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Emotion Thesaurus Entry: Excited/Elated

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 hope this short, sample list of expressions will help you better imagine how your character might … [Read more...] about Emotion Thesaurus Entry: Excited/Elated

Setting Description Entry: Desert

Sight A landscape of sand, flat, harsh sunlight, cacti, tumbleweeds, dust devils, cracked land, crumbing rock, sandstone, canyons, wind-worn rock formations, tracks, dead grasses, vibrant desert blooms (after rainfall), flash flooding, dry creek… Sounds Wind (whistling, howling, piping, … [Read more...] about Setting Description Entry: Desert

Emotion Thesaurus Entry: Reluctance

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 hope this short, sample list of expressions will help you better imagine how your character might … [Read more...] about Emotion Thesaurus Entry: Reluctance

Setting Description Entry: Forest

Sight green, brown, dead fall, fallen trees, logs, branches, twigs, fallen leaves, ferns, underbrush, moss, brambles, thickets, ivy, berry bushes, pine needles, pine cones, acorns, insects, rabbits, birds, squirrels, lizards, mice, foxes, spider webs, deer, sun-dappled, shady, … [Read more...] about Setting Description Entry: Forest

Emotion Thesaurus Entry: Hopelessness/Depression

· Actions grow mechanical, lose meaning· Very little energy is put into doing tasks· Pays no attention to appearance, appearance degrades · Requires direction from others, even for simple things· A lack of interest in the feelings of others · A desire to curl up and sleep to 'escape'· A lack of … [Read more...] about Emotion Thesaurus Entry: Hopelessness/Depression

Techniques For Atmosphere and Mood Building In Fiction

I thought today I'd take a quick look at how setting description can transcend to convey atmosphere through the deft manipulation of the five senses. First off, what is Atmosphere? Atmosphere is the mood created through the deliberate description of setting. Depending on the emotion you wish … [Read more...] about Techniques For Atmosphere and Mood Building In Fiction

Introducing Sensory Saturday…Meet the Setting Thesaurus!

Many elements go into creating a successful novel, but one of the most important is Setting. For a reader to relate to the current action, they need a physical anchor to tie the characters to. It can be difficult, finding the right words to convey a sense of place. The right description can create a … [Read more...] about Introducing Sensory Saturday…Meet the Setting Thesaurus!

Setting Description Entry: River

Sight Eddies, dripping branches, current, glossy, darting shapes, water striders, leaf-dappled, twisting flow, drag, silt, reeds, bowed willows, shadows, sparkling, mirror, bent grasses, carve, clash, boulders, ripples, carry, twigs, debris, gliding birds, minnows, fish, smooth stones, slime, … [Read more...] about Setting Description Entry: River

Emotion Thesaurus Entry: Defeat

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 hope this short, sample list of expressions will help you better imagine how your character might … [Read more...] about Emotion Thesaurus Entry: Defeat

Writing 101: Showing vs. Telling, Part Two

Today, we're continuing our discussion of show-don't-tell so we can learn how to find the telling in our work and show those passages instead. (For information on what showing and telling are and why showing is typically preferred, see Part One of this series.) We've already learned that showing … [Read more...] about Writing 101: Showing vs. Telling, Part Two

Emotion Thesaurus Entry: Impatience

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 hope this short, sample list of expressions will help you better imagine how your character might … [Read more...] about Emotion Thesaurus Entry: Impatience

Emotion Thesaurus Entry: Anticipation

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 hope this short, sample list of expressions will help you better imagine how your character might … [Read more...] about Emotion Thesaurus Entry: Anticipation

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NO AI TRAINING: Any use of this content to “train” generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to generate text is expressly prohibited. The legal copyright holder, Writers Helping Writers®, reserves all rights to license uses of this work for generative AI training and development of machine learning language models. WRITERS HELPING WRITERS® · Copyright © 2025 · WEBSITE DESIGN BY LAUGH EAT LEARN