

The Last Word

There are many ways to make your story real and to cement your ideas while you write. Experiment and find a system that works for you.

 by Mia Botha

Source: writerswrite.co.za

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In this post, we explore research techniques for all writers, bloggers, students, and journalists.

Research is important for good writing.

Grammatical mistakes are an easy fix. Research errors or flawed facts are not, especially once a piece has been seen and shared by its readers.

Are you a blogger, writer, or journalist?

You wouldn’t want to know that a professional nurse read your medical fiction story, and hated it. You wouldn’t like to hear that a news story or link you referenced was incorrect, outdated, or spam. You don’t want to get hate-mail from an actual business with the same name as your villain’s evil corporation.

Research right, or send your story’s credibility to the graveyard. Factual flaws and procedural mistakes can ruin a potentially great work.

Here are six practical research techniques for writers.

6 Practical Research Techniques For All Writers

Mistakes are embarrassing for the writer, and backfires on the publication. Flawed research takes away from good writing. But then, how can writers always get their facts straight?

1. Use Search Engines Right

Search engines can be a useful research tool. Used wrong, search engines can also be misleading or take your research in the wrong direction.

1. Use quotation marks to search for exact words.
2. Prefer authoritative sources above informal results.
3. Always verify one source with another, even if #1 ‘seems’ correct.
4. Use advanced features for a refined search (for example, specific dates or domains).

Search engines are tools, and like knives, it matters what you’re pointing them at.

Examples:

1. TinEye – lets you find potential sources for an image.
2. Pipl – lets you find people and personal information.
3. DuckDuckGo – does not track ‘cookies’ and gets more individual results.

2. Archival Digs

Archives are beneficial to verify facts, but also to establish timelines. What was news in September, 1973 – the date when your character time travels?

Search specific archives (by keyword) if you would like to know, verify, or place a fact.

Newspapers, blogs, and academic sources usually have archives. If archives are not public, direct your questions to the nearest email address.

Archival searches are much like a time-machine: go right back to the language and topics of the age.

Examples:

1. NY Times Archive
2. The Wayback Machine
3. Google News Archive

3. The Online Experience

Visiting every writing destination in person is a writer’s dream. But what if you have to write about a place you don’t have the time or money to be?

An online experience allows writers to verify crucial location-facts in an instant.

1. Maps & Street View
2. Interactive Virtual Tours
3. Live Streaming Feeds

A virtual tour will never be as good as physically being there: but for scene research or fact verification, a thorough online expedition is useful.

Examples:

1. A List Of Virtual Tours
2. Museums With Virtual Tours
3. Google Maps

4. Interviewing

Interviews are the answer if you are a writer who doesn’t know something (or needs to verify something else).

Search engines allow you to ask general questions, but lack the discussion of a good interview.

How would the average person act after committing a crime – even a murder? Ask a prosecutor, judge, or police officer during an interview. Otherwise, you as a writer, would be guessing at a situational plot.

That is just one example.

Where do you locate experts?

1. Universities
2. Representative Organizations
3. Authoritative Or Industry Forums
4. Listing Websites

If you write fiction and see a situation happening, ask the right experts: is this possible and plausible?

There’s almost nothing worse than a factual faux-pas when you could just have asked someone.

Examples:

1. LinkedIn
2. Expertise Finder
3. ExpertFile

5. Serious Study

Search engines and interviews don’t (always) reveal all. Niche markets or technical fictitious scenes can require a hands-on approach from the writer.

Dear writer, it becomes time for more serious study:

1. Tutorial videos
2. Free courses
3. Paid courses

Throw yourself into the deep end, and learn how to do it yourself. Acquire a new (legal!) skill alongside your planned character or article.

I learned how to play bridge several years ago. Today, I write a daily playing card column. Learning a new skill paid off.

What will you learn for your craft?

Jean M. Auel, as one example, undertook a similar approach to her research. She would spend a great deal of time with professors and experts, physically learning skills like fire-making herself.

Examples:

1. Skillshare
2. YouTube
3. EdX

6. Checking Research (For Writing)

Mistakes happen due to guesswork, and a lack of double-checking. Research should always be checked for accuracy and consistency.

Never assume an editor will look, and never guess that everything is as correct as when you last looked.

Expert beta-readers are recommended for fiction and nonfiction. Choose an expert to assess your scenes and paragraphs for accuracy. It’s better to have one expert tell you, than to hear it from a hundred readers after publication.

Have you noticed that many writers thank experts in the liner notes or introduction? It is because accuracy is always preferred!

