Angela Ackerman
@angelackerman.bsky.social
Story Coach, International Speaker, Author & co-founder of Writers Helping Writers and One Stop for Writers. She/Her. Find me at: https://writershelpingwriters.net/ and https://onestopforwriters.com
Antihero vs. Antagonist vs. Villain: What’s the Difference? By Lucy V. Hay at Writers Helping Writers® writershelpingwriters.net/2026/09/anti... #writing
Antihero vs. Antagonist vs. Villain: What’s The Difference?
Antiheroes, Antagonists & Villains, are morally gray characters who make trouble in your story. But what's the difference? Which do you need?
writershelpingwriters.net
Is backstory the Big Bad Villain of your story...or a vital component of storytelling? The latter, of course! It's all about what you share and how. How to Deliver Important Backstory Using the Setting by Writers Helping Writers® writershelpingwriters.net/2026/09/deli... #writing #writingcommunity
How to Deliver Important Backstory Using the Setting
With backstory, the trick is to only show what is necessary to supply context. Tie it to the current scene, and to the emotions at play.
writershelpingwriters.net
Writing Fantasy: What Not To Do by Editor Jill Boehme at Writers Helping Writers® writershelpingwriters.net/2026/07/writ... #writing #writingfantasy
Writing Fantasy: What Not To Do
It’s important to avoid throwing your readers out of the story. These five DO-NOTs for fantasy writers will help you achieve that.
writershelpingwriters.net
There are many ways to show a character's fear & while description should be tailored to your character, the signs are common so readers will recognize them. How to Show a Character’s Fear in Real Time | Writers Helping Writers® writershelpingwriters.net/2026/08/show... #writing #writingcommunity
How to Show a Character's Fear in Real Time
Fear is more than an emotion—it's one of the biggest influencers of behavior. Here are tips to write realistic in-the-moment fear reactions.
writershelpingwriters.net
Loved this post by Jenny Hansen. I think it resonates with a lot of writers who get too many ideas at once, or the many storytelling choices we’re trying to ‘get right’ causes our brains to shut down. Great advice! writershelpingwriters.net/2026/08/your... #writing #writingcommunity #adhd
Your Creative Brain Has Two Jobs - Stop Making It Do Both at Once
If you have a very busy brain, like me, you might be sub-par at distinguishing between a great idea and I must do this great idea RIGHT NOW.
writershelpingwriters.net
Picture book writers! Leave a comment on today’s post for a chance to win a PB manuscript critique! (24-hour contest, so hurry, and good luck!) writershelpingwriters.net/2026/08/4-ti... #picturebooks #writingcommunity
4 Tips for Successfully Writing Picture Books
Want to succeed at writing picture books? Discover 4 practical tips to streamline your manuscript and create stories young readers will love.
writershelpingwriters.net
Last Chance to Grab the Free Phobias & Triggers Mini Guide by Writers Helping Writers® writershelpingwriters.net/2026/07/last...
Last Chance to Grab the Phobias & Triggers Mini Guide
Writing a character with a phobia? Be sure to grab this limited-time phobias mini guide, free when you purchase The Fear Thesaurus.
writershelpingwriters.net
How to Fix Big Story Problems by Writers Helping Writers® writershelpingwriters.net/2024/06/how-... #writing #editing
How to Fix Big Story Problems
Does your story have a few problems and you don't know how to fix them? You'll want to read this post - emotion amplifiers may be the answer!
writershelpingwriters.net
Storytelling Secrets: How to Write Authentic Fear writersinthestormblog.com/2026/07/stor... #amwriting #writing
Storytelling Secrets: How to Write Authentic Fear
Fear exists to alert us to potential harm. But how do we get our characters to express it realistically? Angela helps us to figure that out.
writersinthestormblog.com
Will Your Story Keep Readers Hooked? by Writers Helping Writers® writershelpingwriters.net/2026/07/will...
Will Your Story Keep Readers Hooked?
We'll look at five places where the reader can start to disengage, even when the writing itself seems fine.
writershelpingwriters.net
Describing a character's fear (especially when they try to hide it!) is a challenge. If you'd like some ideas on show, don't tell, give this a bookmark: 8+ Ways to Signal Your Character’s Fear to Readers by Writers Helping Writers writershelpingwriters.net/2026/05/8-wa... #writing #writingcommunity
8+ Ways to Signal Your Character’s Fear to Readers
Here are 8 ways to show, not tell, a character's fear. These fear signals are recognizable to readers because they've experienced them, too.
writershelpingwriters.net
I love the term "Accidental Career" because often this is what happens in life - where we start on a journey isn't where we end up. But boy am I ever glad that my path led me to a place where I could help others. <3 #writingcommuntiy #writing foxprinteditorial.com/2026/05/21/t...
The Successful Accidental Career of Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi
Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi may have dreamed of selling more than a million books (1.5 million so far, if we’re counting)—but the authors of the wildly successful Emotion Thesaurus and subsequen...
foxprinteditorial.com
A great opportunity to improve your story's opening! This is a one-day contest, so be sure to enter asap for a crack at professional feedback! Win Feedback on 5 pages! by Writers Helping Writers® writershelpingwriters.net/2026/05/win-...
Win Feedback on 5 pages!
Enter for a chance to win feedback on the first 5 pages of your novel by editor Michelle Barker. Good luck. :)
writershelpingwriters.net
If you've been waiting for this one to pop up at your favorite store, it's now out in the wild. Hope it is a huge help. :) The Fear Thesaurus Is Now Available Everywhere Books Are Sold by Writers Helping Writers® writershelpingwriters.net/2026/05/fear... #writingcommunity
The Fear Thesaurus Is Now Available Everywhere Books Are Sold
Show a character's fear via behavior, choices, and avoidance using The Fear Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to What Holds Characters Back
writershelpingwriters.net
How Fear Shrinks Your Character’s World Over Time by Writers Helping Writers® writershelpingwriters.net/2026/03/how-...
