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For more personal information, visit About Us, or head over to our Workshops and Webinars page to find out where Angela & Becca will be speaking next.
Angela Ackerman
(The one who comes up with the crazy ideas)
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Becca Puglisi
(The one who keeps us organized)
Also, find me here…
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(The one who never feeds the blog after midnight)
Have an administrative question or inquiry? Contact Mindy here. If it’s regarding a guest post, information is here.
I need help understanding Identity Attributes and how an Identity Attribute differs from a Moral, Achievement, and Interactive Attribute. And is there a recommended minimum or maximum number of traits from each category that a character should have?
Hi, Connor. It sounds like you’ve found our Character Attribute Target Tool, which helps you pinpoint your character’s primary positive traits. The background for this tool (including definitions and an explanation for each kind of trait) can be found in the instructive front matter portion of The Positive Trait Thesaurus. You can actually access this information in the preview portion that’s provided on that product page.
It’s in the Different Categories of Positive Attributes section, which is about 7-8 pages into the preview. The book also contains a filled-in example of this tool (Aragorn, from Lord of the Rings) in the appendix at the back.
In terms of numbers, there isn’t a hard and fast rule, though I would keep the list for each category to 3-4 at the most. What you’re shooting for is a few traits in each category that are really defining traits for the character—traits that will dictate their choices, desires, preferences, values, etc. The more you have, the less defined the character will be and the harder it is to stay true to all those traits.
I hope this answers your question. Let me know if you need anything else.
I am slowly but surely collecting the entire catalogue of these awesome thesauruses! So far I have the emotion thesaurus, negative traits thesaurus, and emotional wounds thesaurus.
Have you ever considered creating a ‘core values’/character motivation thesaurus? I feel like that would be the one that I would pull down off the bookshelf most frequently.
Thank you for the excellent resources you have already given the writing community. They are invaluable and much appreciated!
Hi, Jade. I’m so glad you’re finding our books useful. We actually published a character motivation thesaurus at the blog. It’s not in book form as of yet, but you can see samples of it here at the blog or view the complete thesaurus at One Stop for Writers.
As for a core values thesaurus, this is one Angela and I have discussed. It’s a little tricky because values are so subjective and are deeply personal; it’s a topic that has to be handled carefully. So I don’t know yet if it will become a thesaurus, but it’s definitely on our radar.
Thanks for letting us know what would help with your writing! Best of luck to you.
On the “Character Arc Conflict Response” page of The Conflict Thesaurus (I am looking at the one on your website), under the column “Possible Conflict Scenarios,” there is an entry, “Relationship Fiction.” Did you mean, “Relationship Friction?”
Thanks for the heads-up, Alan. No matter how many edits we do, those pesky typos slip through. 🙂
This isn’t so much seeking advice as it is sharing a current challenge. For background, I have, for the past twelve-plus years, performed the task of editing various texts for a friend and former colleague. In that my name never appears in the documents, I consider myself his silent parser.
The compositions have been either fiction—novels or novellas—or history treatises. In that time, my goal has been to maintain a smooth flow of either dialogue or information—whatever the situation demanded—avoiding info dumps and travelogues. For the history projects, I’ve tried for a narrative style suitable for giving a presentation to an audience. For the most part, he uses my suggestions readily…sometimes verbatim. Our earlier works are admittedly somewhat clunky, but we/I are/am improving (that was awkward).
As to the challenge, in our current project he’s using a ‘style’ for which I assumed there had to be a name, the fruitless search for which nonetheless led me to your web page. The story is a novella consisting solely of tagless dialogue between two characters…with absolutely no supporting narrative. Their conversations take place in different venues, rooms, times, circumstances, surroundings, etc. without supporting descriptions.
It’s truly a challenge. After my first read-through, I told him it may be clever, but it’s a pain in the ass. The problem is two-fold: the first is to find a way to hint at their surroundings without being obtusely obvious; the second is to aid the reader in keeping track of who is saying what. More than once, I had to back-track because I lost track.
Wish me luck!
Sounds challenging –good for you, taking this on. You’ll get better at dialogue because you have to show everything through what is said and how. But there’s still a lot you can do to show emotion through what a character says, doesn’t say, and the punctuation. Good luck with your tagless dialogue challenge!
Hello-
I use your Emotion Thesaurus PDF daily and could REALLY use a DARK MODE PDF edition (white text on a dark background with links in a lighter color).
