This is far more than a brilliant, thorough, insightful and unique thesaurus; this is the best primer on story — and what REALLY hooks and holds readers — that I have ever read.
The Fear Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to What Holds Characters Back
Create Brilliant Fiction with the Gold Standard of Writing Guides
The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Stress and Volatility
The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression
The Conflict Thesaurus, Vol. 2: A Writer’s Guide to Obstacles, Adversaries, and Inner Struggles
The Conflict Thesaurus, Vol. 1: A Writer’s Guide to Obstacles, Adversaries, and Inner Struggles
The Occupation Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Jobs, Vocations, and Careers
The Emotional Wound Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Psychological Trauma
The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces
The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Places
The Positive Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Attributes
The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Flaws
The Character Trait Boxed Set
What writers say about this series:
This book is an invaluable resource providing situations that led to the character’s emotional wound, false beliefs, fears, and responses that impact personality, as well as triggers and opportunities that can lead into plot ideas.
To weave stories that connect directly to a reader’s heart, an author knows they have to go deeper than they’ve ever gone before. The Emotional Wound Thesaurus takes them there.
In these brilliantly conceived, superbly organized, and astonishingly thorough volumes, Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi have created an invaluable resource for writers and storytellers.
One of the challenges a fiction writer faces, especially when prolific, is coming up with fresh ways to describe emotions. This handy compendium fills that need.
Download a free sample of this series
The Ultimate Show, Don’t Tell Pro Pack
Has a critique partner, story coach, editor, or agent suggested one of our thesaurus writing guides and you’re wondering what the fuss is all about?
This thesaurus sampler contains a descriptive entry from each of our books, plus tips, advice, and links to help you unlock the power of show-don’t-tell.
Be the first to know!
Add your email, and we’ll keep you up to date on the next book.
398 Comments.
[…] Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi—This reference book and its sequels break down physical cues, internal sensations, and thoughts associated with various emotions, making […]
[…] Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, (now an expanded second edition) and its many sequels. Her books are available in eight languages, […]
[…] Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of six bestselling resources including The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression. A proud indie author, […]
Do you intend to publish a combo of your Emotion Thesaurus and Emotional Amplifier Thesaurus? That’s what I was sure to have picked up from a response of yours to a comment but can’t retrieve the article. Thanks for your clarification!
A combination book of these two would be a very large print volume, and because of that, I think the cost of it would not be in most people’s budgets (the 7 x 10 size of book unfortunately caused our printing costs to go up 35%). So for now we’re not looking into this, but down the road, perhaps new printing methods might make this more feasible. Thanks for asking!
[…] Ackerman is a story coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, and its many sequels. Available in nine languages, her guides are sourced by US universities, […]
[…] is part of a wider series called Writers Helping Writers, so the authors have written more than one thesaurus! I also love The Emotional Wound Thesaurus but […]
[…] Ackerman and Becca Puglisi, creators of the incredible set of resources The Writer’s Thesaurus series (I strongly recommend buying them ALL) are releasing a new Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus in […]
[…] Descriptive Thesaurus Collection […]
Hi, I love your books, and I am wondering if you are planning to release a “character motivations” book. This would help me immensely. Thank you
Hi, Quioute. I’m so glad you’re excited about the character motivations thesaurus. When it comes to turning this into a book, the honest answer is: we don’t know! We’re in the middle of preparing a new book for release, and we only have the bandwidth to explore one book publication at a time. When we’re done with this one, we’ll start discussing the next one. But motivations is on our list of possibilities, so there’s a chance it will be turned into a book at some point. If you’d like to stay up-to-date on our book release plans, you can sign up for our New Release Newsletter, which only goes out when a book is about to be released. That way, you’ll always know when a new book is available and what the topic is.
Any plans on releasing a paperback box-set of these? These books are an invaluable resource and I’d love to have them on my bookshelf as reference.
Thanks for asking – a print boxed set is something we’ve not yet been able to do because of the cost. We’re always keeping an eye out for new providers and ways to make this possible though, so know if we find we can, we will! 🙂
[…] covering settings, emotions and obstacles. I highly recommend them. You can check out their site here and find links to purchase their books. (Not an affiliate ad! I just really find their books […]
[…] most invaluable set of books I’ve used during the drafting process is the Writers Helping Writers Thesaurus Collection. At any stage of the writing process, these books are close by. Looking for a way to describe […]
[…] Ackerman is a story coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, and its many sequels. Available in nine languages, her guides are sourced by US universities, […]
[…] The books are available at all major online retailers. Or you can purchase directly at the Writers Helping Writers Bookstore. […]
[…] this front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the […]
[…] Ackerman is a story coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, and its many sequels. Available in nine languages, her guides are sourced by US universities, […]
[…] Grab the books! Writers Helping Writers bookstore […]
[…] Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, and its many sequels. Available in nine languages, her guides are sourced by US universities, […]
[…] Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, and its many sequels. Available in ten languages, her guides are sourced by US universities, […]
[…] Writers helping writers has an incredible series of books that do just that. They give you the tools–actual psychological building blocks–for creating characters that live and breathe for you reader. The trick, it turns out, is to carefully tease out all of their motives and challenges. To make this picture in my mind complete, I interviewed them each with a list of questions and typed out the answers in first person. […]
[…] Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, and its many sequels. Available in nine languages, her guides are sourced by US universities, […]
[…] Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, and its many sequels. Available in ten languages, her guides are sourced by universities, […]
[…] Pick up a copy of this book on September 6th. […]
Will there be a way to pre-order the Conflict Thesaurus, Volume 2? I’m so excited for it to come out that I check back on this page constantly. I bought the first volume and the preview of the entries for the second made me so eager for Volume 2. Really looking forward to getting my hands on a copy! Thanks for all that you do!
Hi, Jess. I’m so glad you’re pumped about this release! We did a pre-order for one of our books at one point, and one of our major distributors screwed things up. It was kind of a disaster, so we’ve sworn off preorders for now :). The book is set to publish on September 6th, but it usually goes up at various online bookstores a tad early, so the best way to get a copy as soon as possible is to just check the CT Volume 2 section of our Bookstore page in the days leading up to the 6th. When the Purchase Volume 1 button changes to Print and Ebook Options, it means the book is becoming available and you can start buying :).
Thank you!!!
Ordered!!
How about a Thesaurus on motives … the variety of reasons why a character may pursue a goal?
Hi Jeff,
have you checked out our CHARACTER MOTIVATION database at One Stop for Writers? It might help you: https://onestopforwriters.com/thesaurus
Happy writing!
Angela
[…] Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, and its many sequels. Available in ten languages, her guides are sourced by US universities, […]
Mmm. I got the PDF version of the Conflict Thesaurus and while it seems gorgeous, there’s a problem: It lacks digital content (like in the side pane of the PDF-viewer). I think you might have generated the PDF without that and I’d be very happy if it was possible to get a copy of the PDF with the table of content.
