The word ‘trauma’ is derived from the Greek term for ‘wound’. Very frightening or distressing events may result in a psychological wound or injury –
Category: Character Development
Psychology For Writers: Alcohol Addiction
Alcohol has played a central role in almost all human cultures since the Stone Age. Interestingly, there’s evidence that the development of agriculture – a
How Your Character’s Beliefs Colour their Perspective
Whether its first person, third person, or the see-all-know-all omniscient point of view, the power of a story is the vicarious adventure of living someone
When Your Characters Form a Group: What Writers Need to Know
When Frodo agreed to take that cursed ring to Mount Doom, he didn’t know he was going to join a group of fellow fantastical and
Psychology of the Villain
Villains. We love to hate them, and at times hate to find we love them. If you’ve got one developing on your pages right now,
Understanding Adultery for Writers
Faithfulness in a relationship is a moral (and legal) expectation in many cultures, largely because it maintains trust and fidelity (and reduces the incidence of
Psychology for Writers: Depression
We’ve all felt sad, lost, or hopeless at some stage in our life. It’s a natural part of the 10,000 highs and 10,000 lows Buddha
Is Your Character Ready to Change? The Stages of Change for Writers
Narratives are all about change – protagonists changing their perspectives as they see, hear and learn new things, choosing to do things differently as
Therapy for Writers: Overcoming the Rejection Letter
Following on from last week’s blog, where literary agent Mark Gottlieb answered some questions on ‘Why did I get a no?’, I wanted to discuss
Psychology for Writers: Panic Attacks
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
Psychology for Writers: Autism Spectrum Disorder
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