Do you have one available, please?
Thanks so much!
I’m so sorry but we do not. I wonder though if different PDF viewers might come with that option? It would be worth checking out. 😉
I purchased a copy of The Emotion Thesaurus but didn’t find anything about how to avoid overusing exclamation points. Do you have some quick tips to keep in mind while writing? I’ve substituted italicized or bold words, but in most cases simply replaced it with a period. Is there a better way??
Hi, Alexander. This is such a good question. As you know, exclamation points are used for emphasis, to show heightened emotion in dialogue or internal thoughts. But they can easily be overused, and when that happens, it reads as melodrama, since there’s so much high emotion. It’s basically punctuation being used to inform the reader of the character’s emotional state. A better way is to show this with other conventions. Use their body language to show how angry they are. Show the change in emotion through how their voice changes—in volume, yes, but also in tone, verbiage, the way they put their thoughts into words, etc.
Exclamation points shouldn’t be done away with altogether; if someone is enraged, upset, afraid, or excited, their voice is going to show this, and one of the ways it does is by rising in volume. So an exclamation point in this cases may be needed. Just don’t overdo it, and this is especially true in our thoughts. Because while we might yell our words in these situations, we don’t typically yell in our thoughts. The situation has to be pretty extreme for that to happen.
My best advice here is to take books you know and love (ones you know are written well), and look at the passages of high emotion. How is this information conveyed by the author. What techniques do they use to avoid too many exclamation points? Study those, then practice applying them to your writing.
I just received the Conflict Thesaurus. It’s an invaluable resource for me and I can'[t wait for Volume 2.
I really need advice on an issue that I couldn’t find in the Thesaurus. I’m writing a book about an 18 year old girl that has high functioning Asperger’s syndrome, but it was never correctly diagnosed. Most all of her actions throughout the book are influenced to some level by this syndrome and I would prefer to keep it that way. Here’s the problem I’m having: Can the protagonist have an unmet need or wound that they don’t even realize? I could reveal it right at the beginning, but I’d prefer to let it stay hidden until much later in the story. So, how can I begin the story and hint to the reader that something is not right with the protagonist when she doesn’t even realize that her biggest need is to learn to cope with her affliction and improve her life. It’s baffling me because it would be hinting about something that is nothing, Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated because I’m at a full stop.
Thanks,
John
Hi, John. This is a really good question, and the good news is that you’re not alone in this. A lot of characters start out the story having no idea what’s missing in their life. Their motivations and drivers are largely subconscious—meaning, they’re following a path without fully knowing why.
But the need itself is particularly tricky because it’s not something the character typically verbalizes. There’s not a moment in the story when they say to themselves, “Gee, I never knew I was lacking in esteem from living in my successful brother’s shadow.” Sometimes they have this revelation, but it’s pretty overt and most of the time, you don’t want to overstate it because in most situations, it just won’t ring true.
There are other things they do have to realize or come to grips with: a wounding event’s crippling hold on them, the emotional shielding they’ve been clinging to that is actually making things worse for them, a flawed ideology or belief that needs to be addressed. Something(s) along these lines are going to be what the revelatory/turning point moments will focus on.
So anything that’s missing or wrong in her life, you don’t have to spell it out at the beginning of the story. It’s actually better if you don’t. Instead, just show what’s wrong or missing. Show her undiagnosed Asperger’s tripping her up, show her shying away from that diagnosis (maybe she suspects deep down what the issue is, but she doesn’t want to find out for sure). Show her emotional response to a trigger; maybe she knows someone with Asperger’s and she is unkind to them—which is seemingly out of character for her; maybe a doctor brings it up at an appointment and she gets flustered and makes a quick exit. Use her current story to show things like these, and readers will put the pieces together without you having to say it outright.
This is a pretty common structure for a story, where the character is oblivious to something formative in the beginning, and they become aware of it and learn to deal with it by the end. (Here’s a blog post on how to show this over time). So I suggest looking at books or movies with protagonists that follow this pattern to see how it’s handled. One that comes to mind is As Good As It Gets. The character has severe OCD (diagnosed), but it’s untreated. And he’s miserable. He’s completely lacking in human connection (love and belonging) because of his abrasive manner. Over the course of the story, he recognizes that if he wants to be connected, he’s got to see himself accurately and make some changes.
I hope this helps!
