I wanted this book for so long, by the tine I got it, there’s a second edition! The bonus is, the new edition has even more content!
It’s part of the Writer’s Helping Writers series. The series includes a number of thesaurus covering different aspects such as character traits or settings. The aim of the books are to help writers find the words they need to make the impact they want.
Author Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi
The series is co-written by Angela & Becca.
Writers Helping Writers
The pair run a website together (https://writershelpingwriters.net) to share information to help writers.
One Stop For Writers
They also have developed an impressive web-app (https://onestopforwriters.com) that’s described as a library of resources and tools to support writers.
What is the book about?
The one I got is on character expressions. It’s a thesaurus about different emotional responses and covers internal and external reactions.
How it works?
You look up the emotion your character is feeling, like lust, confusion, envy, fear, betrayal, etc.
There’s a little description so you can check you understand what the emotion is and make sure you picked the right one.
It then has a list of ways a character might behave if experiencing this emotion.
There are also some suggestions for internal sensations, which is useful for 1st person POV.
There are even some suggestions on how the emotion can escalate or deescalate.
How I used it?
Editing (Ocean Heart)
I used this book alongside the developmental feedback from my editor. She highlighted some points in my story where I needed to amp up the emotions and some places where I had skipped along without any reaction at all.
I looked up the emotion in the book and read the suggestions. I reflected on which reaction was most true to my character, then worked it in.
Future use…
This book will get used time and time again. I’m planning to next use it alongside writing Sky Heart. Hopefully it’ll reduce any feedback from my editor about under played or missed emotions.
Final thoughts…
If you like this, you may enjoy:
Why you need a developmental editor!
It’s a great book, and is on my list of recommended titles for writers! If you’re looking for more titles, they’re listed here on my site: https://andrewmcdowellauthor.com/resources/
Thanks Andrew. ?
You’re welcome.
It’s a great book, and is on my list of recommended titles for writers! If you’re looking for more titles, they’re listed here on my site: https://andrewmcdowellauthor.com/resources/
Thanks Andrew. ?
You’re welcome.