Strive for imperfection with your protagonist

Posted on 01/02/2021 at 12:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

No need to set New Year’s resolutions for your protagonists — they’re more relatable and realistic if they have flaws....

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Characters, Zara Altair

Secondary characters deserve a moment in the spotlight

Posted on 12/29/2020 at 11:00 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Your secondary characters may not be the stars of your novel, but author Kristina Adams suggests getting to know them...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Characters, Writing advice

How and when to spill your characters' secrets

Posted on 12/13/2020 at 12:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Mystery author Tessa Wegert has come up with a great analogy for how you reveal pieces of your characters’ backstory....

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Characters, Writer's Digest

This military strategy can improve your fiction writing

Posted on 12/04/2020 at 03:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Authors who crave structure and discipline might find this story-steering technique to be quite appealing. Authors Judith Lucci and Fiona...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Characters, Plot / narrative, Writing advice

Don't let your characters bore your readers

Posted on 12/04/2020 at 11:00 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Nowadays, many of us are spending more time with imaginary people than with real ones. And hopefully your readers are...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Characters

Explore different senses to enhance deep point-of-view

Posted on 12/01/2020 at 03:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

C.S. Lakin has another installment in her series on how to nail deep point-of-view in your fiction. Today it’s all...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: C.S. Lakin / Live Write Thrive, Characters

Zara Altair: Challenge your detective's morals to deepen your story

Posted on 10/29/2020 at 03:16 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Solving the crime shouldn’t be the only challenge your mystery novel’s protagonist faces. Zara Altair suggests giving your detective a...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Characters, Mystery, Zara Altair

Tips for writing compelling and realistic dialogue

Posted on 09/08/2020 at 11:18 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

We’ve all been at a loss for words (some of us more often than others). How about your characters? Do...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Characters, Writing advice, Zara Altair

Your viewpoint character should be more than a camera

Posted on 06/29/2020 at 03:44 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Bookworms whose favorite stories were made into movies often complain that the film leaves out too much from the source...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Characters, Writing advice

Zara Altair: Don't muzzle your characters

Posted on 06/05/2020 at 10:21 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

You may be hesitant to share your own opinion, as a writer, on topics that don’t directly relate to the...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Characters, Writing advice, Zara Altair