I am so thankful that I found you guys! Where can I find information on how to show a story and not just tell it?
If you run a search for show-not-tell you will find lots of articles. Check out the bookstore as well – all our thesaurus guides are about show, don’t tell. 😉
Thank you!
Hi, I’d love to have a “first page” critique as mentioned in your Feb 23rd email/blog. I’m currently writing Book 2 in my YA/Adult High Fantasy series…and putting my finger on the best way to open up the second book is a bit challenging. Do I assume readers will likely know my protagonist and what’s going on? Or, shall I just draw the reader in, hopefully get them hooked, and then fill in background as I go…love to have feedback on that 🙂 Many thanks, Becca and Angela. Sandy Hunter
Hi, I am trying to create an emotional map in a short story that I am reading. Is there a worksheet I can use on the website to assist me with this project.
Hi, Lino. I’m not exactly sure what you’d like to include in your emotional map, but we do have some resources on our Tools for Writers page that can help authors map out a character’s emotional journey throughout the story: their wounding event, the lie that develops, the flaws that emerge because of it, the inner void that becomes a gnawing lack that has to be addressed, and the outer goal they choose to pursue out of a desire to fill it. If this is what you’re looking for, check out the Reverse Backstory tool, Character Arc Progression tool, and the Backstory Wound Profile.
If you’re looking more for help with your character’s emotional map on a scene level, our Scene Maps at One Stop for Writers can help with that.
Hello: I see that you have coaches, but I don’t see how one goes about being coached?
Hi, Elizabeth! Angela and I are coaches in that we provide information, resources, and knowledge that can help authors improve their skills and shorten the learning curve in their writing. So it’s a little different from the one-on-one services that many coaches provide. If you’re looking for the latter, we can recommend Author Accelerator and Write Your Best Book; links can be found on our Resources for Writers page.
I aready have two of your books. I would like a copy of SHOW DON’T TELL.please.
Hi gals, I just need to put in a change of address. I can’t miss you all. So I’m Doree Anderson and I am now at doree@doreeanderson.com
Thanks gals.
Doree
I’ve updated you, Doree! Thanks os much 🙂
Hi, how can an unknown author have the opportunity to have a literary agent?
Hi, Germán. If you’re looking for an agent, checkout Query Tracker. It’s the best tool I’ve found for locating agents who are looking for your specific kind of story. You can find the link on our Resources for Writers page, along with other helpful resources. 🙂
Hi Becca and Angela,
I must commend you both for the resources you have for writers. I especially enjoy using your thesauruses. I must say they have impacted by writing in no small measure. Positively, of course!
However, I would like to find out if you run any affiliate programs?
Thank you.
HI Qudus,
Thank you so much for the kind words–I am so very glad to hear you find our work helpful. Writing is hard work, so anything we can do to make it a tiny bit easier, that makes our day!
As to your question, we do not have an affiliate system for our books. I’m so sorry. Becca and I are running full out trying to keep up with everything we’re doing now and haven’t had time to look into whether that’s something common for single authors and the work involved in creating and maintaining a system (which takes away from the time we spend creating things to help writers). We do encourage everyone to use affiliate links on our book links to book sites such as Amazon, Apple, and Kobo, and we know many people make a good side income from doing that.
Please know we greatly appreciate every referral, review, and shout out. Without them, so many people would still be struggling with their fiction when help was available. Truly we are so grateful to everyone who likes our work and lets others know about it so they can get more quality books into the hands of their readers.
Have a great day!
Angela
I preordered the Emotion Thesaurus but the link won’t work for me to know where to email the screenshot to. I’ll be devastated if I don’t get the other entires that weren’t published…
I’ve sent you a private message. 🙂
I haven’t gotten any of your books yet, but I have them all on my wishlist. I had a question though, about the emotion thesaurus second edition. When I do decide to get them, should I just get the second edition? Will the first one become obsolete once the new one hits the shelves? Or should I just get both?
Sorry if that’s a stupid question. Haha!
Hi, Claire. Not a stupid question at all. If you decide to get a copy of The Emotion Thesaurus, you’ll want to get the second edition. It contains all of the content from the original version, along with about 50% more material. So if you get the second one, you’ll really also be getting the first one. Just a beefed up version :).
Okay! Thank you! 😀
Hello! I think you guys are amazing and your advice are total life-savers. I own all your published books and I’ve really noticed an improvement in my writing now that I consult them during editing — no more characters rolling their eyes fourteen times in a single scene!