(I’m not at all sure how to go about this other than in this forum… it isn’t all that obvious how to communicate via gumroad or otherwise. I’ll keep an eye out for a reply…)
Cheers!
Oh well “digital content” should be “digital table of content”… it does have content, just not the sidebar table of content. /E
Update: I was contacted via email!
In a world where it seems most companies seem to have set the Customer Avoidance Factor to 100%, you’re a breath of fresh air!
Keep up the good work! Thanks!
/E
We’re happy to help! 🙂
[…] author of The Emotion Thesaurus and other resources for writers. Her latest book (The Conflict Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Obstacles, Adversaries, and Inner Struggles) released in 2022 with a second volume coming out this fall. She is passionate about […]
I will gift it ?
I love your website! I Googled “thesaurus for Writers” and it brought me here. So I just purchased every one of your thesauri on Amazon. Then I read further and learned that I could have access to all of them through your One Stop for Writers membership. Is there still any benefit for me to sign up? I’m not writing fiction, but a memoir. All of your thesauri are very helpful for my memoir, by the way. You should not be limiting this to fiction writers.
Also, is there a WHW Group where you can chat with other members to share ideas or ask questions about your writing?
Thank you.
Hi Kathleen! I’m so glad you found us, and thank you for test-driving our books! I hope they help you a ton. 🙂
We do indeed have a subscription site, and the thesaurus component from the books you have are part of that site, but it’s much more than that. We have a free trial so I encourage you to activate it to look into the site, but the quick version is the THESAURUS database is much larger than our books, and there are many topics there that are not in book form. We also have a suite of tools that help with every aspect of storytelling – character building & arc, plot and structure, world building, etc. The site also has a Storyteller’s Roadmap that takes a subscriber through every step and stage from the first idea to a publish-ready book, so it’s like having a story coach help you as you go, offering advice, tools and resources to help you, and links to all sorts of articles and such to make the job easier. 🙂
In fact, everything at One Stop is built to help a writer grow their skills as they use the site! 🙂 You can start your trial by signing up if you like: https://onestopforwriters.com
And here’s a tip – if you are writing memoir, run yourself through the Character Builder as it may help you remember yourself at the age you cover in your memoir, and explore the past events you wish to cover. 🙂
We have a Facebook page for WHW and OSFW, but no groups just yet – sorry. Becca and I are just spread too thin right now and have to focus on our sites and creating new resources. 😉
[…] Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, and its many sequels. Available in nine languages, her guides are sourced by US universities, […]
[…] this point you could just go out and buy the book The Emotional Wounds Thesaurus or consult one of the websites associated withits authors, Angela Ackerman and BeccaPuglisi, whom many of my sources […]
[…] Becca Puglisi are writing coaches, international speakers, and co-authors of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression and its many sequels. Available in eight languages, their guides are sourced by US universities, […]
I haven’t been able to find a print version of the Conflict Thesaurus anywhere, and there are no links for IndieBound or Bookshop.org. I really, really don’t want to purchase from Amazon. Is it not going to be available with a distributor like Ingram, or is there a delay?
Thanks!
Hi Azurite,
The book will be available through all the normal sites (including Indiebound, Bookshop, Book Depository, etc. but unfortunately it always takes them a bit longer to get the book in their system. As soon as we see it up, we will update it on our bookstore page. Sp sorry for the delay.
[…] Here’s a more detailed look at this book.Find the full list of conflict scenarios (& sample entries) here.Here’s what people are saying about The Conflict Thesaurus.And here’s where you can buy it, print and digital. […]
[…] The Conflict Thesaurus […]
[…] ago, when The Emotion Thesaurus came out, I scoffed. A tool like that would make everyone’s books sound the same, […]
[…] you don’t want to purchase all of these thesaurus resources (as handy as they are) consider a yearly subscription to One Stop for Writers which is AMAZING! I […]
[…] with the coaching program, it’s founded by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi, co-authors of The Descriptive Thesaurus guides. Many well-known coaches have offered writing tips over the years and are now a Resident Coach. James […]
[…] change your writing forever. I’ll never be able to look at emotion in the same way.” The Emotion Thesauri Series by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. Angela and Becca have a number of books in their series now, […]
[…] using body language to tell the story. Love the thesaurus that I’d bought two more books from the collection. The Occupation Thesaurus and The Emotional Wound Thesaurus. Now I have five more to go before I […]
[…] Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus and its many sequels. Her books are available in eight languages, are sourced by US universities, […]
[…] Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus and its many sequels. Her books are available in eight languages, are sourced by US universities, […]
[…] articles for writes (published and unpublished) at all stages of their careers. From their blog to bookstore, the topics and tools are timely and to the […]
[…] They also have other thesauruses. I strongly recommend getting them all. […]
[…] Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus and its many sequels. Her books are available in eight languages, are sourced by US universities, […]
[…] Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus and its many sequels. Her books are available in eight languages, are sourced by US universities, […]
[…] Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus and its many sequels. Her books are available in eight languages, are sourced by US universities, […]
[…] Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus and its many sequels. Her books are available in eight languages, are sourced by US universities, […]
[…] Angela and I were writing our latest thesaurus on occupations, we were researching the nursing career and stumbled over a term we’d never heard before: […]
[…] Angela and I were writing our latest thesaurus on occupations, we were researching the nursing career and stumbled over a term we’d never heard before: […]
[…] Angela and I were writing our latest thesaurus on occupations, we were researching the nursing career and stumbled over a term we’d never heard before: […]
[…] Angela and I were writing our latest thesaurus on occupations, we were researching the nursing career and stumbled over a term we’d never heard before: […]
[…] Angela and I were writing our latest thesaurus on occupations, we were researching the nursing career and stumbled over a term we’d never heard before: […]
[…] The Occupation Thesaurus […]
[…] Becca Puglisi are writing coaches, international speakers, and co-authors of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression (now an expanded second edition) and its many sequels. Their books are available in eight […]
[…] Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus and its many sequels. Her books are available in eight languages, are sourced by US universities, […]
[…] Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus and its many sequels. Her books are available in eight languages, are sourced by US universities, […]
[…] Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus and its many sequels. Her books are available in eight languages, are sourced by US universities, […]
[…] Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus and its many sequels. Her books are available in eight languages, are sourced by US universities, […]
[…] Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus and its many sequels. Her books are available in eight languages, are sourced by US universities, […]
[…] Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus and its many sequels. Her books are available in eight languages, are sourced by US universities, […]
[…] Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus and its many sequels. Her books are available in eight languages, are sourced by US universities, […]
[…] Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus and its many sequels. Her books are available in eight languages, are sourced by US universities, […]
[…] Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus and its many sequels. Her books are available in eight languages, are sourced by US universities, […]
[…] Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus and its many sequels. Her books are available in eight languages, are sourced by US universities, […]
I downloaded the seconded edition of The Emotion Thesaurus PDF and it doesn’t have any bookmarks like all the others making it difficult to use. Is there any way to fix this?