Examples:

1. Fiverr: Beta Readers
2. Beta Reader
3. Reedsy Beta Readers

The Last Word

Research is a large part of what makes writing good, or painful to read. If you’ve ever found factual mistakes or procedural errors as a reader, you’ll know why you should avoid these errors as a writer!

By Alex J. Coyne.

Source: writerswrite.co.za

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Successful stories are driven by authentic and interesting characters, so it’s important to craft them carefully. But characters don’t usually exist in a vacuum; throughout the course of your story, they’ll live, work, play, and fight with other cast members. Some of those relationships are positive and supportive, pushing the protagonist to positive growth and helping them achieve their goals. Other relationships do exactly the opposite, derailing your character’s confidence and self-worth or they cause friction and conflict that leads to fallout and disruption. Many relationships hover somewhere in the middle. A balanced story will require a mix of these dynamics.

The purpose of this thesaurus is to encourage you to explore the kinds of relationships that might be good for your story and figure out what each might look like. Think about what a character needs (good and bad), and build a network of connections for him or her that will challenge them, showcase their innermost qualities, and bind readers to their relationship trials and triumphs.

People Who Are Dating

Description:
Dating involves two people meeting socially, typically in an effort to identify a life partner. This is the early part of a romantic relationship, where those involved are getting to know one another by spending time together—very often, before much physical intimacy occurs. These dates are an opportunity to evaluate their compatibility and one another’s suitability for marriage, which is oftentimes the objective of courtship.

Relationship Dynamics
Below are a wide range of dynamics that may accompany this relationship. Use the ideas that suit your story and work best for your characters to bring about and/or resolve the necessary conflict. 

Two people who are eager to get to know each other
Two people who are highly compatible and interested in the same things
Two people who are very different, reinforcing the idea that opposites attractOne party portraying an image that isn’t an accurate reflection of who they are
A relationship that remains superficial, as those involved avoid topics that might ruin things
Both parties wanting it to work out so badly that they’re blind to the other person’s faults
Either party entering the relationship with recent, unresolved baggage (a breakup, the death of a loved one, being fired from a coveted job, etc.)
An uneven relationship, where one party wants more from the other person or wants to move more quickly

Challenges That Could Threaten The Status Quo
The other person needing to relocate for work, school, or familyOne party discovering that the other is seeing multiple people
An ex coming back into one’s life
One party failing to bond with a love interest’s children or pets
Secrets from one party’s past coming to light
One party becoming controlling, manipulative, or abusive
One person’s family or best friends not approving of the love interest
Being offered a job or school opportunity that requires increased focus, time, or energy
One party grappling with their sexual or gender identity
One party feeling pressured to change to stay in the love interest’s good graces
Medical or mental health needs arising that the other person isn’t prepared to handle
Discovering incompatible views on life choices (sex, marriage, children, morals, etc.)
One party facing financial difficulties 
Learning something unsettling about the other party (they’re related to someone infamous, suspecting them of criminal activity, etc.)

Conflicting Desires that Can Impair the Relationship
Both parties disagreeing on the frequency or type of communicationOne party wanting children while the other does not
One or both parties not being ready to commit or advance the relationship
One party losing romantic interest
Both parties holding onto differing religious beliefs while expecting the other to change
One party wanting a career that the other does not support
One party wanting to date others or bring an outside party into the relationship
One party wanting control over the other person

Clashing Personality Trait Combinations
Abrasive and Oversensitive, Controlling and Independent, Inflexible and Spontaneous, Proper and Rebellious, Adventurous and Timid, Extroverted and Introverted

Negative Outcomes of Friction
Arguments and fights
Experiencing anxiety or diminished self-worth
Being dumped
Staying in a less-than-ideal relationship because the character believes it’s better than being alone
Losing relationships with people who disapprove of the romantic relationship
The relationship becoming imbalanced (in the level of romantic interest, power, etc.)
Ghosting the other party 
Not attending gatherings where disapproving friends or family will be present, and missing out
Changing oneself to please the other person and losing sight of one’s identity

Fictional Scenarios That Could Turn These Characters into Allies
Discovering a mutual dislike of the same person
Sharing an important hobby or interest
Embracing an unplanned pregnancy
A geographical relocation that benefits both parties
Having a shared business interest
One party stepping into a dangerous situation for the other
One party supporting the other through a difficult time
Both parties sharing an important secret

Ways This Relationship May Lead to Positive Change
Mutual love and respect leading to compromise and increased satisfaction
Trying new activities and expanding one’s comfort zoneBoth parties expanding their knowledge of one another’s culture, religion, nationality, etc.
Taking a leap of faith and being rewarded for it
Discovering a new hobby or favorite pasttime
One party becoming more like the other (in a positive way)
Learning what it means to be imperfect, and loving someone anyway
Finding peace through extending forgiveness and grace

