• Five Ways to Increase Conflict and Tension in Your Novel

    Tension and conflict are both key in storytelling. After all, with no conflict or problem–even a small one–is there much of a story? Where conflict is some kind of problem your characters are trying to resolve, tension is what keeps readers turning the page. If your conflict is the big battle, the tension is the…

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  • How Pain Kills Creativity for Writers

    Camera looks over a person's shoulder to show them reading a book. There is fruit and a cup of water as well.

    Hey, writers! Hannah here. This week, author and therapist Samantha Heuwagen is here to talk about how pain kills creativity. We’ve both seen more talk lately about how writers must suffer for their art. While pain and the human condition can influence the stories we write, neither of us thinks that “suffer for your art”…

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  • Thinking of Your Story’s Setting as a Character

    Your story’s setting–the geography, city/town, culture, beliefs, traditions, etc.–is important. It grounds the story in a world readers can imagine and one your characters can interact with. The setting can further your story by helping or hurting your characters on their journey. So what does it mean to make setting its own character? How do…

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