Hi, Kaylin. Thanks so much for getting a copy of the 2nd edition of The Emotion Thesaurus. I’ve checked that file, and the bookmarks are in place. I’m able to click all of the external links to other books, as well as internal links in the TOC and in linked fields within entries. I should note that the links in the TOC aren’t blue like the other links, but they’re still clickable. Would you mind checking to see if you’re able to click any of the entries in the TOC? Also, scroll through to any entry and try to click the entries located in the May Escalate To field. If you’re unable to click any of those, please email me at ja************@***il.com and let me know exactly what you’re seeing. I may be able to do some troubleshooting that way.
[…] As a writer of books for kids and teens, most of my characters don’t have careers. But I’ve found other thesauruses in Angela and Becca’s collection helpful, so I wanted to check out this new one. For a full list of their thesauruses, such as The Emotion Thesaurus, The Positive Trait Thesaurus, The Negative Trait Thesaurus, and The Urban Setting Thesaurus, look here. […]
[…] am a HUGE fan of the ‘thesauruses’ written by Becca Puglisi and Angela Ackerman. I own all of them and keep them on my […]
[…] am a HUGE fan of the ‘thesauruses’ written by Becca Puglisi and Angela Ackerman. I own all of them and keep them on my […]
I love these books and would like to use them with my students, any project to translate them into Spanish?
Regards.
No, Nicolás. I’m so glad you’re enjoying the books. Our books have been translated into a number of languages and we’ve got an agent shopping them in other markets, but we haven’t had any luck with Spanish publishers. We are looking, though, so hopefully in the future :).
Hello Mrs. Puglisi,
do you intend to translate them in German?
Regards
Anthea
Hi Anthea,
Angela here, answering for Becca. We would love to translate in German, and have a foreign rights agent pitching out books to publishers there. Thanks for asking!
Hi! I just bought all of your books on Kindle. Out of all the books I’ve read, I would say that The Emotion, Positive Trait and Negative Trait Thesaurus are my favorites! It helps me try to think of how to create likeable, flawed and relatable characters.
I think The Emotion Thesaurus Second Edition can be helpful in reading body languages, due to how comprehensive your thesaurus was, especially when you describe internal sensations, and signs that the emotions are being suppressed. Those could give away nonverbal cues that reveal their true emotion.
Thank you for picking up copies of our books. Those trait books are close to our hearts because we poured into them so much of we had learned about characterization and character building. And The Emotion Thesaurus is our firstborn, of course, so it’s special ;). I’m very happy you’re finding the books useful.
[…] You can find all the books J.T. mentioned at the Writers Helping Writers bookstore. […]
[…] You can find all the books J.T. mentioned at the Writers Helping Writers bookstore. […]
Hello, I’m interested in buying several of your books, but I’d like to have the Conflict Thesaurus.
Hi Cyndi,
We’re so glad you’ve found your way to our resources. Unfortunately, the Conflict Thesaurus isn’t yet a book, it’s only here at this blog, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the one we convert next as it’s generating a lot of interest.
Becca and I create a lot of thesauruses on show, don’t tell but not all of them become books. The next book, due out this year is the Occupation Thesaurus. If you\d like to see what other thesauruses we’ve created in the meantime, we have them all as part of one big database here: https://onestopforwriters.com/
All the best,
Angela
[…] Find her books here: https://writershelpingwriters.net/bookstore/ […]
Hello girls,
I really love all this job, is there a bundle price if I want to buy them all?
Regards.
Hi Nicolas! We actually do not have a bundle price because for the entire set as we chose instead to make individual prices very affordable rather than price them the same as print (as we see so many publishing houses do). This way everyone across the board benefits!
With print, bundling them would be very costly due to the weight and shipping as these are large books. Thanks for asking though, and happy writing! 🙂
Greetings, girls.
How can I buy this book on Amazon.com? The site sent me to Amazon.uk 🙂
Cheers.
Hi Olga,
Oh, sorry about that—the links should read your IP address and send you the your default Amazon, so I don’t know what happened there. If you go to Amazon.com and search up one of our names or the title of the book (sorry, I don’t know which you are interested in) you can find the correct link. Thank you!
I got India. You may need to go talk to Amazon about this. I did send them a message about it. I was signed in and such but even then it’s just weird.
I’ve had the same trouble, I’m in Texas, Amazon sends me to India.
Electronic copies are up on Smashwords.
Thanks for letting us know, Charlayne. If you don’t mind, which book link is sending you to the wrong storefront? TIA
[…] Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, (now an expanded 2nd edition) as well as six others. Her books are available in seven languages, […]
Personally, I’d love to purchase one of these books, as an aspiring writer, I would love to learn about how to convey certain emotions and traits with ease.
All the links are here to your favorite online stores, but if you give them the ISBN, any bookstore can order them in. And of course there’s always libraries too! Happy writing, Vexillion 🙂
[…] View all titles in this incredibly useful series […]
[…] The Setting Thesaurus: Becca and I investigated 225 different setting locations and gathered the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures associated with each so you know what your character may encounter and use our sensory detail to bring readers deeper into your story. Ancient Ruins, a Police Car, a House Party, an Antiques Shop…the detail for these and other locations will give you a big head start on painting a vivid canvas for your audience. (This thesaurus is also at One Stop For Writers, along with a Weather Thesaurus and many others, cross referenced for quicker searching.) […]
[…] of The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, as well as five others bestselling writing guides. Her books are available in six languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by […]
[…] Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression (now a expanded 2nd edition) as well as six others. Her books are available in six languages, are […]
I pre-ordered the updated Emotion Thesaurus from Amazon.ca but today (February 1) got an email saying the release has been cancelled (and thus my order too). Is there someplace else from which I can order it to Canada? Or, do you recommend I simply wait and it will be released on Amazon.ca at a later date. Thanks in advance for an update!
Hi Barbara, We have just started hearing from people who said Amazon cancelled their order, and so we are looking into why (this wasn’t us). I think some sort of glitch has occurred, and I deeply apologize for the inconvenience. As soon we we get this fixed we will be in touch. In the meantime, what would help us is to know the date you ordered (it should be on that cancelled invoice at amazon in your account). Also, to confirm, this was the print version?
Again, so sorry! trying to get to the bottom of it.
[…] co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression,as well as five others books in the popular description thesaurus series for writers. Her books are […]
[…] 22, 2019January 24, 2019 by raeharding The Emotional Thesaurus 2nd edition arrives February 19!https://writershelpingwriters.net/bookstore/ http://www.authormentormatch.com http://www.ya4ya.com http://www.pitchwars.org […]
[…] The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. […]
[…] of The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, as well as five others bestselling writing guides. Her books are available in six languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by […]
Is there a chance your occupation thesaurus will be coming out in paperback or ebook soon? I’d love to buy one.
