Following on from the last post, where we explored how important emotion is in story, now we’re going to delve into how we can do
Category: Character Development
Engaging Emotion: Every Best-Seller Does It
Our brain is driven by emotion. I know we like to think we’re rational beings, applying the rules of logic calmly and sensibly to those
Capturing Curiosity: The Power of Conflict
So, exploring the fourth way we can create curiosity in our readers in this weeks focus. We know we can do it through questions, the
Capturing Curiosity: Surprise!
We now know curiosity is an important psychological process writers want to capture in their writing. Last week we discovered we can do that by
Capturing Curiosity: Questions Anyone?
After discussing the power of curiosity and why writers need to harness it, here’s the first instalment of four articles that explore exactly how we
Capturing Curiosity: What Every Writer Needs to Know
Long before I was a writer, I was a psychologist. The study of the whys of what we do drew me like the smell of
5 Things a Writer Needs to Know About a Character with a Mental Illness
To make a character real, they need to mirror the reality that we experience. This is a challenge, because the world each person lives in
When Your Character Does Something They Regret
We’ve all had those moments where you act now, think later. Moments where you slam on the brakes when you see a Chihuahua on the
Writing Characters Through the Lens of the #MeToo Movement
I’ve said it before, but I’m going to say it again – connecting with fellow lovers of the written word is the best part of
Good People Making Bad Choices: Could this be your character?
Good people making bad choices is something that many of us struggle to fathom. I mean, surely if they were ‘good’ then they would ultimately
Dependent Personality Disorder: Psychological Disorders for Writers
Personality disorders are fascinating–many are comparatively rare and they all lead to some pretty unreasonable and difficult to understand behaviours…which kind of makes them ideal
Is Your Character Really in Love?
As we explored last week, relationships are complex, and romantic ones are certainly no different (they are possibly the poster child for complicated…). Psychology has
Capturing an Unhappy Relationship: A Writer’s Roadmap
Relationships are a complicated beast, and if you write romance like me, then you’re wed (pun intended) to the HEA (happily ever after) ending. But
The Halo Effect: Your Readers are Applying it
So the hero in my latest release has a few unlikeable traits (as in, pretty unethical and unsavoury behaviours), which would be fine in some
Narrative Therapy and Your Character: The Story Within The Story
Narrative therapy is not the dominant therapeutic framework I utilise in my clinical work, but like most eclectic practitioners, I have enough of an understanding
The Emotional Craft of Fiction: Why Writers Should Read this Book
The advice to read craft books is a good one. Writing has many layers, from the nebulous theme of your story, right down to the
