As the expanded 2nd edition of The Emotion Thesaurus hits the shelves, we realize we’ve created a conundrum for writers upgrading their copy: what should they do with their first edition?

We love the original Emotion Thesaurus and know you do too. It (hopefully!) helped you through a lot of manuscripts, providing brainstorming nudges whenever you needed them. Some of you may have had yours for years, and it’s been well-loved.

I know my copy–the original proof copy–is like an old friend.

Some of you will choose to keep working with the first edition, and that’s awesome. We hope it will continue to provide you with exactly what you need.

But if you are updating to the bigger & better edition (THANK YOU!) and need ideas on what to do with the first edition, read on. 

Donate it to a library!

Print books can be expensive and if it means buying a book or eating, people will make the right choice. Libraries give everyone a way to obtain knowledge regardless of finances.

Gift it to a writer friend!

Chances are, you know someone on the writing path who struggles with showing emotions. Gift them your copy so that they can be helped by the book as it helped you. (Leave a note of encouragement for them inside the cover, too!)

Offer it as a giveaway to your writing followers!

I bet you have writers that follow you online, who visit your blog, get your newsletter, or who are part of your in-person network. Create a giveaway and let someone else discover this tool. Even if your book is bent, written in, stained, or highlighted, it is a lighthouse of perseverance and passion. Another writer can draw inspiration from your determination.

Gift your book to a school!

We know many teachers and librarians trying to support young writers. They run writing groups, sponsor NaNoWriMo events, and try to provide resources so youth of all ages can grow their craft. Your book can help the next generation of writers!

Pay-it-forward when NaNoWriMo rolls around!

If you participate in NaNoWriMo write-ins, gatherings, and other events, why not save your old Emotion Thesaurus until November and then bring it to a write-in? Likely someone there will need brainstorming help, and you’ll be the hero of the day for having a handy tool to pass on. If there’s a word sprint, award the copy to whomever came in last. After all, it’s not about having the most words–it’s about having the courage to try!

Play the Emotion Thesaurus Drinking Game!

On your next after-hours gathering at a conference or alcohol-friendly writing event, bring your old Emotion Thesaurus along for the ride. Choose a random page number and have everyone playing look up that page in their manuscript. If anyone has NAMED an emotion, BOOM, they take a drink (or buy the next round–your game, your rules).

Keep it!

I know, keeping two editions will cause a few to clutch at their KonMari pearls, but here’s the thing: if you’ve had the ET for awhile, it’s SEEN SOME THINGS. The binge-snacking, poor back posture, and F-bombs that punctuate your editing streaks. How you stayed up late, got up early, and wrote during all those in-between times. It’s been there for the lows but also the highs, like your giddy cackling at coming up with the perfect plot twist or that time you sank back in your chair after re-reading a passage that you LOVED. Maybe it was there when the walls couldn’t contain your squeals after a submission request landed in your inbox.

My point is, if this book feels like a symbol of your journey as a writer, keep it. Put it on the shelf or in a drawer, and when you need to remind yourself of how how far you’ve come, pull it out. If you get discouraged, remember all the times you put it to use, and the words you wrote. YOU. Look at the book and see your own courage: you have a dream and you’re chasing it down like a rock star. 🙂

Have ideas to add? Tell us in the comments!

Psst! Don’t forget we have an incredible giveaway going on right now: one lucky winner is going to get their choice of a free writing conference, course, workshop, retreat, or professional organization membership paid for by us (up to a $500 US–conditions apply)!

If you haven’t entered yet, please do! You can find the entry form HERE.

Giveaway ends February 26th.