Today on Tony Tips Tuesdays™, we’re going deep into one of the most powerful — and most overlooked — storytelling tools you have: Internal stakes. Because if your protagonist is only fighting what’s outside of them, you’re missing the war that truly matters. And since today marks the 3rd day of Women’s History Month, we’re going to center this conversation around the internal battles women fight — in fiction and in history — and why those invisible wars are often the most

Flashbacks are essential tools that allow us to reveal backstory, show character motivations, and deepen the emotional impact of a scene. In a well-written story, a flashback can bridge the gap between the past and the present, allowing the reader to understand why a character acts the way they do today. It can provide a lens through which the reader experiences not only the character’s current struggles but also the lingering effects of their past.