Writers Helping Writers^®

Posts by Becca Puglisi

Setting Thesaurus Entry: School Office

March 14, 2009

Setting Thesaurus Entry: School Office

March 14, 2009

Sight chairs, couches, carpeted floor, little end tables, parenting/educational magazines, desks for receptionists with all the secretarial paraphernalia (phone, computer, desk calendar, files, stapler, pens, post-it notes, markers), smudged plate-glass…

Colors, Textures & Shapes: Gritty

March 12, 2009

Colors, Textures & Shapes: Gritty

March 12, 2009

Natural: Dirt Mud Sand Morning eye gunk Tartar on teeth Dried tears… Man-made: Toothpaste Sandpaper Sugar Salt Nail file/buffer Facial scrubs (exfoliation)… Synonyms: Mealy, coarse-textured, tophaceous, rough, sandy… Describing texture in…

Setting Thesaurus Entry: The Stands at a Sporting Event

March 7, 2009

Setting Thesaurus Entry: The Stands at a Sporting Event

March 7, 2009

Sight Fans, team jerseys, face paint, ball caps, sweaters, rain gear, beer in plastic cups, hard plastic benches or seats, air horns, foam fingers, plastic bull horns, pennants, flags, hand-made…

Colors, Textures & Shapes: Oval and Oval-like

March 5, 2009

Colors, Textures & Shapes: Oval and Oval-like

March 5, 2009

Natural: Faces Lemon Egg (robin, ostrich, chicken, lizard, crocodile, turtle) Leaves (Beech, birch, hornbeam, alder, juneberry, elm, witch hazel, dogwood, mint) Fish Flower petals… Man-made: Football Boogie board Tanning salon…

Setting Thesaurus Entry: Cafeteria

February 28, 2009

Setting Thesaurus Entry: Cafeteria

February 28, 2009

Sight Long tables, uncomfortable chairs, trash cans, line ups, styrofoam or colored plastic trays, banners, posters, ads, lunch staff, cash register, paper plates, plastic cutlery, menu board, stainless steel, windows,…

Colors, Textures & Shapes: Green

February 26, 2009

Colors, Textures & Shapes: Green

February 26, 2009

Real World Comparisons: Light: Cabbage Celery Lime Honeydew melon Pear Pistachio… Medium: Corn stalks Aloe Vera Jalapeno peppers Green peppers Grass Grass stains… Dark: Wet leaves Mold Mint leaves Shamrock…

Introducing…the Color, Texture, and Shape Thesaurus

February 26, 2009

Introducing…the Color, Texture, and Shape Thesaurus

February 26, 2009

I think most writers understand that the goal of sensory description is to convey a specific image to the reader in a unique way. A good story alone isn’t enough,…

Setting Thesaurus Entry: School Bus

February 21, 2009

Setting Thesaurus Entry: School Bus

February 21, 2009

Sights smudged windows, black rubber runner down the aisle, torn leather seats, signs (emergency exits, rules, stay behind the yellow line, bus driver’s name), red handles on emergency doors and…

Emotion Thesaurus Entry: Resignation

February 19, 2009

Emotion Thesaurus Entry: Resignation

February 19, 2009

When it comes to emotion, sometimes we need a brainstorming nudge. After all, each character will express their feelings differently depending on their personality, emotional range, and comfort zone. We…

Setting Thesaurus Entry: Frozen Tundra

February 14, 2009

Setting Thesaurus Entry: Frozen Tundra

February 14, 2009

Sight Blowing snow, ice, snow banks, streaking clouds, flat landscape, far-off snow capped mountain ranges, streaks and whirls on hill crests showing a pattern from the gusting wind, polar bears,…