The topic of using mental health in character construction comes up frequently in writer’s groups. This blog post, along with Episode 42 of The Rebel Author podcast, (which you can find here), outlines some of the considerations and research avenues writers should explore as they write characters to life.~
Giving a character a trauma or mental health backstory seems like an easy way to add internal conflict to our characters – and it is. But where do you start that research? What should you be looking for? No one likes to read a story and find the writer just plain got something wrong. It…
** The links should be live now for the contest and Contributed Occupation list**
Hi everyone! Today I have something fun to share…a special chance to win some help with your writing bills. Awesome, right?
Some of you may know Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi of Writers Helping Writers. Well, today they are releasing a new book, and I’m part of their street team. I’m handing the blog over to them so they can tell you about their Writer’s Showcase event, new book, and a great freebie to check out. Read on!
Certain details can reveal a lot about a character, such as their goals, desires, and backstory wounds. But did you know there’s another detail that can tie your character’s arc to the plot, provide intense, multi-layered conflict, AND shorten the “get to know the character” curve for readers?
It’s true. Your character’s occupation is a GOLD MINE of storytelling potential.
Think about it: how much time do you spend on the job? Does it fulfill you or frustrate you? Can you separate work from home? Is it causing you challenges, creating obstacles…or bringing you joy and helping you live your truth?
Just like us, most characters will have a job, and the work they do will impact their life. The ups and downs can serve us well in the story.
Maybe you haven’t thought much about jobs in the past and how they act as a window into your character’s personality, interests, and skills. It’s okay, you aren’t alone. The good news is that The Occupation Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Jobs, Vocations, and Careers is going to do all the heavy lifting for you. (Here’s one of the job profiles we cover in this book:FIREFIGHTER.)
GIVEAWAY ALERT: THE WRITER’S SHOWCASE
To celebrate the release of a new book, Writers Helping Writers has a giveaway happening July 20th & July 23rd. You can win some great prizes, including gift certificates that can be spent on writing services within our Writer’s Showcase. Stop by to enter!
Resource Alert: A List of Additional Jobs Profiles For Your Characters
Some of the amazing writers in our community have put together additional career profiles for you, based on jobs they have done in the past. What a great way to get accurate information so you can better describe the roles and responsibilities that go with a specific job, right? To access this list, GO HERE.
One of the most frequent tips I hear from writer friends is to have designated writing time. I have yet to get there. I know that I should, but with dogs, gardens, a farm, and household chores, I’m lucky if I can fit in half an hour for some cardio exercise in the pool I painted, since soccer is still in lockdown. There are the days when I get in a zone and have to finish a scene, so I take those days and run with them. Then I’m able to parse out that time spent over the next several days so I don’t feel guilty about not writing. Yeah, totally vicious circle. So see if any of this post resonates with you, and be a more time-organized writer than me 😉.~
Writing required commitment, but it’s not always easy to find time in ourbusy lives. Yet, if it’s something we want to pursue, it’s something we have to do. Recently, alongside fitting writing in whenever I can, I’ve set aside designated writing time. Two hours on a Sunday, when I shut off from the world and […]
Compiled from experience, this is a great article on everything to do with beta readers. Follow the link to Val’s page and the entire piece. Enjoy!~
What are they? People who read your polished manuscript (do not send them your shitty first draft) and give you feedback. Ideally they should be readers, NOT other writers, though that can be harder to come by. How many do you need? Depends on where you are in your writer journey. If you’re a newbie, […]
Hope everyone is staying safe and making the best of the challenging situation we are facing. You can find the full article on Writer Unboxed by following the link below, ’cause who can’t use a Scrivener refresher? I’m taking a mini-course this afternoon myself!
Do you use Scrivener when you write? Do you like it, love it, feel vulnerable when you use it? Let me know in the comments below. I’m in the 🧡🧡🧡🧡 category myself 🥰.
Stop by later for the next installment in Eleanorah Starr’s Collection of Huphaea post series, you won’t want to miss it!
Whether your home office has been invaded and you have little time to write, or you suddenly find yourself with nothing but writing time, I’ve pulled together a motley collection of handy features that every Scrivener user should know about. NOTE: When the process differs between versions, I’m using S1, S2, and S3, to denote…
“My aim is to equip you with a giant bag of prose tricks.”
“…take my must-dos and must-not-dos with several pinches of salt and a dash of gin.”
Sacha Black, The Anatomy of Prose, pg 2.
