Writers in the Storm

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Category: Angela Ackerman

How To Create a Fascinating Cast of Characters

by Angela Ackerman

Let me ask a question: how much time do you spend crafting a character for your novel, say a protagonist? Ten hours? Twenty? Fifty or more?

Writing

Whatever you answered, I bet we all agree that characters require a lot of work.… Read the post

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Want Authorly Superpowers? Build a Street Team!

Angela Ackerman

Can we all agree that launching a book can be…a bit terrifying?

I’ve released six with co-author Becca Puglisi and we’re about to launch book seven. Those figurative butterflies? Yeah, they never go away. But guess what--this is actually a good thing!… Read the post

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What’s Stronger Than Your Character’s Fear? Their Unmet Need

Angela Ackerman

Life can be painful, especially for our characters. In fact, the fallout of an emotionally wounding event such as a car accident, failing to save someone’s life, infertility, or being sent away as a child can derail their life for years (or even decades!)… Read the post

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Want to Push Your Protagonist Over the Edge? Add an Emotion Amplifier

Angela Ackerman

Put your character up a tree and then throw rocks at him.

This iconic advice is something every writer hears at some point and keeping it at the forefront of our minds when writing is one of the wisest things we can do.… Read the post

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Does Your Villain Have Well-Developed Motivations?

Angela Ackerman

Writers are encouraged to dig into their hero or heroine’s past to understand what factors (including wounding events) are steering their behavior and motivation in the story. By doing this we can ensure our protagonist’s goal aligns with the unmet need driving them, tailor challenges that will force them to face specific fears, and raise their awareness of destructive emotional shielding (flaws, biases, dysfunctional behaviors) that is holding them back.… Read the post

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