Themes and Symbols That Can Be Explored through This Relationship
Beginnings, Betrayal, Endings, Family, Friendship, Innocence, Isolation, Journeys, Love, Stagnation, Teamwork, Vanity, Violence, Vulnerability

By BECCA PUGLISI

Source: writershelpingwriters.net

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All right, hands up: What’s the one thing we can’t get enough of in fiction but we avoid like a screaming toddler in real life? Conflict

It’s ironic that something we try to avoid in the real world is the very thing we can’t get enough of in books. Psychologically speaking, though, it makes perfect sense. Books do not significantly trigger a reader’s fight-or-flight instincts, making it safe for them to experience conflict—after all, that bad stuff is happening to someone else. Yet, if the story is well written, it draws them in so they’re right there with the hero or heroine, feeling some of that dread, anger, and confusion. They identify with the character’s experiences because their own real-life ones have taught them the agony of uncertainty and fear and what it’s like to feel completely outmatched. 

In a nutshell: conflict contributes to reader engagement. 

And with all the books on the market, keeping readers involved and interested all the way to THE END should be one of our biggest goals. It’s crucial that we employ this storytelling element thoughtfully and purposefully, but with conflict in every scene—very often, multiple conflicts per scene—that’s a lot of drama. How do we keep those scenarios from becoming redundant, flat, or melodramatic? The key is to use different kinds.

The variety of conflict is what makes a story crackle with power—whether we’re talking
about the ones at the heart of an overall plot, or scene-level complications meant to pressure the character and raise the stakes. The best stories don’t stick to the same type of conflict over and over. They pull from multiple forms that work naturally with the story’s main premise to hit the character from all sides. 

As Angela and I were writing The Conflict Thesaurus, we had so many options for scenarios that it became clear we’d need to categorize them to keep them manageable. Because we’ll soon be releasing this book into the wild, we’re going to spill some of the beans a little early and share the categories we came up with, along with a few of the book entries from each. This breakdown should give you an idea of the various kinds of conflict that are available so you can use a strong variety of scenarios in your story.

Relationship Friction

Relationship friction can be the good kind (lighthearted teasing between siblings or an intense glance shared by two lovers), but often it’s the other—the type that creates a bristly moment of silence after an argument or the sting of hurt when a secret is carelessly spilled. Conflicts that create problems in relationships result in your character’s emotions being easily activated, increasing the chance they will lash out, cross a personal or professional line, or make a mistake that leads to more trouble. 

Examples: A Romantic Competitor Entering the Scene, Losing One’s Temper, and Peer Pressure

Duty and Responsibility

Another way to bring conflict to your character’s doorstep is to think about how duty and responsibility can pile up and disrupt the status quo—especially when it comes to their personal and professional life. A career is necessary to pay the bills, but it becomes a source of conflict when the demands of the job leak into family life. Likewise, if the paycheck can’t keep up with the mortgage or one partner is carrying the biggest load at home, tensions will rise. 

When a character’s home—that most sacred and safest of places—becomes a powder keg, how much additional conflict will blow her world to bits? It won’t take much additional stress for her fragile ecosystem to shatter.

Examples: An Elderly Loved One Requiring Care, Having to Break a Promise, Needing to Disobey an Order

Failures and Mistakes

The aftermath of a failure or mistake can go one of two ways. If a character panics, their emotions go into overdrive and they become fixated on the worst-case scenario. They believe they must act immediately to prevent catastrophe, only they aren’t calm or objective enough to think things through. This usually lands them into even more hot water, which is bad for them but good for you and the story because…conflict! 

A failure or mistake is also an opportunity to learn and grow, so this is the second path characters can take. Failing hurts, but it can act as a checkpoint that forces characters to look at their route and make decisions. If a character reflects on what happened and realizes they need to try again, then we know they’re open to change. This becomes a powerful character arc moment. 

Examples: Dropping the Ball, Doing Something Stupid While Impaired, Getting Caught in a Lie

Moral Dilemmas and Temptations

A dilemma is when a person faces a choice between two values, duties, or convictions that align with their sense of integrity. Moral temptations involve decisions that push the character to choose between right and wrong. Sounds pretty straightforward, but the temptation part makes it anything but. 

Dilemmas and temptations—especially in extreme circumstances—can cause a character’s values to shift. Moral conflicts are not only great for forcing your characters to examine who they are and what they believe, they can also reinforce a story’s themes on right and wrong and personal identity. 

