Want to immerse readers in your story? Our Descriptive Thesaurus Collection is here to help you master the art of show, don’t tell.
Created by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi, each thesaurus is packed with descriptive ideas to strengthen your characters, deepen your fiction, and draw readers in. This thesaurus collection is also part of the largest show-don’t-tell database found anywhere, a resource we created for One Stop for Writers, a web app that makes planning, writing, and revising much easier.
Your Go-To Resource for Mastering Show, Don’t Tell
Choose the topic you need help with below. The thesaurus will show you how to write each element with authority so your description powers the story!
Coping Mechanism Thesaurus: The Keys to Your Character’s Success or Failure
About this thesaurus:
Whether or not a character achieves their story goal often depends on their coping mechanisms. At some point, they’ll either exchange dysfunctional habits and mindsets with helpful ones or embrace their unproductive methods and reject growth. This thesaurus will explore many common healthy and unhealthy mechanisms so you can arm your character for failure or success.
Not yet
Coming soon (view all topics in the database)
Character Secrets Thesaurus: The Hidden Truths that Shape a Character
About this thesaurus:
Every character has things they’d rather keep hidden—but some secrets change everything. Hidden truths about past pain, mistakes, insecurities, or failures can shape how a character thinks, acts, and sees the world. This thesaurus helps you brainstorm meaningful secrets that add depth, create tension, and set the stage for conflict that will eventually bring them to light.
Character Trope and Type Thesaurus: Turn Familiar Archetypes into Fresh, Unique Characters
About this thesaurus:
Certain character archetypes and tropes appear in stories again and again because they’re instantly recognizable to readers. This thesaurus helps you go beyond stereotypes, developing well-rounded characters who fulfill their roles while feeling original and authentic.
Fear Thesaurus: Explore Debilitating Fears and How They Hold Characters Back
About this thesaurus:
Fears are common, but deeper ones can be crippiling, influencing every decision a character makes. This thesaurus explores real-world fears and how they can limit your character, change their personality, affect their relationships, and hamper their efforts to achieve meaningful story goals.
Relationship Thesaurus: Build Compelling Connections and Friction
About this thesaurus:
Relationships can be a character’s greatest source of support—or their toughest challenge. This thesaurus helps you plan each connection with intention, showing how it shapes a character’s choices, sparks meaningful attachments or points of friction, and ultimately drives the story forward.
Conflict Thesaurus: Supercharge Your Story with 225 Conflict Scenarios
About this thesaurus:
Conflict is the lifeblood of fiction and comes in endless forms. This thesaurus provides a huge range of scenarios to challenge your characters with—big obstacles, small frustrations, power struggles, painful dilemmas, and dangers that threaten to derail their goals and strip their self-worth. Get ready to raise the stakes, build tension, and create memorable story moments!
Occupation Thesaurus: Find the Job that Suits Your Character Best and Write It with Authority
About this thesaurus:
A character’s job is more than just a paycheck—it reveals priorities, skills, personality traits, ethics, and more. This thesaurus explores a wide range of occupations and how each can influence your character’s worldview, create opportunities for friction, and impact their story goals. Use it to speed up the get-to-know-the-character phase for readers, find story-worthy problems, and more.
Character Motivation Thesaurus: Identify What Drives Your Characters
About this thesaurus:
A character’s motivation is the driver behind every choice they make. This thesaurus helps you pinpoint their goals, understand why they matter so much, and anticipate the sacrifices and obstacles they’ll face along the way—ensuring your plot and character arc align perfectly.
Weather & Earthly Phenomenon Thesaurus: Set Mood and Atmosphere with Precision
About this thesaurus:
Weather and natural events can do more than set the scene—they can influence mood, foreshadow events, and heighten emotion. This thesaurus shows you how to use these elements purposefully to create or diffuse tension, layer on conflict, and deepen the reader’s emotional experience so they stay immersed in your story.