I’m wondering if you have any plans for publishing another physical book in the near future. As useful and neat an online library is, there is something special about turning pages and using sticky notes to bookmark.
Thank you so, so much for writing these thesauri and running this site! ♥
Hi, Anna! We have plans to publish our next book in January/February. We haven’t revealed what this book is going to be about just yet, but the cat will be out of the bag soon :). If you’d like to be notified about any new release information, you can sign up for our Future Book Releases newsletter here. We only send out information when we’ve got a new book coming up, so you don’t have to worry about getting spammed. And thanks for the kind words. We’re very happy to help.
I did a search for “body height comparisons with others” and found a useful tool: http://www.mrinitialman.com/OddsEnds/Sizes/compsizes.xhtml
This makes it easier to elude to height with body marker comparisons while writing.
While I’m not finished with the first rough draft and never thought about another book after it, one popped up two weeks ago waking me at 5:00 am. It presented itself with a cast of five each with their own POV, the setting and the time (1990-2007) and what they are about. A few days later a sixth individual, part-timer, introduced herself and her M.O. Is it getting too crowded?
It is impossible to say without knowing more about your project, so my suggestion is to looks at books that are in the genre and see how many POV characters there are and WHY these characters are important enough to have POV scenes. It could be you need them all, or that you really have one main character and the other ones do not need to have a POV focus.
Hi, I had a question that’s been weighing on my mind a bit. I’m writing a story from many different PoVs and I was rotating chapters, but its become sloppy since they’ve come together.
I took smaller scenes from chapters to separate each PoV change into its own chapter. I made these small sections their own small chapters. But I feel like I’m making a mistake.
At the same time, I feel I can’t put them back into the other character PoV scene without a) changing the scene to the PoV of the current chapter (which is hard because some of my scenes have a lot of internal findings that are important to progressing the story) or b) making the chapters less about certain characters and more about the progression of the journey.
That being said, I feel that jumping multiple PoVs without a consistent pattern is awful looking. I guess what I want to know, does it really matter?
Does it matter if some characters have more chapters than others?
Does it matter how I jump PoVs so long as the story comes together?
Does it matter if I have multiple PoVs in a chapter?
Does it matter if a chapter is way shorter than the rest because I’ve taken a PoV out of a bigger chapter?
Hi Sierra,
These questions are hard to answer without reading your story and seeing how it all has come together so likely my biggest piece of advice would be to take this to your critique partners — get several people to read it and see what the overall feeling is: does it work or not?
Generally speaking:
Does it matter if some characters have more chapters than others?
No/Yes. As long as there is a thread of continuity overall and each scene is pushing the story forward, you should be fine.
Let me add the obvious to this though – your protagonist(s) need the most air time of course, and you need enough air time for all that readers can connect to them. You also shouldn’t have big craters where a character has a POV scene, and then nothing for half the book. If this is happening, ask yourself WHY you have that character’s POV at all.
Does it matter how I jump PoVs so long as the story comes together?
With POV, keep in mind the reader’s experience. If your POV jumps are disorientating, they will get frustrated and stop reading. If you have too many POV characters, they will find it difficult to connect deeply to each, and this can cause them to disengage.
Does it matter if I have multiple PoVs in a chapter?
Technically speaking, as long as you page break for each POV shift, you won’t break POV rules for 1st & 3rd person, but again, keep in mind your reader–are they going to be confused as to whose head they are in? Will they be disoriented going from person to person too quickly?
Does it matter if a chapter is way shorter than the rest because I’ve taken a PoV out of a bigger chapter?
As long as the pacing is strong (high action, an important event, etc.), a short chapter is fine.
Now, all this said, I recommend caution with a large POV cast. Have a very, VERY good reason to switch POV as dipping into the POV of many characters is not easy, can often dilute the power of a story, and makes it harder for readers to connect deeply with each character. You can have a large cast and stay in just the protagonist’s POV, or have a dual protagonist situation, etc. so, shifting into many POVs shouldn’t just be used as a shortcut to show information & inner thoughts that the main character is not privy too. Make sense?