Examples: Being Offered an Easy Way Out, Leaving Someone to the Consequences of Their Own Actions, Having to Steal to Obtain Something Vital

Increased Pressure and Ticking Clocks

Sometimes you want characters who are working under pressure or a short timeline to rise to a challenge; other times you need to explore what will finally break them. Pressure can help you do both. It’s also great for creating tension for readers as they wonder whether a character can handle the new threat. How can they work past this new challenge? Can they beat the clock? This additional stress will keep readers turning pages late into the night, anxious to discover if the character can circumvent this latest development or not. 

Examples: Being Given an Ultimatum, Unwanted Scrutiny, Being Made to Wait

No-Win Scenarios

Sometimes you need truly agonizing conflict—the type that forces the character to choose between bad and worse. Lose-lose situations are especially dangerous because they bog characters down in an emotional quicksand of fear, obligation, and guilt. This negative psychological spiral often results in them sacrificing their own happiness and needs. 

Examples: Being Unable to Save Everyone, Being Set Up to Fail, Conflicting Internal Needs and Desires

Conflict is what we use to poke at a character’s soft spots, raise the stakes, and maybe encourage a specific path to self-growth. So when you’re choosing conflict options for your character, vary the forms. This ensures that the problems they’re facing will spread like cracked glass, threatening multiple areas of their life and making things exponentially more complicated and difficult for them.

By BECCA PUGLISI

Source : writershelpingwriters.net

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Successful stories are driven by authentic and interesting characters, so it’s important to craft them carefully. But characters don’t usually exist in a vacuum; throughout the course of your story, they’ll live, work, play, and fight with other cast members. Some of those relationships are positive and supportive, pushing the protagonist to positive growth and helping them achieve their goals. Other relationships do exactly the opposite—derailing your character’s confidence and self-worth—or they cause friction and conflict that leads to fallout and disruption. Many relationships hover somewhere in the middle. A balanced story will require a mix of these dynamics.

The purpose of this thesaurus is to encourage you to explore the kinds of relationships that might be good for your story and figure out what each might look like. Think about what a character needs (good and bad), and build a network of connections for him or her that will challenge them, showcase their innermost qualities, and bind readers to their relationship trials and triumphs.

Enemies

Description:
More than rivals or competitors, enemies are people who are actively working to defeat or destroy the other. The reason for their animosity may be personal, stemming from a shared past experience, or it may simply be a matter of them working at cross-purposes and blocking each other from reaching their respective goals. The richness in this relationship comes from the fact that both parties believe in their own rightness. Writing a dynamic and interesting pair of enemies requires a carefully exploration of the relationship’s complexity so they don’t veer into cliché, unsympathetic, or flat-character territory. 

Relationship Dynamics
Below are a wide range of dynamics that may accompany this relationship. Use the ideas that suit your story and work best for your characters to bring about and/or resolve the necessary conflict. 

Enemies who are both seeking the same resource or objective, and defeating the other party is a necessary part of their success
Two people who are actively seeking to destroy one another
Enemies who used to be friends or allies, with a shared history
Enemies who are part of the same team but are secretly working against each other

Challenges That Could Threaten The Status Quo
One person asking for a truce
One party being taken out by a serious illness or injury
A powerful third-party demanding an end to the feud
One party discovering a damning secret about the other
The two being physically trapped in the same space
Both parties losing something of value
A common enemy entering the picture 
One party joining forces with a stronger and better connected person or entity, disrupting the balance of power
One person having an epiphany about past mistakes or their role in the relationship
One person seeking forgiveness in order to heal

Clashing Personality Trait Combinations
Cautious and Reckless, Unethical and Honorable, Confrontational and Timid, Perfectionist and Talented, Mature and Irresponsible

Negative Outcomes of Friction
Anxiety and depression
Arguments and fights
Self-blame for not handling the situation better
Publicly trashing one another
Difficulty trusting others
Becoming fixated on defeating the other person
Missing important events because the other person will be present
Losing friends and family members who take sides
The animosity escalating into abusive or violent behavior
Seeing no way out of the conflict
Being targeted by the friends and family members of one’s enemy

Fictional Scenarios That Could Turn These Characters into Allies
Both parties realizing they have a common goal
Both parties needing to keep a secret
A business venture or financial opportunity that requires both to participate
An event that forces the two into close proximity (a family reunion, them being held hostage or getting lost together, etc.)
Putting differences aside to present a united front against a more threatening enemy
Discovering that the feud was based on a lie
One party altering their religious, political, or cultural beliefs
Romantic feelings developing between the two
A third-party encouraging reconciliation

Ways This Relationship May Lead to Positive Change
The character recognizing their role in the relationship and taking accountability for their actions
The enemies breaking a cycle of hatred
One party learning to seek and extend forgiveness
Either person learning to see the situation from the other’s perspective
The character recognizing unhealthy thought patterns and behaviors
Either party refusing to engage with their enemy, thereby diffusing the situation

Themes and Symbols That Can Be Explored through This Relationship
A fall from grace, Betrayal, Danger, Death, Deception, Friendship, Inflexibility, Isolation, Journeys, Love, Peace, Suffering, Violence.