** I was given an ARC of this book by the author and I HAPPILY leave this review.**
Writing is a creative activity that can be both uplifting and weighty. So many writers feel the need to ‘have everything perfect’ the first time it is on paper and that pressure is substantial. Craft books exist by the hundreds, but the really valuable ones impart so many tips and reminders that they become references- all dog-eared, flagged, and stained.
It is FULL of writing tools, from cover to cover, presented in the humor-laden style unique to Sacha Black. The witty, often sarcastic jibes only serve to sear the points into the writer’s mind, and if that isn’t enough, the entire last chapter is a condensed review of the book, perfectly suited to reference on the fly! Brilliant!
One of the aspects I appreciate most about the book is that Sacha Black drives home the point about language being an array of tools that are at a writer’s disposal. Metaphors, similes, points of view, and tense may have been annoyances in English class, but now they are devices authors can wield with confidence in the name of writing their best book.
If you don’t believe me, buy the book and try it out yourself. I know your mind will change!
This book is not for the proper-at-heart, however, the author’s fondness for ‘bad words’ and colorful phrases are well documented on her podcast, TheRebel Author Podcast, which is also full of writing tips, tricks, and lively interviews. I find her style engaging, fun, often hilarious, but always real and thought-provoking. She continues to inspire writers and authors on- and off-the-page all over the globe. Rebel Authors everywhere will attest–read the books, take the steps (all of them!) and you will succeed! The Anatomy of Prose: 12 Steps to Sensational Sentences is highly recommended!
“My aim is to equip you with a giant bag of prose tricks.”
“…take my must-dos and must-not-dos with several pinches of salt and a dash of gin.”
Sacha Black, The Anatomy of Prose, pg 2.
** I was given an ARC of this book by the author and I HAPPILY leave this review.**
Writing is a creative activity that can be both uplifting and weighty. So many writers feel the need to ‘have everything perfect’ the first time it is on paper and that pressure is substantial. Craft books exist by the hundreds, but the really valuable ones impart so many tips and reminders that they become references- all dog-eared, flagged, and stained.
It is FULL of writing tools, from cover to cover, presented in the humor-laden style unique to Sacha Black. The witty, often sarcastic jibes only serve to sear the points into the writer’s mind, and if that isn’t enough, the entire last chapter is a condensed review of the book, perfectly suited to reference on the fly! Brilliant!
One of the aspects I appreciate most about the book is that Sacha Black drives home the point about language being an array of tools that are at a writer’s disposal. Metaphors, similes, points of view, and tense may have been annoyances in English class, but now they are devices authors can wield with confidence in the name of writing their best book.
If you don’t believe me, buy the book and try it out yourself. I know your mind will change!
This book is not for the proper-at-heart, however, the author’s fondness for ‘bad words’ and colorful phrases are well documented on her podcast, TheRebel Author Podcast, which is also full of writing tips, tricks, and lively interviews. I find her style engaging, fun, often hilarious, but always real and thought-provoking. She continues to inspire writers and authors on- and off-the-page all over the globe. Rebel Authors everywhere will attest–read the books, take the steps (all of them!) and you will succeed! The Anatomy of Prose: 12 Steps to Sensational Sentences is highly recommended!
I recently listened to an episode on The Rebel Author podcast with Scottish playwright and author Jules Horne, the author of this particular blog post. I find her ideas and insights into including dramatic techniques in your writing extremely helpful and thought you might too. Follow this link to read her whole article.
Audio is also a topic that captures my attention of late, and Jules has another great interview on the ALLi site discussing how to write with audio in mind. I am trying to put these elements into practice with Eleanorah Starr’s storytelling, as I find that I hear this particular story when I am writing it. She makes many great points of how writing in this manner can strengthen your prose. You can find that link here, along with a similar interview on The Rebel Author podcast:
Let me know if you liked these interviews with Jules Horne, and if you found any tips in her words you plan to use yourself in the comments below. Write on!~
I re-blogged this post from a fellow freelancer because it got the brainstorming juices flowing about my own new business situation. It is a very well done infographic by BigrockCoupon that I thought others may find useful too. Drop a comment below if you do any of these tips in your marketing scheme, or want to add them to your plan. I am definitely going to consider it!~
Did you know that a great way to promote a business is through an ebook? As regular readers of this blog know, I have been focusing on freelance writing this past couple of years. So, this is a tip that may be of particular interest to non-fiction writers and anyone else who is looking to […]
The Sun, a Book, and a Dog 