I’m not saying to stay away from a larger cast of POV characters, it can be done and isn’t uncommon if you are writing an epic (such as The Wheel of Time Series.) Just be sure it is truly needed and the most effective way to show your story. This article might help: https://writershelpingwriters.net/2015/11/how-to-decide-how-many-pov-characters-our-book-needs/
There are some awesom ideas here thank you so much for the help also i was wondering if you have any other ideas for the haunted house other than what you have got im kinda struggling
Thank you so much, it would be great
Sorry i mean awesome
Hi there,
Our full entry for Haunted House can be found at our subscription site, One Stop for Writers: https://onestopforwriters.com/scene_settings I hope this helps!
Dear Sir Madam my request to read once please ,Hi thank for your reading my request call to you wanted volunteer help from you to make perfect my story script and manuscript to make film in holly wood.Future proceeds will going to help children with aids what my earning get from film studios.Today i am knocking your door you to open the door with smile and light of hope and love to help me free ? Definite god will give us rewards with good health wealth and happiness in our life and much more we don;t no.I think today you will help me free tomorrow when you need help some one will help you free definitely it will be happen you will get it.Request song to you.One day i am waiting for your one look my project. One day you will call me.One day i will sec you in my home.One day you will hear listen what i say i lay down i close my eyes at night i can sec your face on moon at night.One day i am gonna fly to holly wood i am still waiting for your free help and time that day will come or not i don;t no but i have hope? I have right to request and get chance and your free time do i ?Thank you.
Hi, Arshad. Unfortunately, Angela and I have no screenwriting experience, so we’re not in the best position to help with this. There are many screenwriting organizations and communities online where you can find advice on the process and meet others who might be able to swap scripts with you for mutual critiquing purposes when the time is right. Networking through those venues is probably your best bet. Best of luck with your project.
Hello!
I’m a big fan of your books, they’re truly one of the amazing and most efficent books i’ve used to help me in writing and i’m someone who has so many books as “Writer aid”. The material is just so detailed and thorough, the work you’ve done is truly exceptional. So i’m just here to tell you that i deeply appreciate the hard work, time and dedication you’ve put into these books and if anything, i’m a young writer in the process of writing my first book ever with your help!
Thank you, i wish you the best and i can’t wait to see what more books you will create.
Oh my gosh, what a kind note to leave us–thank you so much! You will totally finish this first book, and then another, and another…it will be a long line of books because you will persever! Keep at it, keep creating, and continue a life-long passion for learning and amazing things will happen. Have a lovely weekend, Nouf!
Greetings!
I’m hoping to find somebody to read my works, rate them and discuss with me some things concerning writing stuff. Have I come to the right place?
Thank you!
You can find many articles here yes, but as far as feedback on your writing, what you’re looking for is a critique group. We highly recommend The Critique Circle. https://www.critiquecircle.com/default.asp
Hello Angela and Becca.
Just wanted to share, I came across the Book Tour with John Grisham podcast and found it quite enlightening and entertainment. In short, Grisham is traveling around the country visiting independent bookstores and having live conversations with his author friends. I thought it may be a good source of entertainment, inspiration, and knowledge for your audience. It’s worth a listen.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/book-tour-with-john-grisham/id1244579552?mt=2
Hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
Thanks,
Mara
Thanks for passing this along, Mara!
Angela and Becca,
I just received my copies of your thesaurus’ and I can’t be happier. You both have done an exceptional job at providing not only quality information, but also secondary content that I look forward to using in my work.
Thanks!
Anthony
Oh, I’m so happy to hear this, Anthony. We worked super hard on those books and it’s always good to hear that customer is satisfied. Enjoy them! I hope they help you a ton with your writing!
Hello Angela,
Do you have anything on writing with the senses. I thought that you had, but could not find it. And the point of view. That seems to be somthing I screw up constantly.
Thanks.
D. Owen Powell
aka Uncle Dave
Hi David,
Both of our Setting Thesaurus books (the Rural & Urban volumes) deal with this exact subject–both teaching how to write sensory and meaningful description and then providing entries that look at the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures for 225 locations. You can also get some good help from our One Stop For Writers Tutorials: https://onestopforwriters.com/tutorials (free registration) and our Lessons: https://onestopforwriters.com/lessons (subscribers only).
Too, check out these articles:
http://elizabethspanncraig.com/4500/5-senses/
http://www.jerryjenkins.com/point-of-view/
http://avajae.blogspot.ca/2016/05/how-to-write-deep-pov.html
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/505388389413838462/ (if you have pinterest–helpful Deep POV checklist)
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/505388389413838462/ (my pinterest board for POV)
https://www.pinterest.com/onestop4writers/setting-help/ (again pinterest board for setting description)
https://www.pinterest.com/onestop4writers/description-help-for-writers/ (pinterest board for articles on description)
I hope this helps a bit!
