Tag: writing characters

• Taking Space or Giving the Silent Treatment? How to Tell the Difference

  

  Taking space can protect a relationship, while the silent treatment creates uncertainty and pressure. Learn how to recognize the difference in real life and use silence to create more believable characters.

  rwoodsfiction

  September 12, 2026

  Psychology, Self-Care, Self-Discovery, Writing Prompts

  character development, conflict resolution, emotional regulation, emotional safety, healthy communication, nervous system, Prompt Me Within, protective responses, relationship boundaries, relationship conflict, self-trust, silent treatment, taking space, Trust Within, writing characters

• The Fawn Response: When You or Your Character Keep the Peace to Feel Safe

  

  The fawn response can look like people-pleasing, automatic agreement, or avoiding conflict. Learn how to recognize it in yourself and write it in believable characters.

  rwoodsfiction

  August 11, 2026

  Self-Discovery, Writing

  appeasement, boundaries, character development, emotional regulation, fawn response, journaling, nervous system, people-pleasing, Prompt Me Within, protective responses, robin woods fiction, self-awareness, trauma-informed, writing characters

• The Freeze Response: Why You or Your Character Can’t “Just Do Something”

  

  The freeze response isn’t simply doing nothing. Learn how it may appear as stillness, a blank mind, or difficulty acting in yourself and believable fictional characters.

  rwoodsfiction

  August 10, 2026

  Self-Discovery, Writing

  character development, emotional regulation, freeze response, grounding, journaling, nervous system, Prompt Me Within, protective responses, self-awareness, stress response, trauma-informed, writing characters

• The Flight Response: When You and Your Character Run Without Going Anywhere

  

  The flight response doesn’t always mean running away. Learn how it can appear in fictional characters and ourselves through avoidance, busyness, overplanning, and the urge to escape.

  rwoodsfiction

  August 9, 2026

  Psychology, Self-Discovery, Writing

  anxiety, avoidance, character development, emotional regulation, flight response, journaling, nervous system, perfectionism, Prompt Me Within, protective responses, self-awareness, trauma-informed, writing characters

• The Fight Response: How to Write It in Your Characters and Recognize It in Yourself

  

  What does the fight response look like in a fictional character or in yourself? Explore common signs, dialogue, what may help, and a gentle writing exercise.

  rwoodsfiction

  August 8, 2026

  Health, Psychology, Self-Care, Writing, Writing Resources

  anger, character development, emotional regulation, fight response, journaling, nervous system, Prompt Me Within, protective responses, robin woods, self-awareness, trauma-informed, writing characters

• The Lying and Gaslighting Connection

  

  Is all lying gaslighting? Learn how authors can incorporate gaslighting behaviors into your writing to create complex, manipulative characters in fiction. Discover how this psychological tactic enhances conflict, tension, and character depth in your writing. And…learn ways to be aware of this in your personal life.

  rwoodsfiction

  May 14, 2025

  Health, Psychology, Writing, Writing Resources

  abusive relationships, amwriting, character depth, character development, complex characters, creating tension, creative writing, emotional abuse, emotional manipulation, emotional wellness, fiction writing, gaslighting, gaslighting in relationships, healing from emotional abuse, healthy relationships, how to cope with gaslighting, manipulative behavior, manipulative characters, narcissistic abuse, narrative conflict, plot development, psychological manipulation, psychological thriller, recognizing gaslighting, recognizing manipulation in love, recovering from gaslighting, relationship advice, relationship dynamics, relationship manipulation, relationship red flags, robin woods, robin woods blog, robin woods fiction, self-care in relationships, setting boundaries, storytelling techniques, toxic relationships, unreliable narrator, writing, writing characters, writing resources, writing tips, writing villains

• Writing Manipulative Characters

  

  Here is a treasure trove of information for writing manipulative characters. Let’s hurt some fictional feelings. Mu ah ha ha.

  rwoodsfiction

  October 29, 2024

  Writing Resources

  amwriting, avoid conflict, bingo card, blame shifting, brandishing anger, covert aggression, covert aggression bingo, creative writing, devalue, diversion, FREE, gaslighting, invalidating phrases, lying, manipulation, manipulation bingo, manipulative tactics, minimization, robin woods, robin woods blog, selective attention, toxic relationships, trust issues, victim mentality, victimize, wolf in sheep’s clothing, writing, writing characters, writing resources, writing tips

• Writing Characters: Histrionic Personality

  

  I’m continuing my series inspired by Cluster B Personality Disorders because messy characters make great stories. You can check out my posts on Classic Narcissists, Vulnerable Narcissist, and Borderline Personality too. Without further ado, writing characters—histrionic personality. Histrionic Personality Traits Histrionic personality disorder is characterized by constant attention-seeking, emotional overreaction, and seductive behavior. People with…

  rwoodsfiction

  September 23, 2024

  Writing, Writing Prompts, Writing Resources

  amwriting, cluster b personality, creative writing, dating someone with histrionic, FREE, histrionic, HPD, narcissism, relationship cycle, robin woods, robin woods blog, robin woods fiction, trauma, writing, writing characters, writing resources, writing tips

• Writing Characters: The Vulnerable Narcissist

  

  As I said in my post on classic narcissists, messy characters make for great stories. So, here’s the next in my character profile series—writing vulnerable narcissists. Vulnerable narcissists are hard to spot and fun to write. A lesser-known type of narcissism is vulnerable narcissism (also referred to as closet, introverted, or covert narcissism). Vulnerable narcissists…

  rwoodsfiction

  September 15, 2024

  Writing, Writing Resources

  amwriting, build a villain, character profile, character types, closet narcissist, co-dependant, covert aggressor, covert narcissist, creative writing, flawed characters, lack empathy, manipulation tactics, manipulator, narcissism, Narcissist, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, robin woods, robin woods blog, robin woods fiction, vulnerable narcissisr, wolf in sheep’s clothing, writing characters, writing resources, writing tips