How Fear Shrinks Your Character’s World Over Time
Learn how to show how fear affects your characters, holding them back and making them too afraid to step beyond their comfort zone.
writershelpingwriters.net
Showing a character's hidden feelings can be tricky, but there are actually lots of ways to show them--especially big emotions like fear. 5 Techniques for Showing a Character’s Suppressed Emotion www.livewritethrive.com/2026/05/06/5... #writing #amwriting
5 Techniques for Showing a Character’s Suppressed Emotion
Explore how characters express emotions to connect with readers. Uncover the importance of authentic feeling in storytelling.
livewritethrive.com
In our thesaurus guides, Becca & I show how psychology helps us write human, authentic characters. I apply what I learn to myself, like how to reframe common writers' fears so they don't hold me back. I created a Fear Handout to help us all: r.mailer.onestopforwriters.com/3h2ecgsahz9p... #writing
Fears vs. Phobias: What Writers Need to Know by Writers Helping Writers® writershelpingwriters.net/2026/04/fear... #writing #amwriting
Fears vs. Phobias: What Writers Need to Know
Learn how are phobias different from other fears and how to write about characters with them + a free phobia mini guide!
writershelpingwriters.net
No matter the genre, readers have expectations, so we include certain elements & themes. Fear will have a unique role in each story, so how you write about it is key to a story's success. How a Story’s Genre Influences the Role of Fear blog.janicehardy.com/2026/04/how-... #writing #amwriting
How a Story’s Genre Influences the Role of Fear
Fiction University is a site dedicated to helping writers and authors improve their writing craft and their publishing careers.
blog.janicehardy.com
When fear hits, your character’s go-to response will be Fight, Flight, Freeze, or Fawn. Kickstart the brainstorming process with these body cue examples! Download the Fear Survival Response Sheet here: writershelpingwriters.net/writing-tools/ (Adapted from The Fear Thesaurus) #writingcommunity
A new writing guide to help you show fear: The Fear Thesaurus (Early Exclusive Release at Writers Helping Writers®) writershelpingwriters.net/2026/04/the-... #writing #amwriting #writingcommunity
The Fear Thesaurus Is Here! (Early Release at Writers Helping Writers)
Uncover the fears holding your character back and how to show it through their behavior and choices using The Fear Thesaurus writing guide.
writershelpingwriters.net
Happy Book Birthday, Fear Thesaurus! The Fear Thesaurus Is Here! (Early Release at Writers Helping Writers) by Writers Helping Writers® writershelpingwriters.net/2026/04/the-... #writing #writingcommunity
The Fear Thesaurus Is Here! (Early Release at Writers Helping Writers)
Uncover the fears holding your character back and how to show it through their behavior and choices using The Fear Thesaurus writing guide.
writershelpingwriters.net
Need help with your story or characters? Free Writing Tools & Worksheets | Writers Helping Writers® writershelpingwriters.net/writing-tools/ #writingcommunity
Free Writing Tools for Fiction Writers
Download 25+ free fiction-writing worksheets and checklists from Writers Helping Writers. Build stronger plots, characters, and settings.
writershelpingwriters.net
Fear can create a pattern of avoidance in a character's life, holding them back. To see how this happens, and what it looks like so you can write it into your story, have a read. How Fear Shrinks Your Character’s World Over Time by Writers Helping Writers® writershelpingwriters.net/2026/03/how-...
How Fear Shrinks Your Character’s World Over Time
Learn how to show how fear affects your characters, holding them back and making them too afraid to step beyond their comfort zone.
writershelpingwriters.net
Just a heads up I'll be drawing names soon for ARCS of the Fear Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to What Holds Characters Back. If you are into reviewing writing guides, here's how you get your name on the ol' list-o: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... #writingcommunity
The Fear Thesaurus Arc Request
We're looking for kind individuals who love to review writing guides! If you'd like to be among the first to see The Fear Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to What Holds Characters Back, please fill out the...
docs.google.com
Why Writers Fear and Resist Change (and Characters Do, Too) by Writers Helping Writers® writershelpingwriters.net/2026/02/why-...
Why Writers Fear and Resist Change (and Characters Do, Too)
Write authentic characters by writing realistic acts of resistance when they come face to face with their fear of change.
writershelpingwriters.net
Why Writers Fear and Resist Change (and Characters Do, Too) by Writers Helping Writers® writershelpingwriters.net/2026/02/why-...
Why Writers Fear and Resist Change (and Characters Do, Too)
Write authentic characters by writing realistic acts of resistance when they come face to face with their fear of change.
writershelpingwriters.net
Book news! The Fear Thesaurus Is Coming: A New Writing Guide for What Holds Characters Back writershelpingwriters.net/2026/01/the-...
The Fear Thesaurus Is Coming: A New Writing Guide for What Holds Characters Back
Fear is more than an emotion; it is an underlying force that runs through every story element, including character development, plot, arc, conflict, and theme. It’s what draws readers in, holds their ...
writershelpingwriters.net
We're getting down to the final hours to enter, writers! Hurry over as there are amazing feedback prizes from skilled editors and writing coaches: 48-Hour Mega-Contest on Now (21 Writing Prizes to Be Won!) writershelpingwriters.net/2026/01/mega...
48-Hour Mega-Contest on Now (21 Writing Prizes to Be Won!)
Enter for the chance to win feedback from amazing guest editors that can help take your story from good to great.
writershelpingwriters.net
Every time I visit Canmore, I take this same picture. No matter the season or weather, it’s always beautiful!