I bought one of your books (used) on Amazon, and it seems to be a publisher’s reject. The reason I’m informing you of this is so you’re aware that someone in your publishing “house” is selling reject-grade copies of the book “The Emotion Thesaurus”. The content is fantastic, and through it I have now found this amazing resource (your website), for which I am grateful. I took pictures of the book and it’s defects, and will be glad to send them to you if you wish.
I’m going to be requesting a refund from Amazon, so I have no complaint with the you or the material, but wanted you to be aware that some improperly cut books are being sold.
Awesome material. Definitely glad I stumbled across your book(s) and now your website.
Hi, Ron. Thanks so much for letting us know. Please do send us the pictures (jaddpublishing@gmail.com). We only have one printer, so whoever is ordering books and selling them (whether that be Amazon or a third-party affiliate) should be getting good copies. If defective copies are going out, I’d like to contact the printer about that. I’m so sorry that this purchase didn’t meet your satisfaction, but I’m glad that you found us. I’ll be looking forward to your email.
I wants to write but can not find any platform. Please help me
Hi there. Building a platform is a hard but necessary part of the job for successful authors. For information on how to build yours, check out the Categories list in our right-hand sidebar; we have quite a few posts on Platform and Social Networking. Also, I highly suggest Jane Friedman’s blog; just type Platform into the search bar and a ton of helpful posts come up. Best of luck to you!
Angela and Becca,
Thank you so much for your blog and for the great articles you post. I’m taking part in NaNoWriMo this year and your article, ‘NaNoWriMo Triage Center: Helping You Get To 50K’, has some great tips. I also had a question for you about it. I help out on a website called Kingdom Pen (kingdompen.org) which supports young Christian writers. During the month of November we are sending out daily emails with encouragement and tips for those participating in NaNoWriMo. Some of these newsletters will contain part of an article about writing, along with a link to the full article and website. I was wondering if you’d allow us to feature ‘NaNoWriMo Triage Center: Helping You Get To 50K’ in one of the NaNo emails. We’d copy the first paragraph or two to the email, then provide a link to this site for readers to follow to get the rest of the article if you are willing to let us do this.
Whatever you decide, thank you for your time and your great blog content!
Hi Hope, thanks so much for getting in touch. By all means, feel free to add our post/link to your newsletter. There are two others that may also help if you want to investigate them as well. Today’s post offers 5 Tips to help writers keep in the writing flow: https://writershelpingwriters.net/2016/10/5-nanowrimo-hacks-keep-words-flowing/ and our most recent WHW Newsletter has a TON of writing links for NaNoWriMo you may also wish to check out. https://writershelpingwriters.net/?wysija-page=1&controller=email&action=view&email_id=1071&wysijap=subscriptions
I hope this helps, and thank you for supporting young writers! 🙂
My friend entered my name in your most recent contest. She tells me my name was chosen but I’m not ceratin just hwo to send my first page to you? Please enlighten me?
Hi, Pat. I’m sorry; there was no email address given with your entry, so I could only try contacting you with the email address associated with your WordPress account, and my messages kept bouncing. I had no other way of getting in touch with you, so I replied to your comment asking for you to reply within 24 hours or I would have to pick an alternate. When I didn’t hear back from you, I had to move on to the next winner on the list. I’m very sorry it didn’t work out.
Angela and Becca,
I finally purchased your thesaurus group, and… Oh, my! Your intros should be mandatory reading for anybody who wants to be called a fiction writer. Throughout your books, you remind me of all the things I forgot to remember. That sounds funky, I know, but I mean you present material I once knew and even taught myself, but in my blindness put aside from my personal use. Thank you for excellent and engaging instruction. Love it and encouraging others to grab their own copies.
Michael, thank you so much for the kind note. And I know exactly what you mean–I think we stuff ourselves so full of knowledge some of it leaks out–I read articles all the time that remind me of something I’ve forgotten about. Very thrilled you’ll get good help from our books, and thank you as well for referring it to others. That keeps our lights on so to speak, and allows us the freedom to keep doing this thing we love: helping writers. 🙂
Dear Becca and Angela,
I really love the thesaurus trio, it is a god sent. I am recommending a fourth thesaurus: PHOBIAS. The Negative Trait Thesaurus has nothing on phobias nor how to portray characters with phobias as flaws in good fiction.