By BECCA PUGLISI

Source: writershelpingwriters.net

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By Lucy V Hay

How characters look is a much-discussed element of writing craft. So, just how much do we need to describe our character’s appearance?

Obviously individual writers’ mileage may vary on this question. Some authors may spend a lot of time on character appearance. Others may do it more intuitively, or leave it almost entirely up to the reader’s imagination.

Coming from a screenwriting background, character appearance is a hot topic with my ‘Bang2writers’ because of casting. The ‘right’ actor for a character may refer to personality, but also appearance. For example, a LOT of people felt Tom Cruise was entirely the wrong choice for Lee Child’s Jack Reacher character!

With this background in mind then, I am going to offer up my top tips on character appearance in your novel. Ready? Let’s go …

1. Beware of ‘Laundry List’ Character Introductions

Character introductions are super-important. The first time we ‘see’ them, we should get a feel for WHO they are via WHAT they are doing.

In screenwriting, we say ‘characters are what they DO’ … but too often, writers introduce their characters just by what they’re wearing. I call this the ‘laundry list’ character introduction. Yet all of us know ‘clothes DON’T make the wo/man’!

Sometimes it won’t be clothes. Instead it may also be the way they wear their hair, how they do their make up or whether they have certain physical attributes. (For example, whether the character has big breasts … Yes, you’ve guessed it, female characters fare worst in this).

Yes, what we choose to wear CAN reflect our attitudes (especially strong looks like punk or hippy). But the fact is too many writers use this as a lazy shortcut **on its own**.

KEY TAKEAWAY: Avoid the ‘laundry list’ introduction. If you want to use clothes go ahead … just don’t rely on them to define the character.

2. Avoid non-stop moving body parts!

So if characters are what they DO, then we should rely on action when thinking about appearance. This Physical Feature Descriptive Database at One Stop for Writers offers some good hints for describing things like a characters’ lips and what they may do to signify different emotions.

However, we’re not out of the woods yet!

Whilst characters physically moving *can* be a good indicator of what they’re going through, we don’t want to rely on it too much either.

When it comes to novel writing, the psychological aspect is very important. If we reduce every character to what they’re physically doing all the time, it can adversely affect the read. Instead of an emotional connection, the reader becomes a voyeur.

This is most obvious when authors write constant actions pertaining to the body, such as …

• Eyebrows rising
• Hands on / off hips
• Nodding / shaking of head
• Smiling / grimacing
• Licking of lips
• Hands in the air or similar gestures

In other words, constant moving body parts become a ‘filler’ or worse, a stand in for actual characterisation. No thanks!

KEY TAKEAWAY: Avoid your characters’ movements becoming ‘filler’ by taking the emphasis off their ‘smaller’ actions. Use them in moderation instead.

3. Beware the WORD OF DOOM

There’s one word I see too often when I read female character introductions. Guess what it is …

… BEAUTIFUL!

I call this the ‘word of doom’. (BTW, we may also see other variants of this word too, ranging from ‘pretty’ to ‘sexy’, so nice try but no cigar!).

I’m not alone, either. Check out what this A List actor has to say on the matter.

In fact, the word of doom pops up in the screenwriting world so often there are whole websites devoted to terrible casting calls, such as Miss L’s brilliant but scathing Casting Call Woe over on Tumblr. Here’s another called @femscriptintros.

Authors are not off the hook either. In recent years more and more readers have been calling out novelists for objectifying female characters like this.

Confused?? After all, ‘beautiful’ is a compliment, right?

Well, think on it this way. Female characters are often described by HOW THEY LOOK *over* WHAT THEY DO.

Yet if characters are supposed to be what they do, their behaviour is supposed to be what drives them, not how good-looking their appearance is.

Remember, a male lead might often be good-looking too, but they’re still more likely to be introduced by their character traits, than how they look. Gnash!

KEY TAKEAWAY: Avoid falling back on the ‘word of doom’ when introducing female characters. Instead of focusing on their appearance, think about their internal character traits and behaviour. Personality before gender (this works for all characters, by the way).