Hi, Melanie. We’re not sure yet if this thesaurus is going to make it to book form; since we’re still in the process of building it, we need to see the demand and whether or not it’s beefy enough to make a published craft book. There does seem to be a lot of interest in it, so it’s definitely a possibility! Are you signed up for our New Releases newsletter? That one only goes out infrequently when we have news about a new publication. If you’re interested, you can sign up here. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSezNaxWvLZdk_jE1fVTXDHgcha2YbqGEzoMp9qngPvEUtesCw/viewform
Thanks for letting me know. I signed up for the new releases newsletter this morning.
[…] Angela Ackerman/Becca Puglisi series (Negative/Positive Trait Thesaurus, etc.) Ruth has the Negative Trait Thesaurus and Gwynn has the Positive Trait Thesaurus (we share) but […]
[…] the sights of new places will become a valuable resource when writing. In fact, my friends over at Writers Helping Writers and One Stop For Writers even put some books together to help with this, The Rural Setting […]
[…] One Stop is mega helpful, the powerhouses behind the Writer’s Thesaurus Collection also have a fantastic newsletter that goes out on a regular basis that including amazing articles […]
[…] The ladies over at writershelpingwriters.net have cornered a very interesting niche. As authors, we are expected, no, required to have a way with words. The truth of the matter is that some people have a way with words and others not have way. In order to end the eternal, excruciating cycle of pain and suffering, I direct you to The Writing Thesauri. […]
I’ve purchased the full set of ebooks and now wonder if there was any discount if I bought a full set of the hard copy version?
(I have the printed version of the Emotion Thesaurus and find that format really easy to use)
Thanks. ms
Hi, Margie. We don’t have any discounts for buying more than one book at this time. We’re looking into the possibility of offering boxed sets in the future, but we’re not sure it’s going to be possible. Stay tuned!
Will do, thank you. xxm
I ordered and paid for a pdf copy of the Emotional Wound Thesaurus. It’s been half a day. I’m wondering when I can expect to receive my file.
I’ll be sending you a message shortly, John.
[…] Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | Apple | Kobo | PDF version (other purchasing options) […]
[…] speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels, including The Rural Setting Thesaurus and The Urban Setting Thesaurus, which will be available for purchase in […]
Do you have any intention of a resource for relationship types and interaction between characters. Sibling, boss-employee, childhood friends, enemies, ex lovers, just the interpersonal relationships that play a role in character interaction and choices? Or perhaps a suggestion of reading material?
We have another website (subscription) called One Stop for Writers https://onestopforwriters.com/ and we are building a Relationships Tool to explore and show the connectedness between characters in a novel, based on their role and a lot more. We expect to have that built late Fall. For reading material, we look at the types of friction that can be built between characters in the Negative Trait Thesaurus using clashing personalities if you have that book of ours. Here’s a blog post that also looks at this: https://www.thecreativepenn.com/2014/01/04/clashing-personalities/
I hope this helps! 🙂
[…] https://writershelpingwriters.net/bookstore/ is the website for the writers who created it. Visit them after you have borrowed it from the library and found out how good it was. […]
Hi Angela,
Will you publish a thesaurus for Weather and Earthly Phenomenon? Thank you!
Hi Nadia,
Right now we don’t have plans to turn it into a book just yet, but you can find it all at One Stop for Writers: https://onestopforwriters.com/weathers
[…] one of a series from Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. All of the books can be investigated on the books page of their Writers Helping Writers website, where there are also pdfs available to […]
[…] BOOKSTORE […]
Will you be offering a hardcover pack of all the books for a discounted price?
Hi Robin,
Because of the size and the weight of these books (they are much larger than paperbacks), it is unlikely we could put them all together in a package. If there was an easy way to do it and we thought enough people would want it to make it worth the effort we would, but so far we’ve not found a way to do it that makes sense.
[…] Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, as well as five others. Her books are available in six languages, are sourced by US universities, […]
Hello,
Is there a way to buy all the 7 books in PDF and make a single payment? Thanks in advance for your answer.
I own every Thesaurus and just found the ONE STOP site and JOINED right away. I appreciate all the work and good information you provide!
Thank you for all the assistance you have provided me over the years! Even if you didn’t know you were doing it!
[…] can I buy the book? According to writershelpingwriters.net the title is available […]
[…] If this process seems oversimplified, it’s because there’s only so much that can be crammed into a 1400-word blog post. For more information, the topic can be explored to its fullest, most in-depth extent in our latest book: The Emotional Wound Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Psychological Trauma. […]
These are so great–I have two so far, I’d love to have all of them one day! Just a bit tight on my book budget right now. Is there a chance you’d ever consider some kind of “book bundle” deal on the Kindle or print book someday? 🙂 That said, I know a lot of hard work goes into these and good sales help keep things running. So if I have to wait and save up for them I certainly will. Thanks in any case for creating these wonderful writing resources!
Hi Sunny,
We may offer a book bundle at some point for some of these books, but we also have priced these very fairly to make them affordable for all (rather than choosing the “inflated pricing model” you see most traditional publishers run with). Because of this, any discount would be minor for a book bundle. As much as we wish it wasn’t so, Becca and I have to eat, lol, and so yes, we do charge a fair price for our work.
Thanks for asking about it,
Angela
Hi Angela,
I’m in Australia and want to purchase The Emotional Wounds Thesaurus from the Book Depository but my daily searches of their website only show the earlier Thesaurus books. Will The Emotional Wounds Thesaurus be available at the Book Depository at a later date?
Hi, Enisa. Yes, our latest book will eventually be available at Book Depository. Unfortunately, it takes 6-8 weeks for a new print book to make its way into the distribution channels that will enable Book Depository to access it. So it may be a while. I’m very sorry about this; I wish there was a quicker way. It just takes a while for each book to make it’s way to all the channels when they first go live.
I was confused as how to order now at the $5.99 price. When I pressed the Amazon icon above it stated $17.00 I think. Exactly what is your notice offering and what are the steps to take advantage of it? Do I need to wait another day?
Thank you, I’m anxious to read it, I guess.
Beverly J Campbell
Beverly if you click on the ebook (Kindle) link, you will be taken to the kindle price of $5.99, and if you click on the print link, it takes you to the print price, which is $17.00 currently. Sorry these are on 2 different links–it always takes Amazon a bit of time to link the two so they show up on the same page.
Just purchased the physical book version of the Emotional Wounds Thesaurus. It’s on Amazon. Thank you for putting this wonderful, helpful series together.
Thanks so much for your support, Frances. I hope you find it really useful!
Need Emotional Wound in PRINT please!!
It should be available this week, I promise! Official release date is October 25th. 😉
It just uploaded to Amazon, Kellie. 🙂 Happy reading!
