The Narrative Gardener

Tag: #writershelpingwriters

  • Blog Takeover! Help, I’ve Been Hijacked by The Conflict Thesaurus!

    Heads up, Writers! The Conflict Thesaurus Is Here!

    Writers, Can You Survive Danger & Death in the Conflict Challenge?

    I don’t know about you, but I get a little excited when a new writing guide comes along. Today I get to spill the news that The Conflict Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Obstacles, Adversaries, and Inner Struggles (Vol. 1) has hit the shelves.

    This guide is about that killer ingredient our stories need: Conflict. It shows you exactly how to use conflict to raise tension, create a fresh story premise, and pull readers in. The guide also dives into over 100 conflict scenarios and how each can be endlessly adapted to challenge a character inside and out. Problems, Moral Dilemmas, Ticking Clocks, Obstacles, No-Win Scenarios…this book is plot brainstorming in overdrive!

    I’m part of Angela & Becca’s Street Team for this release, and we have an important question to ask you:

    Can You Survive Danger as Well as Your Favorite Protagonist?

    Sure, it’s easy for you to use conflict to torture your characters and make them struggle, but what if it’s you in the hot seat instead? Will you make good decisions, or bad ones?

    It’s time to find out by taking the Conflict Challenge! I dare you to become the protagonist in a special story Angela & Becca have created. And heads up, if you survive, you win some pretty cool stuff!

    GIVEAWAY ALERT!

    While you’re at Writers Helping Writers taking the Conflict Challenge, make sure to enter The Conflict Thesaurus celebratory giveaway, too. But hurry – it’s only on for a few days.

    So, take the challenge…if you dare. And don’t forget to come back and let me know how you did against Camp Deadwood!

    If you’d like to find out more about how The Conflict Thesaurus can help your character construction and story, these spectacular writers have put together some posts about conflict and its importance. Check them out with these links:

    You can find links to purchase The Conflict Thesaurus and any of the other Writers Helping Writers thesauruses here: https://writershelpingwriters.net/bookstore/ . Get yours TODAY! Your characters will thank you!

    See you soon!

  • Reblog — 11 Techniques for Transforming Clichéd Phrasings — WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

    One of the editing tips I recently posted on my social media channels for Red Leaf Words Services had to do with rephrasing clichés in your own unique way when you want to use the basic idea. This post from the informative ladies at Writers Helping Writers shows you how to do just that. Your readers will thank you!~

    One of the things that pumps me up the most when I’m reading a book is when the author phrases things in a way I’ve never seen before. It could be a familiar concept or image—red hair, an urban street, fear—but when it’s written differently, I’m able to visualize that thing in a new way,…

    11 Techniques for Transforming Clichéd Phrasings — WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

  • Reblog— Identifying Your Character’s Primary Attribute — WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

    Here’s another stellar post from the gals at WHW. If you haven’t checked out their author tools, do it now! (Well, after you read this post 😉).

    When I think about some of my favorite protagonists, I can usually identify a trait that defines each one: Sam Gamgee: LoyaltyAnne Shirley: ImpulsivityJames T. Kirk: Boldness However, if each character was made up of only that one trait, they probably wouldn’t make many “favorites” lists because they’d be paper-thin—caricatures, rather than characters with depth…

    Identifying Your Character’s Primary Attribute — WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

  • Reblog: How To Research Mental Health and Trauma For Your Characters — WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

    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…

    How To Research Mental Health and Trauma For Your Characters — WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®
  • A Resource to Help You Choose the Right Job for Your Character + Giveaway!

    A Resource to Help You Choose the Right Job for Your Character + Giveaway!

    ** 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.

    Happy writing to all!

  • Recommended: 12 Steps To Sensational Prose: The Anatomy of Prose by Sacha Black

    “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.


    The Anatomy of Prose: 12 Steps to Sensational Sentences is EXACTLY this sort of book.

    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!

    I always learn multitudes of new things from Sacha’s books. Her previous two, 13 Steps to Evil: How to Craft Superbad Villains and 10 Steps To Hero: How To Craft A Kickass Protagonist, break down the creation of the two pivotal characters in a novel into tangible steps that work insanely well. The Anatomy of Prose: 12 Steps to Sensational Sentences is no different. Authors will find it well worth having at their elbow as they create. It’s bound to become indispensible!

    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, The Rebel 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!

  • Recommended: 12 Steps To Sensational Prose: The Anatomy of Prose by Sacha Black

    “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.


    The Anatomy of Prose: 12 Steps to Sensational Sentences is EXACTLY this sort of book.

    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!

    I always learn multitudes of new things from Sacha’s books. Her previous two, 13 Steps to Evil: How to Craft Superbad Villains and 10 Steps To Hero: How To Craft A Kickass Protagonist, break down the creation of the two pivotal characters in a novel into tangible steps that work insanely well. The Anatomy of Prose: 12 Steps to Sensational Sentences is no different. Authors will find it well worth having at their elbow as they create. It’s bound to become indispensible!

    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, The Rebel 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!

  • For Your Interest (and Information)…

    image source: AutoCrit.com newsletter, 1.17.20

    The Write Life has released a comprehensive list of 100 websites for writers — covering many topics in a writer’s daily life.

    I discovered this list this morning in a newsletter and took a few minutes to explore it. It could easily have turned into hours, of course, but I was a good business person and extracted myself from the quicksand of website-hopping before I sank too deep. Just in that brief foray, however, I saw several sites/podcasts that I already subscribe to or visit regularly, and many more that I want to visit. If you are looking for information on writerly topics, this list would be an excellent place to start your search. Happy writing! ~

  • Attention All Writers!

    Take a moment and visit Writers Helping Writers to enter to win some valuable and inspiring prizes!! Good Luck!!