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Jan 20, 2025 | 
writersinthestormblog.com | Angela Ackerman
by Angela AckermanNo matter who your protagonist is—a formidable galactic emperor, a morally complex teenager, or the retiree down the street with too many cats—readers must find something fundamentally relatable about them, something that resonates with their own human experience. This causes them to feel bonded to the character in a way they didn’t expect, and we need that to happen to get them invested in the story. Tapping into our reader’s psyche to pull on their emotions is essential.
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Nov 17, 2024 | 
writershelpingwriters.net | Angela Ackerman
It’s time for our favorite round-up: Black Friday Deals for Writers! We love finding ways to save you money because we all need to know how to stretch a dollar in this industry. Investing in the right tools can help with success, so hopefully you can take advantage of some of these current and upcoming deals (including a sweet little discount from us).
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Sep 5, 2024 | 
writershelpingwriters.net | Angela Ackerman
Most industries are competitive. Athletes go head-to-head for the medal or trophy. Car companies vie for market share as do grocery stores, restaurants, and delivery services. Reality TV show contestants duke it out for prize money, prestige, and in some cases (ugh) roses. And our favorite retail Godzilla, Amazon? They compete with everybody. Know who isn’t your competition? Authors. Sure, on the surface, it appears a competition is taking place.
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Jul 17, 2024 | 
writersinthestormblog.com | Angela Ackerman
by Angela AckermanFun things can happen at writing conferences, especially after hours. In fact, a year ago I was winding up a conference with a drink along with a few others, and as the hour grew late, the interesting stories started to come out. You know, the ones spoken in a quiet voice: paranormal experiences, ghost stories. One writer passed on a bit of lore regarding the hotel we were in: one of the conference rooms was known to be haunted. I perked up. She was speaking my love language.
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May 15, 2024 | 
janefriedman.com | Angela Ackerman |Jane Friedman
Today’s post is by Angela Ackerman, co-author of the new second edition of The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Stress and Volatility. Readers connect with characters who are true-to-life, so as we build our story’s cast, we want to ensure they think and behave as real people do. This is especially important when it comes to inner conflict as readers are exposed to a character’s personal struggles and insecurities.
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Mar 14, 2024 | 
writershelpingwriters.net | Angela Ackerman
We’re adding to our Thesaurus family! It’s been a while since our last book as we needed to recalibrate our release schedule from fall to spring (resulting in a year gap), but now we’re back in the thesaurus-making saddle. May 13th is coming fast, so it’s time to dish some details about our next writing guide! As this is an upgraded second edition and companion to The Emotion Thesaurus, we wanted the style of the books to match.
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Feb 27, 2024 | 
writershelpingwriters.net | Angela Ackerman
What’s better than being able to say a new book is coming soon? Sharing that it has close ties to The Emotion Thesaurus, of course!Emotion is HUGE in storytelling, so we’re circling back to bring you The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Stress and Volatility. If the topic of emotion amplifiers sounds familiar, it may be. Many years ago we created an ebooklet under this name as a companion to The Emotion Thesaurus.
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Feb 8, 2024 | 
writershelpingwriters.net | Angela Ackerman
Valentine’s Day is coming, and people have big feelings about it. On one hand, it’s nice to have a set day to celebrate loved ones, but on the other, pressure to buy overpriced chocolates and flowers to ‘show’ love can cast a shadow on things. Me? I think gifts are nice to give and receive, but pressure shouldn’t be part of it. But on the subject of Valentine’s Day, I have a question for you: When you’re showing others you care on V-Day, are you giving yourself some of that love, too?
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Jan 25, 2024 | 
writershelpingwriters.net | Angela Ackerman
Have you ever been a bit hazy on the difference between conflict and tension? If so, you aren’t alone. It’s common to confuse the two because they’re often used together to deliver a one-two dramatic punch. The difference between them is subtle, but important:Conflict is a force that stands between your characters and what they want most. Tension is the feeling of anticipation surrounding what will happen next. Conflict is concrete—a roadblock, dilemma, danger, adversary, etc.
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Dec 9, 2023 | 
writershelpingwriters.net | Angela Ackerman
In the writing community, we look out for one another, and with everyone feeling the pinch this year financially, Becca, Mindy, and I wanted to showcase free gifts for writers as our annual Holiday Round-up! Note: for some of these, you need to sign up for an email list. Crafting Unforgettable Characters (free ebook)Storytelling superhero K.M. Weiland will help you get started on character-building, steering you to brainstorm the details that really matter.