[…] In the real world, when we see signs of a possible recurrence of a traumatic event or the negative emotions related to it, defense mechanisms kick in to protect us. They may not be good for us or our characters, but because they’re subconscious, we aren’t usually aware of them. When readers see the character repeatedly employing one of these shielding techniques, they’ll recognize when she’s being triggered and that the circumstance could point to a painful past event. Here’s a shortened list of defense mechanisms covered in my guide The Emotional Wound Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Psychological Trauma. […]
I just received all the Thesaurus books that I could purchase on Amazon. I love them! The books are exactly what I was needing to get my creativity flowing once again. Thank you!
Angela, I hope you love them! Thanks for giving them a whirl! 🙂
I just purchased The Positive Trait Thesaurus and for some reason I cannot print this. please advise. Thank you
I just sent you a message, Naomi.
[…] The Emotion Thesaurus (And its sequels!) These books are fantastic. The Emotion Thesaurus has descriptive suggestions for every emotion your character could possibly hope to convey, and is a great resource to mine for ideas when fleshing out the description in scenes. I especially love the sequels The Rural Setting Thesaurus and Urban Setting Thesaurus; for dozens and dozens of possible locations, these books list potential smells, sights, and sounds, to help you better get into the headspace of the world you’re trying to describe. If you’re feeling stuck, this is the book to read! […]
[…] speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels, including The Rural Setting Thesaurus and The Urban Setting Thesaurus, which will be available for purchase in June. She is passionate […]
Do you happen to offer these in a bundle?
Hi Dorothy, unfortunately we do not. Creating a bundle for print books when you are a self-publisher is near impossible. We can control ebooks of course (hurray!), which is why we have priced our books at a very reasonable low price, rather than elevating it to the same price (or more!) of the print volume, a tactic that we typically see traditional publishers use. We don’t feel that is right, and we hope our readers agree. 🙂
Happy writing!
Angela
[…] The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces […]
[…] this front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the […]
[…] for writers. She has also authored a number of nonfiction resource books for writers, including The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Emotion; The Positive Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Attributes; and The Negative […]
I have used your wonderful Emotions Thesaurus frequently. It is such a valuable resource.
Thanks for the kind words, Martii. We always like to hear that our books are doing what we intended them to do: help writers :).
Hi, Martil! In case you didn’t know, I wanted to tell you that we’ve released a second edition of The Emotion Thesaurus containing 55 additional entries and enhanced front matter. Because you enjoyed the first edition, I thought you might want to know about the second one :).
Hi becca ands Angela. I’m not able to post a pic but I absolutely love your work and have followed you on fb for a while now. The emotional thesaurus would be my pick of the books as it’s the thing I struggle most with and when I do I jump on the WHW website. I get carried away by all the info available. I go down a rabbit hole ending up looking at all of the other thesauruses. They connect through setting, emotions and characters so writers can create well developed characters and stories. Even if I don’t win a copy I’m still going to jump on the website whenever I need a bit of help. Great job girls!
I have tried to paste multiple pictures of your wonderful books in regards to the FB contest but cannot to no avail. Please know these would be an amazing help to my writing and I would love the opportunity to win them. I am a wordy girl! Please feel free to scope out my blog. I am known as the Word Junkie on my blog and at All Poetry. Thanks so much and blessings to all!
Sorry you are having trouble–not sure why the picture isn’t working. BUT, you can also leave a comment if you like–no picture needed! 🙂
[…] says The Emotional Thesaurus has been very […]
Hmmm. I thought I posted this query once, but (at the moment) I do not see it in the thread. So I’ll try again (and please forgive me if it does end up being a duplicate).
=====
Is the PDF editable?
For example, which of the following can I do with the PDF?
– Highlight
– Annotate
– Add symbols (such as an arrow)
– Insert pages
– Delete pages
– Print
Hi, Rose. I’m not positive about this, but your editing capability on PDFs may depend on your system. On my Mac, I can highlight, add notes, and add symbols to a PDF copy of The Negative Trait Thesaurus, for example. I don’t know what options are available if you’re using a PC or viewing the PDF on a pad/phone/etc, but I do know that anyone has the ability to print the PDF and save it to your system. You could also do all of this with the kindle and nook digital versions. I hope this helps!
Hello, Becca – Nervous authors will sometimes lock their PDFs so tight that you can’t do anything except read it online; or you can print it and that’s all.
I bought the Emotion Thesaurus and experimented with Adobe Acrobat on a PC. So far, no speed bumps. Thank you for that!
Well, we definitely want our authors to get the most out of their PDFs. For nonfiction books, you really need to be able to highlight/underline and make notes, so I’m glad our product is giving you want you need. Enjoy!
Awesome collection of thesauri! We just published a gift guide for authors on our blog and included them on our list. Just thought you’d like to know. Thanks for caring about quality writing and publishing. 🙂 http://www.tlcgraphics.com/the-authors-12-days-of-christmas/
Thanks and blessings to you!
Tamara Dever, TLC Graphics
What a great list! You know Christmas is getting closer when the gift lists start making an appearance :). Thanks so much for including us on yours!
[…] coach, speaker, & co-author of many bestselling resources, including one of my all-time favourite fiction writing book series, which if you’ve been in your writer’s garret for the last few years, are […]
[…] or buy the print copy of The Setting Thesarus by Becca and Angela of Writers Helping Writers (buy link – not an affiliate link). Then read through. – Make your own setting thesaurus for […]
[…] And for more information on making your setting work harder for your story, see our latest books, The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural […]
[…] that front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the […]
[…] that front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the […]
[…] this front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the […]
[…] this front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the […]
Is there anywhere that I can buy all the “thesaurus” books in a set?
Hi Terri,
We don’t sell these in sets, but the best way I could suggest is to go through Amazon as they do free shipping. They also tend to discount our books (something that happens on their end, so we never know when or how much) but it looks right now all 5 books are discounted, so that’s nice. 🙂
Happy writing,
Angela
[…] news! Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the […]
[…] that front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the […]
[…] that front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the […]
[…] that front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the […]
[…] that front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the […]
[…] this front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the […]
[…] speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels, including The Rural Setting Thesaurus and The Urban Setting Thesaurus, which will be available for purchase in […]
[…] that front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the […]
[…] that front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the […]
[…] this front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the […]
[…] that front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the […]
[…] that front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the […]
[…] that front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the […]
[…] this front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the […]
[…] that front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the […]
[…] this front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the […]
[…] that front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the […]
[…] that front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the […]
[…] this front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the […]
[…] that front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the […]
[…] that front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the […]
[…] that front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the […]
Hello, love your past thesauri. I’m interested in your new rural setting thesaurus, but before I purchase, I’d love a “look inside.” This option is not offered on Amazon, though it is for the urban setting. Looking forward to it.