Just a thought.
Thank you both sincerely,
Jim
Thanks Jim–very happy you find out books so helpful! Thanks for the idea on phobias–it is on our growing thesaurus collection list! 🙂
hi.
i would like to know if you also help first time writers? reason for me asking this is because i slowly publishing my book, in small sections, onto a place called ‘wattpad’. if you do, my book is called ‘cystals of nature’. for i truly need help with my book.
thank you.
Hi, Patricia! Congrats on jumping into the writing gig. We don’t give individual feedback on books, per se. The closest help we offer in that area is a monthly contest called Critiques 4 U, where people can enter a contest to have their first page critiqued. Our September contest just closed yesterday, but the next one is coming around on October 27th. So if you’ve signed up to receive our blog updates via email (which you can do in the left-hand sidebar on the home page), you’ll receive a notification when that contest begins. Best of luck!
I want all these books. Can you tell me where I can get them…..Are they all in book form? If not when will they be
Thanks
Melinda
Hi, Melinda. The Negative Trait Thesaurus, The Positive Trait Thesaurus, and The Emotion Thesaurus are available for purchase in print and digital forms at all the major distributors. The links can be found on the bookstore page. Just click on the desirable link beside each book to go to its page at the various distributors. The other thesauri at our blog aren’t available in book for yet, but we’re working on some of them!
I love your website and I hold online classes and was wondering if I could use your site as a reference tool and of course I would give credit thanks
Absolutely Melinda, feel free to let people know about what we have here. I hope it helps your students!
Ladies,
I ‘stumbled’ onto your website via Pinterest. I am interested in writing and have found the inspiration from your website to take the plunge! Thank you for your humor and your willingness to help others like me who are interested in writing, but haven’t started yet. I hope to be published in a year or two. Any suggestions?
Rodney B.
Rodney, work as hard as you can to improve your craft. Read writing blogs, books, take classes, join a critique group and write your brains out! There are a lot of great posts on all of these things on this site, so have a poke around, and welcome to the community! Writers are the best sort of people, and there is a ton of information and help online when you look for it! 🙂
I love your helpful posts and am so happy I found this website!\
Thank you for posting about topics that help other writers like me, who occasionally become stuck on a scene that’s just not working!
Sincerely
Jennifer E. McFadden
I purchased the the Negative trait thesaurus from itunes on August 10. I can access the book. If you need more details from me , please let me know. Is it possible to just email me the book? This website is amazing. I learned of your website through a published author who was saying that this site was an amazing resource.
Regards,
Kiesha
HI Kiesha,
Do you mean you “can’t” access the book? If that is what you meant, I found this link…I hope it helps! http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3688
I have been searching for a PDF version for the Settings Thesaurus (I can’t describe places to save my life!) and can’t find one anywhere. Could it be because I am in New Zealand? Any suggestions gratefully received.
HI Karen,
Becca and I have not converted the Setting Thesaurus into a book yet, so there is no PDF. However, we are working on it now, and so if you would like to be added to our notification list once it’s ready, just let me know!
I absolutely love your Emotion Thesaurus. I keep it open while I write. It is a priceless tool that has been implemented into things I can’t do without. I also use your setting descriptions as well. Again, priceless. Have you thought of doing a Physical Thesaurus, or something to that nature? I would love to write better descriptions about body movements, facial expressions (tired of nods, winks, shrugs, sighs, etc.). That would be another priceless tool I would love to have. I know you have tons more projects on your to-do list and APPRECIATE the hard work both of you put into helping writers.
Thanks for the kind words, Sabrina. We are working on the book version of the Setting Thesaurus now, so that might make you happy——if you can wait until next spring :). We haven’t talked about a body movement thesaurus; the closest we’ve come is the Physical Attribute Thesaurus, which discusses different body parts. But, really, anything is possible ;). And input is always appreciated, so we’ll take this into consideration.
