Category: Writing Tips

Mommie Dearest: The Mother Wound & Fiction

Toxic mother figures can inflict wounds their children carry for a lifetime. If we study the backgrounds of some of the most infamous killers in history, we see a disturbing pattern emerge when it comes to the role of mothers, especially in the early developmental years.

The Deepest Wounds: Lies, Deception & Betrayal

Lies (the diabolical kind) do real damage that will never be completely undone. We can heal, but are never the same.

A broken arm can mend and work just fine, but an X-ray will always show evidence of the break. We carry that fracture literally to our graves.

Fiction Filler: Bloated Writing Makes Readers Sick

Fiction filler is like fillers in food. It makes a little bit of good stuff go a lot farther, but at what cost? How much of this pink slime prose can we really get away with before readers feel ill?

Memory: Shape Characters & Sharpen Conflict

Memory is what makes paper-doll characters come to life. Too many new writers stop at surface description.

Arc: How Characters Grow and Change Organically

arc, character arc, conflict, redemption, writing fiction, Kristen Lamb

Some people, when crisis hits, don’t, can’t or won’t change. Often these people die. At the least, they can put everyone around them in danger.