Hi, Tamara! I’m so glad you’re interested in The Rural Thesaurus. Unfortunately, the Look Inside feature for the print books can take a few weeks to generate. It’s weird that it popped up almost immediately for Urban; I’ve talked to the powers that be and they say that the timing can be somewhat random and there’s nothing we can do about it speed up the process. However, the good news is that if you go to the Rural Thesaurus Kindle page, there’s a Look Inside feature there. The kindle and print copies are identical, with the exception of the digital version being linked. So that’s one way you can get a glimpse inside :).
[…] that front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the […]
[…] that front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the […]
Hi Angela & Becca,
I would like to be notified when the The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces is available as pdf. Can you please let me know? Thanks!
Hi, Daniela. Absolutely, I will let you know. This is the only version we were unable to have ready by today, but it’s on my list to have it ready this week. Thanks for your patience!
Hi Angela & Becca,
I just wanted to buy your new Urban & Rural Setting thesauri in PDF format from this page. But as it happens, there are just the usual links to Kobo etc, but no PDF options.
But because I’m reading more on my PC than on some stupid smart phone, I’d really prefer to read those books as PDFS than as epubs or kindles.
When will you put the option to buy those two setting thesaurus books as PDFs up?
Cheers,
Andreas
Hi Andreas,
Yes, we will have these in PDF as well, but those we format ourselves and so it takes us just a bit of time to get it put together. If you like I can send you an email when they are complete and up on the bookstore page? Sorry for the delay.
Hello Angela,
yes, please notify me when they’re available as PDFs.
Cheers,
Andreas
Will do! 🙂
I am very interested in reading these books. Thank you so much for sharing them.
Thank you for your books–they are so helpful! I’m really looking forward to the setting thesauri. To support independent booksellers, maybe you could include a link to Indiebound in the list of places to buy. Thanks again!
That’s a good idea, Julie! 🙂
[…] a look. It is available as an ebook and can be found on the Writers Helping Writers website at https://writershelpingwriters.net/bookstore/ as a free […]
Your positive and negative traits PDF books show the price as $5.99 each but when I try to buy the price is $6.35 each. How do I buy for PDF versions for $5.99 ?
Hi Cindy,
Our prices are the cover price, but do not include any taxes associated with where you may live. So, the price may be slightly different depending on where a writer is from. The price may also be converted into your local currency if you are not from the US.
Happy writing,
Angela
Hi everybody!
where can I get the books of PHYSICAL FEATURE THESAURUS and WEATHER AND EARTHLY THESAURUS???
Hi, Joe! Unfortunately those two thesauruses aren’t available in book form. The only book formats we have are the ones you see on the Bookstore page. But we’re always adding new ones; the setting thesaurus will be available for purchase in June. The ones that you’re looking for can be found here at our website and also at http://www.onestopforwriters.com, our online library that contains all of our thesauruses in expanded form, along with tons of other resources. Best of luck with your writing!
[…] tip: Buy their book! It has a ton more than what the above link provides – and then […]
[…] Buy Angela and Becca’s Thesaurus Collection at Amazon, or add each book to your Goodreads shelf. You can also buy the thesauri directly from Writers Helping Writers’ bookstore. […]
[…] out there when it comes to creating our characters. From Nancy Kress’ Dynamic Characters to The Positive and Negative Trait Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi there are many excellent resources for writers looking to create truly unique and realistic […]
[…] The Emotion Thesaurus & Emotion Amplifiers Companion: I LOVE these writing resources from Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi! The Emotions Thesaurus offers ways of varying character expressions (physical cues, thought patterns, internal sensations, etc.) for a wide range of emotions, so it helps you avoid recycling the same motions or gestures again and again. The Emotion Amplifiers Companion does the same for conditions like hunger, pain, and attraction that “amplify” emotions. […]
[…] Pyramid available on Writers Helping Writers. So we will focus on that today. If you have the Negative Trait Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi you can find the pyramid in Appendix B, if not please click through to the link above where you can […]
[…] familiar with the Thesaurus Collections at Writers Helping Writers and the bestselling resource, The Emotion Thesaurus, you have a good idea of the type of description help you’ll find at One […]
Hello,
where can I purchase the Emotional Wounds Theaurus?
Thanks,
Hi, Roxanne! The Emotional Wounds Thesaurus isn’t a book yet, unfortunately. We’re filling out that collection one entry at a time, every Saturday. Eventually, it may be turned in to a book, but for now it’s only available here at the blog. We’ll keep you posted :).
[…] shorten the learning curve considerably,” says Angela Ackerman, co-author of The Emotion Thesaurus series, and co-creator of Writers Helping […]
[…] by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. AMAZING little writer helpers. I also love their site Writers Helping Writers. And MJ Bush and K.M. Weiland’s blog’s to quench my writerly […]
[…] The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. […]
[…] written two books specifically designed to help you define your characters. Check out their Writers Helping Writers bookstore for complete […]
[…] sure what details go best with what state of mind? One of my favorite reference books is The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. This book lists emotions as well as how they manifest […]
[…] these Thesauruses useful when I need help loosening up. I actually own a few books from their Thesaurus collection, in both physical and ebook editions. Highly recommend […]
[…] core moral value do we see that might fit the Waif? Looking at The Positive Trait Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi in Appendix C on page 236 there is a list of moral traits. A couple that jump out at me as […]
[…] So in any given scene, you have to place yourself in your characters shoes. Then ask what would he/she say if this happened. What would he/she do if that happened. And then have your character answer/react in what’s consistent to who they are. For additional help, I suggest using The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi. As well as the other thesaurus series, such as the The Negative Trait and The Positive Trait Thesaurus at the Writershelpingwriters.net bookstore. […]
[…] write about the weather, physical attributes, color, texture, and shape, setting, etc., plus, the three books you can buy will help in the show vs. tell and will make a story sound its best! There are writing tools, […]
Allow me to say I love your books and I needed them
more than I thought.
I just purchased Emotion Amplifiers. I am curious where
you obtained your amplifiers describing addiction. It
appears to be from television and movies.
Please forgive my frankness. However, I am a
recovering women with the ‘disease’ of addiction.
I am also a college graduate, raised four children,
and a published writer who is finishing her
first novel.
I am no exception. Most of us with the disease
are gifted in some way. We actually practice good
hygiene. Our biggest issues are; financial, hiding
it from loved ones and withdrawal. We need to get
through the day like others.
I am referring to the disease not just a dependency.
Our livers metabolize chemicals much faster than
in others. The disease actually changes our cell
structure. It is far more complicated than most
would ever think.
Tremendous loads of guilt and shame are heaped
upon our shoulders by us. We were born with this.
Believe me no one would choose a life of addiction.
It is a miserable existence. We are the ones that
do not have blackouts we remember everything.
When we finally comes to terms with the facts it is
not a relief to know we must become a formidable
warrior in order to fight this beast every day of
our lives.