Good Luck!

Source: writershelpingwriters.net

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Do you remember how you felt while reading The Da Vince Code or Gone Girl? The sweaty palms, the pleasant shiver, the jaw-clenching tension? Remember how those well-drawn elements of suspense held you in thrall, feathering along your skin, raising goosebumps?

Suspense fiction comes in a variety of flavors, all delicious, and if you have a yen for building suspense in your writing and learning how to create the same kind of reading experience for your own audience, this is the place for you.

In a special series of articles, I’ll be your guide as we dig deep into the elements of suspense that grab readers and don’t let go. These elements apply, regardless of the publishing route you choose for getting your stories out to your suspense readers.

Here, we will learn how you can craft suspense in your own books, starting now.

Anticipation…Worth the Wait

Anticipation is a critical part of suspense, and I suffered/enjoyed a long period of anticipation before I started my writing career.

With young children at home and a husband often away, serving on US Navy submarines, I waited until my baby graduated from high school and flew the nest. But my writing dream did not sit idle during those years.

I read just about every book on the craft of writing I could find, focusing my study on suspense fiction, and reveled in learning all I could. Most of all, I anticipated the season of my life when I would begin writing my own mystery novels, thrillers, and suspense stories.

At the time, I didn’t realize how critical this would be to my success. Understanding what grips readers in the thrall of mystery and thriller stories is key. And knowing how to enjoy a book for pleasure—to be a reader—is essential to being a good storyteller.

Learning From Story Masters

While working for our local library system, I attended an all-staff training day that changed my life.

Orson Scott Card was the keynote speaker and since I was part of the entertainment for the event, I shared the stage with him. I had visions of the two of us striking up a terrific rapport and him taking me under his wing as I prepared to enter the writer’s world.

None of that happened.

Mr. Card gave an excellent presentation on the power of words, but we never spoke beyond a hello.

However, in a breakout session after the main event, I had the great good fortune to meet the renowned writer and editor, Kristine Kathryn Rusch. She and her husband, the prolific author Dean Wesley Smith, have been my valued mentors for about the last ten years.

A good deal of what goes into my own work today sprang from the massive store of writerly wisdom they passed on to me, and it’s jumped my writing light years ahead, helping to make up for my late start.

I’m pleased to be able to share some of what I’ve learned from my years of preparation and experience with you!

Examining the Elements of Suspense (and Why This Matters)

What is suspense? What function does it serve and why is it so appealing to readers?

More importantly, how can you create it in your own work?

In this article and the ones to follow in the series, I will teach you the key elements of suspense.

Here’s some of what we’ll cover:

What is Suspense? Why and How It Makes Books Better

We’ll take a stab at defining suspense and look at some important distinctions between suspense as a necessary ingredient in every story and suspense as a popular genre category. With a little help from the master, Alfred Hitchcock, we’ll see how suspense is different from surprise and how they both function in a story.

We’ll also talk about the foundation you’ll need to build in order to use the elements of suspense to good effect in your own stories. For example, in order for readers to experience suspense in your stories, they need to be mindfully present and meaningfully invested.

You learn all of this and more in this article.

Deep POV: 6 Key Details to Use in the Beginning of Your Book

As part of the foundation you must lay for a suspense-filled tale, you’ll need to grip and pull the reader deep into your story. There are many writing techniques you can use to accomplish this throughout your entire story.

For example, when you solidly ground the reader inside the head of the point of view character, filtering every word through that viewpoint, your readers will forget they’re reading.

Grounding your reader deep in your protagonist’s POV will do a world of good for the rising action in your story, building stakes and smaller conflict as they spiral into an intense, climatic moment. Silence of the Lambs is a great example of this, where as Clarice Starling grew closer to discovering the whereabouts and identity of Buffalo Bill, Hannibal Lector’s masterful escape plan spiked.

Learn more about these techniques in this article.

Sympathetic Characters: 10 Writing Techniques That Make Readers Care

A writer can craft a scene full of exciting action and surprising revelations, but if they haven’t first engaged their reader in caring about the main character, it won’t matter.

Readers like strong characters, but also appreciate a hero that has flaws. Learn how character development, and how to make your reader invest in your protagonist in this article.

Raise the Stake: The Ultimate Guide to Building Suspense in a Plot

Writers who know how to raise the high stakes in a story understands how to provide action that drives the story forward.

Action often brings impending danger, and is one of those “go-to” elements of suspense, but you’ll see that you don’t have to rely on a high-speed car chase or hand-to-hand combat to get suspense out of action.