Physical Feature Thesaurus: Describe a Character’s Appearance in Meaningful Ways
About this thesaurus:
A character’s appearance can hint at their personality, emotions, or history—if described with care. This thesaurus offers ideas for portraying physical features so they feel fresh, layered, and connected to who the character truly is. Write character descriptions that ignite the reader’s imagination, rather than flat or generic ones that render someone forgettable.
Positive Trait Thesaurus: Build Admirable, Believable Characters
About this thesaurus:
Positive traits help readers connect with your characters and root for their success. This thesaurus explores a wide range of strengths—like loyalty, honesty, and determination—and shows you how to write a character’s behaviors and actions so they align with who they are. To be believable, all characters need positive qualities…even your antagonist.
Negative Trait Thesaurus: Create Complex, Flawed Characters
About this thesaurus:
Flaws make characters human—and relatable. They create friction, lead to problems that must be fixed, and open the door for meaningful growth or a person’s downfall. This thesaurus examines a variety of negative traits, from arrogance to impulsivity, and offers behavioral cues for each so you can write their thoughts, actions, and choices to match their darker side.
Color and Pattern Thesaurus: Choose Comparisons that Influence Emotion and the Reader’s Attention
About this thesaurus:
Color and pattern choices have built-in symbolism that writers can use to influence a character’s emotion and mood, craft vivid imagery, and draw the reader’s attention to the right things at the right time. Use this thesaurus to find the perfect comparisons to make descriptions memorable and meaningful.
Texture Thesaurus: Bring Scenes to Life Through Touch
About this thesaurus:
Texture can magnify a reader’s sensory experience, pulling them deeper into the story world. This thesaurus offers natural and man-made comparisons readers will instantly recognize, sparking memories and emotional connections. Use it to make settings, objects, and moments more tangible and immersive.
Shapes Thesaurus: Quickly Convey Setting Elements Through Size and Shape
About this thesaurus:
The size and shape of an object should be easy for readers to visualize without pulling them out of the story. This thesaurus provides familiar natural and man-made comparisons so you can describe shapes quickly, clearly, and in ways that keep the focus on the action.
Setting Thesaurus: Bring Urban & Rural Locations to Life
About this thesaurus:
Setting does more than name a place—it shapes mood, reveals character, represents needs or desires, and provides natural opportunities for conflict. This thesaurus helps you describe a variety of urban and rural locations using specific, sensory detail (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch) and meaningful context so scenes feel immersive.
Theme and Symbolism Thesaurus: Add Depth and Meaning to Your Story
About this thesaurus:
Themes give a story a deeper meaning, and symbolism is the language that helps us convey it. This thesaurus explores iconic symbols tied to common literary themes—such as the passage of time, coming of age, or redemption—so you can weave in imagery that resonates, reinforces your message, and causes readers to reflect on it long after the book is closed.
Emotion Thesaurus: Show Emotion with Authenticity
About this thesaurus:
Body language, thoughts, and internal sensations can speak louder than words—if you know how to write them well. This thesaurus helps you go beyond smiles and frowns to show a wide range of emotions through facial expressions, behavior, visceral sensations, thoughts, and dialogue cues. With fresh, specific ideas for 130+ emotions, brainstorming how to show what characters feel so it draws readers in becomes easier than ever.
The Talent and Skill Thesaurus: Give Characters Qualities that Make Them Stand Out
About this thesaurus:
Talents and skills can set a character apart, open new plot possibilities, and reveal personality. This thesaurus explores a wide range of abilities—both everyday and extraordinary—showing you how to integrate them naturally so they contribute meaningfully to character development and plot!
Emotional Wound Thesaurus: Backstory Events That Shape the Present
About this thesaurus:
A painful event from the past can echo through every part of a character’s life, shaping their beliefs, fears, and choices. This thesaurus examines a wide variety of emotional wounds—such as betrayal, abandonment, or loss—and shows you how they might influence your character’s personality, relationships, behavior, and story arc. Use it to create backstories that feel real, create barriers that must be overcome to grow, and make readers feel seen as they process their own struggles.