Hi, I gushed already elsewhere about how I love this site and how useful it is, so I won’t repeat myself. But I had a thought–what about lists, or thesaurus entries for eras, and years. For example we hear people say, “that’s so ’60’s.” I recently began a book that takes place in the 20’s and realized I don’t know what is particular to that decade that differentiates it from the 1930’s or 1950’s, etc. Then there are differences between victorian era, the edwardian. It would be wonderful to have the most iconic differences laid out in a straightforward easy to reference style too. Just a thought, youo know, if you still haven’t filled the 24 hours in your day. 🙂
Christina, this is an interesting idea that Angela and I have briefly discussed in the past. We’ve talked about different historical periods and how to represent them. It would involve a lot of research, though, and we’re constantly afraid that we’re going to make mistakes with the facts. But we haven’t laid this idea to rest; it’s definitely something that we might revisit in the future. Thanks for the awesome idea!
Good morning Ms. Becca,
I say amen to this proposition. A recent trip into the 19th century ‘Wild West’ for a short story has me researching steam boat engines, oxen harness, Texas politics and cattle fever. It’s potentially endless and so much fun the short has grown to novella size. Like Ms. Christina I began thinking of your thesauri trio, but with revision to time and place. What an excellent tool this would be for creative planting or pruning in the story. I’ll bet you have an army of fans who would jump at the chance to freely contribute. I would, and gladly so.
Thanks for letting us know what you’d like to see, Jay!
Hi Becca and Angela,
I recently took your Webinar in March 2014 and learned so much from it. I’ve been using your site and thesauri for ideas and have found a combination of two things. One, whether or not I become published, I’m meant to be a writer. It is what brings me true joy. Two, the book I had finished and was sitting on as it percolated, needs to be rewritten before I’m ready to submit it to other eyes. I have a sister who will read it for me but I want to get the book into the Critique Circle within the next month. I know that’s going to be the best way for me to learn.
Thank you for all of the work you have put into this site. It is most wondrous.
Tim
Tim, this is great news to hear. Once you know what you’re meant to do, it all becomes a little clearer, doesn’t it? Not easier, unfortunately. But clearer ;). I absolutely love Critique Circle. As I think we mentioned in the webinar, that’s where Angela and I met, so it already holds a dear place in my heart. But aside from that, it’s an awesome group of writers and an excellent format for finding other likeminded people to share your work with. Having other writers read and examine our work is so important for our growth as writers. I can’t wait to hear how your knowledge exponentially grows by taking that step. Best of luck!
Could you give me some insight on why your site won’t let me sign up for blog updates?
Thanks.
Devon, so sorry you are having troubles subscribing. Can you describe if you get an error message, or if you are just signing up and not getting any emails? I ran a search for this email used here and couldn’t find it as a subscriber, so I added it manually. Let me know if you get a notification tomorrow, (which is when our next post will come out). Should you not desire to be subscribed, or wish a different email to be subscribed, just let me know and I’ll make changes as needed.
Again, apologies–thank you for letting me know you were having an issue.
Angela
Recently, on your great web site you had an article on the four traits that are detrimental to characters. I cannot find the article. Please tell me how I can find it.
Thanks.
Jerry Cohen
Jerryscohen@hotmail.com
Hi Jerry,
Do you mean the 4 types of character flaws? If so, that’s here: https://writershelpingwriters.net/2013/11/the-four-types-of-character-flaws/
Thank you for the WHW Amazing Race. I submitted my attempt at a query letter and didn’t have to wait long for a critique. My reviewer provided me with excellent suggestions and encouragement. I had been staring at the words I had written, knowing it needed to be tightened up, but not able to wrap my head around how to actually do it. Writing the novel was much easier. I feel as though I’ve been jump-started and almost have the letter where I feel confident sending it to an agent.
I discovered this site (The Bookcase Muse) about a year ago and have utilized the Emotional Thesaurus often, as well as enjoying the articles and information posted. You are providing a service that will make a difference for so many aspiring writers.
Thanks, thanks, thanks!!!!
Thanks Debbie–I’m so glad that you were able to get some good feedback. The Race was a lot of fun for all of us! 🙂
The Bookshelf Muse is an amazing resource. I’ve shared the link privately with my friends and on Facebook. I have been with your site forever, have seen your growth, and found your entries so helpful as a spring board that never fails to jump start my creativity when I get stuck. You are the yeast in the dough that keeps rising, and I wonder how high! I’m along for the ride, girls. Thanks again.
Bonnie, what a wonderful thing to say. We are thrilled we can help you on your journey–that’s what we’re all about. As writers, we walk the path together, always supporting, always helping, and when one succeeds, we all do. 🙂
Angela