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
Tag: writing help
Developing a Character with a History of Sexual Assault
There’s many things I love about the landscape of writing, but one of the most wonderful discoveries is the breadth of knowledge out there waiting
Establishing a Daily Writing Routine
We have another wonderful guest post today from Sierra Delarosa, exploring the 20 daily writing routines of famous authors. I discuss making writing a habit
One Powerful Perspective that Will Keep You Writing
I originally wrote this post a couple of years ago for a different blog I had started. It was called Blue Mood, and it was
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
Therapy for Writers: The Origin of Your Inner Editor
I have an inner editor. She keeps up an inner monologue in my head when I’m writing – usually the whole time. When I’m thinking
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
Your Book Needs These 6 Psychological Ingredients
Psychology has given us such a wonderful understanding into human behaviour that’s it’s a veritable gold-mine for writers. It not only lets us understand our
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
Straight From An Agent: YOUR Questions Answered
Mark Gottlieb of Trident Media is back, this time answering YOUR questions. There were quite a few responses (thank you!) so I didn’t manage to
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
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
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
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