The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus: Heighten Emotional Volatility and Tension
About this thesaurus:
This companion to The Emotion Thesaurus contains states of being that are often confused with emotions. Amplifiers (stress, addiction, pain, and attraction, to name a few) make a character more emotionally volatile and prone to bad decisions and mistakes. This thesaurus explores the psychological processes that accompany amplifiers and how to write their influence on a character’s actions, choices, and decisions. Find the perfect amplifier to add pressure, raise stakes, and accelerate character change.
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147 Comments. Leave new
[…] other online resources, my favorite resource for a descriptive vocabulary is — hands down — WritersHelpingWriters.com. Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi have compiled an incredible collection of thesauri for […]
[…] różne Kolekcje tezaurusa (Różne kategorie ze strony internetowej Writer’s Helping Writers) […]
[…] and I are actively exploring this topic through a new thesaurus at Writers Helping Writers. The Character Types and Tropes Thesaurus will dig into Jung’s archetypes and many tropes—what the commonalities are for each and how […]
[…] DESCRIPTIVE THESAURUS COLLECTION […]
[…] April of 2021, Writers Helping Writers, the makers of the fabulous One Stop For Writers and Thesaurus books, hosted a blog post on the topic. See here for practical ways to use TikTok to see your […]
[…] April of 2021, Writers Helping Writers, the makers of the fabulous One Stop For Writers and Thesaurus books, hosted a blog post on the topic. See here for practical ways to use TikTok to see your […]
[…] Descriptive Thesaurus Collection […]
[…] https://writershelpingwriters.net/thesaurus-collections/ […]
all of these are so helpful, thank you! i’m a young aspiring writer attempting to finish my first book and these thesauruses and this website as a whole has saved me more times than i can count.
So glad to hear they are a help, Ash!
[…] Misc. Thesaurus Collections (Various categories from the Writer’s Helping Writers website […]
hello angela
im from india..my son,12 yrs old,is studying gcse …where he needs to write creative write ups..our english is not that good..your books seems to be helpful…however i would like to know if someone needs whole set all how and where to buy from….also do you have any book on sci fi .like space…alien? i would also like to know if there is any blog where my son can join to learn and share creative ideas?please do let me know
Hi, Sheetal. Becca here. So glad to hear you’re looking into writing resources for your son. To answer your questions, you don’t need to buy the whole set of books because they each stand along in terms of instruction. I would say to start with The Emotion Thesaurus (since I believe it has the instructive content that would be most helpful for someone his age) and then the character trait books, which will give him a crash course in characterization and character building. If you’re interested in purchasing any of our books, that information can be found on our Bookstore page (https://writershelpingwriters.net/bookstore/).
Our books are meant to help writers of all genres, so we don’t currently have anything specifically for sci-fi stories, so I’m afraid we can’t help you there. But if you’re looking for a place where you son can share his work, I highly suggest Critique Circle (www.critiquecircle.com), which is an online community of writers who share excerpts of their work and offer their feedback on other people’s stories. That’s where Angela and I met as critique partners and they don’t have an age limit, so it’s possible your son could find some good advice and partners there.
Best of luck to you and to him!
Becca
As far as I’ve found on this site, the space ship and space port entries in the setting thesaurus could be helpful starting points for sci fi.
I have ordered half a dozen of your thesauruses and am learning plenty. But there is a problem with The Urban Setting Thesaurus: from page 4 to 144 the last line or two of print at the bottom of each page is missing or partially missing, rendering the book useless for me. Is there a way for me to get a replacement book? I could send you the book for you to check for yourselves. Thanks and have a great day!
Hi Patricia,
I am thrilled the books have been helpful but so sorry you received a defective copy! This doesn’t happen often, but it does happen when the ink runs low at the printer. The good news is most online e-tailers are great about sending a replacement copy, so wherever you bought it from, they will have a contact link for returns and replacements. For example, here’s Amazon.com’s: https://www.amazon.com/spr/returns
The etailer is the one who requests the copy on your behalf and has it printed, so they are the one to reach out to for a replacement copy at no cost (or shipping). They may ask for a screenshot of the damage. I’m not sure where you purchased from, but usually the link for returns and replacements in in the footer of that page’s site. If you need help fuinding the link, just let me know who you bought it from and I’ll scout around for the link. 😉
[…] your subscription, you get access to every one of the thesauruses that Angela and Becca have written. That is a total of […]
Is there any new thesaurus on its way? I would definitely like to see the occupation, conflict, and motivation – these three thesauri on my kindle asap. Please don’t make us wait for long. Thanks for your invaluable contribution to the development of writing skills that I am trying to study and practice for a long time. Regards.