Your use of things such as; poor hygiene, strong
and strange odors floored me! I have found it to
be true that most authors use the same adjectives
concerning addiction. Sadly it is not their fault.
Education about the disease is a joke.
There are some like you describe. I suppose it is
dependent on geography. Homeless people in
general find it more than difficult to do the every
day rituals most of us take for granted.
We also have days of such physical and emotional
weakness from literally being at war; with the
disease and ourselves.
And at some point we hit a bottom! It could start
from losing a loved one. Whatever triggers the
descent doesn’t matter. After that we become
a bullet shot from a high powered rifle waiting to
to hurt someone…ourselves.
Thank you for all your help,
Sheree
Sheree, thank you very much for posting your own personal experiences with addiction. What we list is not one size fits all, but a simple range of indicators that could show an amplifier may be present. We are sorry you took it to mean that these descriptors apply to all people who struggle with addiction, and I can see how this would cause you stress. Our guide however, is to simply list a range of ideas, and encourage writers to chose the ones that fit their own fictional characters, nothing more.
Best,
Angela
[…] ~The Emotion Thesaurus, by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi […]
Thank you, I’m spreading the word too 🙂
Thanks you Anabel–we really appreciate it!
Congrats on 100,000 copies sold! Yay! Can’t wait to see what other gems you will offer us in the future. Best of luck always!
[…] of you have likely heard about the book, The Emotional Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi of Writer’s Helping Writer’s; it is utilized in […]
[…] if you writers out there haven’t checked out Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi‘s books, The Emotion Thesaurus, The Positive Trait Thesaurus, and The Negative Trait Thesaurus, you should. They are three of the most helpful writing tools I […]
[…] which is a science fiction series, we did in depth character sheets using the tools on the Writers Helping Writers website. For Vince and John, we went back to the Enneagram and developed their traits a bit more after […]
I purchased the PDF version of the Emotions thesaurus, and was disappointed to find that it isn’t built like the other two thesauri, i.e., entries linked to their respective descriptions. Otherwise, it’s very helpful, if I can find the entry I may be looking for without browsing down thru it.
Pat, thank you for letting us know! We mistakenly had the wrong version up. I will email you asap.
Hi, I bought The Emotions Thesaurus online at Amazon and it was finally delivered yesterday. I would’ve read the guide and put it to good use last night but unfortunately had to prepare dinner, my sons’ breakfast for the morning, my husband’s lunch for work the next day and mine, as well as our clothes to wear the next day. But first thing this morning, I combed through it while riding the bus into work. And as soon as I got into work, I started to spread the word about The Emotions Thesaurus with another coworker. She was so interested she wanted me to email the url to your site and I also shared a link to your bookstore.
Wow, Lidy! First off, I’m glad there was no buyer’s remorse with our book. And secondly, thank you so much for spreading the word. Regardless of how many promotional and marketing hoops we jump through, word of mouth is how our book continues to sell. So THANK YOU! And happy writing :).
Hi, Lady! I know it’s been awhile since you commented here, but I wanted to tell you that we’ve released a second edition of The Emotion Thesaurus containing 55 additional entries and enhanced front matter. Because you enjoyed the first edition, I thought you might want to know about the second one :).
[…] conditions, a character may feel safe, or off balance,” says Angela Ackerman, author of The Emotion Thesaurus, The Positive & Negative Trait Thesaurus books & blogger at Writers Helping […]
[…] BOOKSTORE […]
I’m spreading the word around to my writing buddies, inviting them to visit your websites and buy your books.
That is so very kind of you! Thanks Feather, and for your visit! Looking forward to the next WWC! 🙂
[…] GOOD NEWS! This sample has been expanded and streamlined into a free PDF called Emotion Amplifiers. This companion to THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION is a body language tool for describing your character’s pain, stress, illness, hunger, dehydration, attraction, and other conditions that ‘amplify’ an emotional reaction. Emotion Amplifiers can be downloaded for free here. For more information on THE EMOTION THESAURUS, which is available for purchase in print, digital, and PDF formats, please visit our bookstore. […]
[…] BOOKSTORE […]
[…] BOOKSTORE […]
[…] 19th, 9 a.m. PST Gutsy Google Hangout with Angela Ackerman, successful author of The Emotional Thesaurus: A Writers’ Guide to Character Expression, and blogger at Writers Helping […]
[…] The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi is a fantastic resource for writers looking for creative ways to ‘show’ an emotion, rather than ‘tell’ it. […]
[…] Trait Thesaurus, respectively. (I highly recommend both volumes, by the way! Click here for details.) With all of these elements, I hope it gives you a good understanding of who the protagonist is […]
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[…] Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi of Writers Helping Writers (formerly The Bookshelf Muse). I have the PDF version of this book open permanently while drafting and editing. No […]
I am so looking forward to your book on settings!
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] GOOD NEWS! This sample has been expanded and streamlined into a free PDF called Emotion Amplifiers. This companion to THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION is a body language tool for describing your character’s pain, stress, illness, hunger, dehydration, attraction, and other conditions that ‘amplify’ an emotional reaction. Emotion Amplifiers can be downloaded for free here. For more information on THE EMOTION THESAURUS, which is available for purchase in print, digital, and PDF formats, please visit our bookstore. […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
[…] emotions can be found in THE EMOTION THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER EXPRESSION. The print, digital, and PDF copies of this book are available for purchase through a variety of […]
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[…] characters that may cause conflict, and associated behaviors, attitudes, thoughts, and emotions. Print and digital versions are available for purchase, as well as PDFs for each book (The Negative Trait Thesaurus and The […]
[…] characters that may cause conflict, and associated behaviors, attitudes, thoughts, and emotions. Print and digital versions are available for purchase, as well as PDFs for each book (The Negative Trait Thesaurus and The […]
[…] characters that may cause conflict, and associated behaviors, attitudes, thoughts, and emotions. Print and digital versions are available for purchase, as well as PDFs for each book (The Negative Trait Thesaurus and The […]
[…] characters that may cause conflict, and associated behaviors, attitudes, thoughts, and emotions. Print and digital versions are available for purchase, as well as PDFs for each book (The Negative Trait Thesaurus and The […]
[…] characters that may cause conflict, and associated behaviors, attitudes, thoughts, and emotions. Print and digital versions are available for purchase, as well as PDFs for each book (The Negative Trait Thesaurus and The […]
[…] characters that may cause conflict, and associated behaviors, attitudes, thoughts, and emotions. Print and digital versions are available for purchase, as well as PDFs for each book (The Negative Trait Thesaurus and The […]
[…] characters that may cause conflict, and associated behaviors, attitudes, thoughts, and emotions. Print and digital versions are available for purchase, as well as PDFs for each book (The Negative Trait Thesaurus and The […]
[…] characters that may cause conflict, and associated behaviors, attitudes, thoughts, and emotions. Print and digital versions are available for purchase, as well as PDFs for each book (The Negative Trait Thesaurus and The […]
[…] characters that may cause conflict, and associated behaviors, attitudes, thoughts, and emotions. Print and digital versions are available for purchase, as well as PDFs for each book (The Negative Trait Thesaurus and The […]
[…] characters that may cause conflict, and associated behaviors, attitudes, thoughts, and emotions. Print and digital versions are available for purchase, as well as PDFs for each book (The Negative Trait Thesaurus and The […]
[…] characters that may cause conflict, and associated behaviors, attitudes, thoughts, and emotions. Print and digital versions are available for purchase, as well as PDFs for each book (The Negative Trait Thesaurus and The […]
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[…] characters that may cause conflict, and associated behaviors, attitudes, thoughts, and emotions. Print and digital versions are available for purchase, as well as PDFs for each book. The Negative Trait Thesaurus PDF can be […]
[…] characters that may cause conflict, and associated behaviors, attitudes, thoughts, and emotions. Print and digital versions are available for purchase, as well as PDFs for each book. The Negative Trait Thesaurus PDF can be […]
[…] characters that may cause conflict, and associated behaviors, attitudes, thoughts, and emotions. Print and digital versions are available for purchase, as well as PDFs for each book. The Negative Trait Thesaurus PDF can be […]
[…] characters that may cause conflict, and associated behaviors, attitudes, thoughts, and emotions. Print and digital versions are available for purchase, as well as PDFs for each book. The Negative Trait Thesaurus PDF can be […]
[…] characters that may cause conflict, and associated behaviors, attitudes, thoughts, and emotions. Print and digital versions are available for purchase, as well as PDFs for each book. The Negative Trait Thesaurus PDF can be […]
[…] characters that may cause conflict, and associated behaviors, attitudes, thoughts, and emotions. Print and digital versions are available for purchase, as well as PDFs for each book. The Negative Trait Thesaurus PDF can be […]
[…] BOOKSTORE […]
Just bought The Positive and Negative Thrait Thesauris.
