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“Why can’t people just sit and read books and be nice to each other?” David Baldacci, writer, book quote from “The Camel Club”, p.304, Pan Macmillan Photo: Kourish Qaffari via “Why can’t people just sit and read books and be nice to each other?” — Art of Quotation

Your thematic metaphor is the unifying idea that emerges as the meaning behind your characters’ adventures in their story world. Once you have identified your story’s… 1,889 more words via How to Make Your Plot a Powerful Thematic Metaphor — Helping Writers Become Authors

There are only two or three human stories, but they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they never happened.–Willa Cather The many different approaches to… 2,255 more words via Learn 5 Types of Character Arc at a Glance: The 2 Heroic Arcs (Part 1 of 2) — Helping Writers Become Authors

Stories are about change. Sometimes that change is positive, driven by hopeful or even heroic people. But sometimes that change is negative, driven by humanity’s darkest urges and blindnesses. 2,343 more words via Learn 5 Types of Character Arc at a Glance: The 3 Negative Arcs (Part 2 of 2) — Helping Writers Become Authors

Can a story have too much plot? It might surprise you (especially if you’re a regular reader of the site), but the answer is absolutely, yes… 2,610 more words via How to Tell if Your Story Has Too Much Plot, Not Enough Character — Helping Writers Become Authors

“How do I figure out my character’s arc?” This is a question I receive commonly—and with good reason. Not only is your character’s arc central to all your other story choices— 2,698 more words via How to Use a “Truth Chart” to Figure Out Your Character’s Arc — Helping Writers Become Authors

For many people, dialogue is the heartbeat of fiction. As arguably the only true form of “showing” in written fiction, it offers an inexhaustible source of energy for dramatizing characters, catalyzing conflict, and enhancing every available opportunity for entertainment. 2,852 more words via Critique: 10 Ways to Write Excellent Dialogue — Helping Writers Become Authors

Choosing a protagonist is often more of an event than a process. Writers sometimes feel more like the protagonist chooses them than the other way around. 1,592 more words via 5 Questions for Choosing a Protagonist Who Represents Your Story’s Theme — Helping Writers Become Authors

“Write three-dimensional characters.” “Bring your characters to life.” “Create realistic human experiences.” These ditties of writing advice are so common they’re almost clichés. But how can you fulfill these dictums to write “real characters” without first mastering the even more foundational principle of understanding people? 2,183 more words via A Writer’s Guide to Understanding People —… Continue reading A Writer’s Guide to Understanding People — Helping Writers Become Authors

You want readers to like your story. You want to give them something to love on every single page. But it’s so much easier said than done. 2,409 more words via How to Know Which Parts of Your Story Readers Will Like Best (It Isn’t Always What You Think) — Helping Writers Become Authors