backstory wound

Deepening Characters With Backstory

In my last blog post I talked about the character having two goals: internal and external. Today I want to go a bit deeper into the internal character goal. Much of this discussion is inspired by Lisa Cron’s fantastic craft book STORY GENIUS. We humans all carry baggage from our past. If you are a… Read more »

Writing Craft Tips: Character

This week – older content on character. I hope it helps! Voice Voice is such an important aspect of character so here are a few of these posts: Voice and tone What is voice? Avoid headhopping Backstory Backstory is one of the key elements to creating a rich and compelling character: Character motivations and backstories… Read more »

4 Ways To Make Reader/Character Connections

As Lisa Cron says in her terrific craft book Story Genius, our brains are wired for connection. People need other people; readers need characters. When we read, we are looking to make a deep emotional connection with the main character of a story. Here are four ways – dos and don’ts – to ensure that… Read more »

Writers: What’s Your Core Value?

While I was earning my MFA at Vermont College of Fine Arts, Marion Dane Bauer was on the faculty, and she gave a lecture on finding the heart of your work by finding the heart of what moves you. It often comes from your past, and is an issue that you deal with or have… Read more »