The perfectionism trap is easy to fall into. We live in a culture that’s all about success and achievement, and the writing world is no
Author: Tamar Sloan
Author of heart-hugging, smile tugging young adult romance and the PsychWriter blog - where psychology meets writing.
Panic Attacks for Writers
Fear was hardwired into our brain long before our ancestors had developed the language to name it. Our great-granddaddy’s and great-grandmummy’s couldn’t afford to miss
When Your Character Creates their World: The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
There’s an old Russian story about a prince that ruled back in the tenth century – Prince Oleg. It was prophesised by the pagan priests
A Writer’s Greatest Fear
I don’t think it matters what stage of your writing you’re at, it strikes every writer. The newbies, the seasoned, the struggling, the best-selling. Every.
Autism Spectrum Disorder for Writers
If you’ve got a character who has autism then you’ve just set yourself a challenge, but a challenge that has some of the greatest flexibility
3 Top Personality Tests to Nail Your Character
We all want characters that are complex, relatable and realistic. It’s a tall order but definitely achievable, although it does take a little time and
4 Ways Your Character Will Handle a Stressful Situation
I wrote recently on my Writers Helping Writers guest post fear is hardwired into our brain. Deep, deep in the primal part that we don’t
5 Ways Your Character Will Handle Loss
“Grief does not change you, Hazel. It reveals you.” ― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars Loss is a part of life, and if it’s a
When Your Character Experiences a Loss: The Stages of Grief
Grief and loss hit us when we lose anything that is important to us. Your character may have lost their husband, parent or child, but
The Malleability of Memory: What writers can learn from The Girl on the Train
Spoiler Alert: One of the reasons The Girl on the Train is amazing is because of the plot twists on plot twists on wow-I-did-not-see-that-coming that
6 FREE Inspirational Posters for Writers
As we stare down the barrel of 2017 and with a book set to be published in April I’m reflecting on all the wisdom that
Got a character that struggles to trust? Here’s why.
Being the social creatures we are, relationships are the pivot points of our lives, and not surprisingly, those of our characters. A good book will
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for Writers
The moment Katniss Everdeen volunteers herself as tribute in place of her younger sister, the heroine of the Hunger Games begins a journey of war
Realistic Gay Characters: 4 Things You Need to Know
I started reading a book recently, a romance, and the female lead had a male best friend. Even before it was stated I knew he’d
The Character Arc: Leading Your Protagonist from Denial to Action
Our characters have a problem, a problem that will spark our plot and drive their arc. As a reader, it’s the transformation from refusal and
Why Readers Read: What every writer needs to know
Why do we read? I hadn’t really thought about this question in any depth. Sure I could tell you that I do it because I
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