I just can’t thank you two enough for writing these. The hours of research and trial and error is cut down to minutes with these two books.
Thank you so much Michael! We’re so happy you will find the process of creating meaningful, unique characters so much easier now! Happy writing 🙂
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[…] This guest post is by Becca Puglisi. Becca is the author of the bestselling resource The Emotion Thesaurus. Her most recent books in this series, The Positive Trait Thesaurus and Negative Trait […]
Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi – THANK YOU!!!! 🙂 I just recently purchased all three (3) of your books:
The Emotion Thesaurus
The Positive Trait Thesaurus
The Negative Trait Thesaurus
I absolutely LOVED the sample that I read of them. I loved them so much that I not only purchased the paperback versions of the book, but also put a copy of each on my iPad. I’m new to the Script Writing game and while still learning wanted something that would help me with substance and insight into why people do what they do and at times say the things they say. Only by reading these books and with practice will I hone my skills in writing Screenplays with deep, rich characters. I’m also ordering these books for my 17yr old daughter that is also an aspiring writer.
Jock, I’m so happy these books will be a help to you, and how awesome that you share this passion with your daughter. I would love to try a screenplay one day–it’s on my bucket list. there is a ton that we writers of fiction can learn from scriptwriters too. In fact. two books I recommend over and over for writers is Save The Cat and Writing Screenplays That Sell. Both are brilliant!
Happy writing–let us know how it goes!
Angela
Angela – Thank you for your kind response. YOU are an EXTREMELY TALENTED writer. It’s also your passion that bleeds through the writing of your book that inspires me. What you and “Becca” bring to the table of writing allows others I believe to learn from what you do and helps others be what they’ve dreamed of being.
You made me laugh when you mentioned “Bucket List!” Writing, Directing and Producing my own films is a HUGE DREAM!! Your website couldn’t be named any better: “WritersHelpingWriters.net”
Oh and my Daughter thinks it would be so cool for She & I to write something together. How awesome would that be? 🙂
Hi, Jock! It’s been awhile since you commented here about The Emotion Thesaurus, but I wanted to tell you that we’ve released a second edition of The Emotion Thesaurus containing 55 additional entries and enhanced front matter. Because you enjoyed the first edition, I thought you might want to know about the second one :).
[…] read full summaries and order them you can go here. Samples are available on amazon. There’s also a free Emotions Amplifiers Booklet here! This […]
[…] for writers. She has also authored a number of nonfiction resource books for writers, including The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Emotion; The Positive Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Attributes; and The Negative […]
I previously bought a kindle version of the emotional thesaurus. Problem is that I would love to print it out for reference. I’d also like to purchase both your new books and I probably will in PDF. Is there some kind of package where we can have both versions?
Great question. Currently we don’t have book packages because the two trait books have just released, but it is something we plan down the road. (We are also watching to see how people respond to Amazon’s Match program, to see if that is something our readers would be receptive to.)
We have tried to keep digital copy prices low in order to make them more affordable (and all three are available on print for those who want a desk copy.) I am happy to add you to our Newsletter mailing list if you like, so that you will be the first to know when ebook pairings are available in the future.
Have a great weekend!
Angela
Hi, Teri! I’m replying to a wayyyy back comment of yours regarding the Emotion Thesaurus :). I wanted to tell you that we’ve released a second edition of The Emotion Thesaurus containing 55 additional entries and enhanced front matter. Because you enjoyed the first edition, I thought you might want to know about the second one.
[…] for me. I’d had a bunch of gifts by then, loved them all, and was both flipping through two awesomely fun writing books while also plotting out gift card shopping (after the birthday deadline, of course). When Jazz […]
[…] for writers. She has also authored a number of nonfiction resource books for writers, including The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Emotion; The Positive Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Attributes; and The Negative […]
[…] Other ebook versions (including the PDF version) can be found at Angela and Becca’s site, Writers Helping Writers. And hopefully you’ll find the ET as helpful to your writing as I’ve found it for mine. […]
[…] for writers. She has also authored a number of nonfiction resource books for writers, including The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Emotion; The Positive Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Attributes; and The Negative […]
I purchased (and loved) my Nook version of The Emotions Thesaraus – until my Nook died. sniff, sniff. Had no idea you had other books available until I browsed for a kindle version. Is there any discount for purchasing a set of your various titles?
Debbie
[…] believable, relatable, and consistent. This is one of the reasons Angela and I chose to follow up The Emotion Thesaurus with a resource on character traits. Our books, The Positive Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s […]
[…] an offer to add the book to our PIF selection. Well, Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi have just released two more books to assist writers with character attributes and flaws: The Positive Trait Thesaurus, […]
I just ordered The Emotion Thesaurus by mistake. I already have that book. I wanted the Negative Trait Thesaurus in PDF.
[…] Ackerman is one half of The Bookshelf Muse blogging duo, and co-author of The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression. Listing the body language, visceral reactions and thoughts associated with seventy-five […]