It was R U OK? Day here is Australia this week, an annual day in September dedicated to reminding people to ask family, friends and
Category: Character Development
Psychology for Writers: ADHD
I read a book recently, a contemporary romance, where the male protagonist had a diagnosis of ADHD. It was a well written, beautiful love story
The Psychology of the Character Wound: Understanding the Negative Core Belief
Character wounds are the foundation of a strong, memorable character. Why? Because they make characters complex, authentic (I challenge you to find me a person
The Psychology of the Group: Us versus Them Thinking
So, I’m about to launch into the final book of my trilogy. Being a paranormal story, there’s three different beings (that I know of) that
Psychology for Writers: Narcissism
The term ‘narcissism’ comes from Greek mythology, where beautiful, proud Narcissus fell in love with his own image in a pool of water. It’s not
Is your character pretending to be something they’re not?
We all spend some time pretending to be something we’re not. We pretend we’re feeling happy when we’re not, we maintain a façade of polite
Childhood Trauma and its Impact on Your Character
The word ‘trauma’ is derived from the Greek term for ‘wound’. Very frightening or distressing events may result in a psychological wound or injury –
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