Ensuring that there is tension between the characters in a scene, using active setting, and making sure the pacing matches the content are some of the methods you can use to create action that will generate a feeling of suspense.

Learn more about how to raise the stakes in this article.

Sequence of Events in a Story: How to Order Scenes That Build Suspense

How and when you impart information to your reader is a crucial factor in adding suspense to your stories. It’s all about giving your reader what they need and when they need it, so they’ll keep reading and stay deeply involved and actively participating in the story.

Learn more about how to write a story with a strong sequence of events in this article. “ Mastering the elements of suspense will hook your readers and keep them invested in your story.

Learn the key ingredients you need in your story to do this, and more to come from an exciting new series on writing suspense!

Cliffhanger Meaning 101: What They Are and How Writers Use Them

Cliffhangers hark back to anticipation, like that old ketchup commercial—you know it’s coming, and you know it’s going to be good, and your hunger and eagerness grow as you wait for it to happen. The art is in the timing.

You want to know where to cut the scene for maximum effect, and how to build the anticipation without letting those french fries grow cold.

There are a number of cliffhanger techniques that deserve attention, and we’ll take a good look at several and learn how to craft them. Realizing that without the foundational setting of the stage these cliffhangers will lose some of their impact, I’ll share some examples from writers like Dennis Lehane and Stephen King.

Read all about cliffhangers and how to write them in your suspense story here.

Story Pacing: 4 Techniques That Help Manage Your Plot’s Timeline

Pacing is perhaps the most advanced of the elements of suspense. It makes sure that the reader feels invested in a plot and character.

One of the guiding principles of pacing is making sure that your form follows content, creating a compelling congruency that will keep your reader plunging forward, immersed in a story.

What do I mean by form following content? Ask yourself what’s happening in your story.

Examine how the masters provide strong story pacing in their suspense books by using the techniques I mention in this article.

How to Write Action Scenes That Add Suspense to a Story

In the years after your reader has finished your book, they may not remember every plot point, but they will remember how they felt while immersed in your story.

Part of this thrilling emotions come from action scenes—but moving your story into an action sequence can be a risky business. It requires special attention, and if you don’t give it what it needs, you invite your reader to leave the book.

In this article, I teach three obstacles writers face when writing action scenes, and how to overcome them.

Foreshadowing: 10 Clever Methods to Write An Engaging Plot Twist

Foreshadowing is the weaving of hints into your story so that future events feel natural and inevitable instead of contrived. It also allows the reader to predict and anticipate those events, adding suspense.

The addition of situational irony can also heighten the suspense of any story.This is when you put the reader wise to something your protagonist doesn’t know, thereby letting them sweat for the unaware hero. “ Seasoned writers use literary devices to weave suspense throughout their stories. Learn how to incorporate some of these in your book with this article.

Seasoned writers use literary devices to weave suspense throughout their stories. You can learn ten methods on how to do this in your stories in this article.

Mystery Clues: The Ultimate Guide to Clues and Red Herrings

Red herrings,  or false clues, are essential in suspense stories, mysteries, and thrillers. This misleading trail will keep readers guessing, and simultaneously keep them  invested and excited in finding out what happens next.

Mastermind red herrings, however, isn’t always easy.

You can learn more about the importance of mystery clues, and how to plant red herrings and  turn clues in your book in this article.

Subtext Examples: 7 Techniques to Supercharge Your Scenes

Have you ever read Hemingway’s story, “Hills Like White Elephants?” Dripping with subtext, it masterfully raises questions and builds suspense.

You can learn to do that, too.

Using subtext lets you add nuance to a scene by giving it an underlying meaning implied by the surface action and dialogue. A striking example comes from an early scene in the Billy Wilder movie, Double Indemnity, based on a James M. Cain story. The two principle characters speak of cars and speed limits as euphemisms to cover their budding interest in each other.

You can learn all about subtext and how it adds suspense to your stories in this article.

Atmosphere Literary Definition: Genre Examples That Evoke Emotion

Atmosphere is the texture of the story, created by the careful selection of details, that provides the sensory palette through which the reader will experience story events.

Atmosphere matters. But how do you use atmosphere in your book?

Learning the literary definition of atmosphere (with genre examples) can help you write a better book, all of which I teach in this article.

Euphonics: How Sounds and Words Engage Readers

Euphonics deal with the sounds of the words you use, their rhythm and resonance. For example, words riffing on the letter F tend to bring to mind the flighty and frivolous, things that are fluffy, ruffly, flirtatious, and so on.

Using these words imparts a certain feel to the writing. You can use other phonetic sounds to produce a variety of euphonic effects.

There’s a reason suspense starts with S.

These techniques are enhancers, like the seasoning that brings out the best flavors in a well-prepared meal. Judicially sprinkled, they can boost the level of suspense in a well-told story.

I’ll teach you how to use euphonics in your story in a future article.

Genre Expectations to Satisfy Your Reader

Readers are drawn to the suspense genres—mysteries, thrillers, and suspense—because that’s the flavor they crave. When you sit down to write such a book, you’re making big promises to your reader—and you’d better follow through.

Readers want a certain type of reading experience, and my target readers have learned they can find it in the pages of a well-written mystery, thriller, or suspense novel.

It’s my job, as a writer, to make sure they get what they came for, and you’ll want to do the same for your readers. “ Readers pick up a certain genre for a reason. What genre are you writing? Do you know how to satisfy these story expectations? Tweet thisTweet

One way to make this happen is to give them what they expect, but not in the way they expected it. For instance, readers of detective fiction expect there will be a scene toward the end of the book when the detective explains how he reached the solution.

When you write a detective mystery, you must somehow include this scene. It’s indispensable, if you want to please your reader.

We’ll look at some of the other expectations reader have, like the introduction of the crime scene and the final confrontation between hero and villain, in a future article on genre.

Building a Team to Satisfy Your Reader

One particularly pleasing aspect of most well-loved stories is the team.

While it’s not usually marked out and blatantly labeled as a team, most popular protagonists surround themselves with a support structure. The members of that structure serve important functions and provide points of interest for the reader.

For example, if you’re a fan of the TV show NCIS, you’re well acquainted with Gibbs’s crack team of crime solvers. James Patterson has created for his character, Alex Cross, a team of colleagues and family members that his readers adore.

In an upcoming article, we’ll learn how to build a team to help drive the story, deliver pertinent information, and populate the type of secondary plotlines that add dimension and support the main storyline.

Strengthening Your Story Idea

Every story has been written before, but you might be able to tweak and twist your story idea into something fresh and compelling.

For example, you could change up the genre, like the writers of Throw Mama from The Train did when they vamped on the Alfred Hitchcock film, Strangers on a Train, turning the thriller classic into a comedy.

We’ll look at a variety of methods you might use to innovate your idea for a mystery or thriller novel or short story in a new article soon.

Plotting for Suspense

After studying the elements of suspense and learning how to use them in crafting a suspenseful story, we’ll focus on plotting, creating the underlying structure that will support and give shape to the story.

Understanding the elements of suspense will help you construct a plot optimized for suspense.

Plot diagrams are a good way to study these elements in plotting and structure. A favorite of mine, and the one I use in conjunction with Scrivener to write each scene of my novels, is what Shawn Coyne calls The Five Commandments of Storytelling.

Another structure similar to this one is the Six Elements of Plot, which Joe Bunting covers in his book The Write Structure.

We’ll take a closer look at this structure and examine some of the other plot diagrams best suited for the suspense genres, like the Lester Dent Seven-Point plot structure and the Brooks model.

All of this coming in an important upcoming article soon!

The End…Now What?

At some point—after the writing, polishing, and proofreading—it will be time to package your work and release it into the world. But where will you send it? What exactly have you created, anyway?

Your book will appeal to a certain set of readers.

The trick is to make sure they can find it. If you market it incorrectly, placing it on the wrong “shelf,” no one will buy it and those who do probably won’t like it. You need to make sure it shows up where the readers who will like it shop for books.

We’ll examine a series of questions you can apply to your book to help determine genre and sub-genre. A lot of this depends on how much weight you’ve given each of these five story elements: character, setting, plot, voice, and style.

And we’ll look at additional paths you can use to figure out what you’ve written and how to reach those who will appreciate it. Stay tuned for a future article on these essentials!

Get Empowered by Becoming Knowledgeable, Then Write!

The reason I write, the driving force behind my continuing efforts, is my desire to create for readers of suspense what other writers have done for me. I want to bring that gift, that same kind of thrill and zest, to someone, somewhere, curled up with one of my books.

If you have that same kind of desire, stick with me through this series of articles. We’ll dive into the elements of suspense, examine them, learn how to craft them, and discover how to go deeper and learn more.

Bookmark this spot. Watch for the upcoming articles, read them, put them into practice, and get empowered!

You can learn how to write a gripping mystery or thriller that readers will love.

Until then, I hope this introduction to the elements of suspense has got your wheels turning. Take that story idea that’s been harvesting in your head, and let it loose.

How about you? Are you excited to learn more about the elements of suspense? Tell us about it in the comments.

By Joslyn Chase

Source: thewritepractice.com

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