The Occupation Thesaurus is next, releasing sometime in 2020. If you like you can sign up to our notification list here: https://twitter.us20.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=cc1cb11597b48d3f26dd7e1c3&id=f6515a7617 and you’ll get an email each time a new book’s date is set & when ti releases. 😉
Not every thesaurus becomes a book, but they are always accessible through a subscription at One stop for Writers (where we can expand the thesauruses easily): https://onestopforwriters.com/character_motivations
I purchased the Emotion Thesaurus in ebook form and it doesn’t have an Appendix like my paperback copy of The Emotional Wound Thesaurus, was it supposed to have one or not? Thanks.
Hi J,
Can you give us a bit more detail, such as where you bought the ebook so we know what type of file this was (kindle, kobo, etc.?) Thank you,
Angela
[…] Emotion Thesaurus cover image from Writers Helping Writers. […]
[…] was part of the reason why Becca and I began building databases of information called thesauruses. We knew it would shorten the brainstorming […]
What I would like is to have the option to purchase all the thesaurus’ in PDF version, so I can add it to my kindle and have it next to wherever I am. So the Occupations/Weather etc, etc would be available to download for say $9.99 US.
I’m not bothered about having a subscription to an online website I would far prefer the option of purchasing the PDFs. These are such great books I want them all on my shelf somehow.
Hi Emma,
Right now what we find works the best for us is to have all the collections in one place at One Stop for Writers. This was we can expand and add to the thesauruses whenever we want because we’re not limited by a page count or the “2-page spread” format we follow in books. Some of these thesauruses will become books though–we just need time to do them as they take a lot of energy to complete and research thoroughly. 🙂
I believe that was not what Emma was asking about. She wanted to buy all of the books as PDFs, rather than subscribing to your website. So do I.
I’m sure you’re making plenty of money selling temporary access for $90 a year … but there’s a market besides that of professional writers who can afford that as a business expense. For example, you’re getting $0 from me instead of, say, $20, because I too would buy a PDF compilation (if you didn’t include Digital Restrictions Management — I will not buy DRM-locked books out of principle) but I’m not going to pay anything for temporary access to a site that I might need to use two or three times a year, but have to continue paying for when I’m not using it.
We understand what you’re saying, and why you would rather purchase all the WHW thesauruses in PDF form rather than join a subscription service to access them. The problem is that we don’t have PDFs for all of our thesauruses. It takes quite a chunk of time to clean up a thesaurus, format it, add the necessary instructive front matter so writers will know how to best use the information, and turn it into a digital book (even in PDF form). As such, we’ve had to make hard choices about where our time should go, and we’ve decided to only create PDFs for collections that are being made into books.
This is why Angela suggested One Stop for Writers——because all of our thesauruses can be found there in their entirety. We understand that the subscription model isn’t for everyone, but because we can’t provide what Emma was asking for, we suggested the only other option we currently have. We do appreciate you letting us know what products/formats would be most helpful for you, since this guides our decision making.
[…] for this is The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. They have a sample list online that I use (scroll […]
Hi,
It feels kind of funny to ask this, but can we please have a thesaurus of obstacles, conflicts, problems, stakes or something like that?
Thanks & regards,
Krishnendu
We actually have this at our second site, One Stop for Writers. You can find generators on these topics here: https://onestopforwriters.com/generator
And there’s a free 1-month code here if you need it: https://onestopforwriters.com/image_tips
[…] and writing skills. One of the types of thesaurus Team KC recommends to all the writers is The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman. This title has an entire series dedicated to various emotions that can help a […]
[…] https://writershelpingwriters.net/thesaurus-collections/ Go to this website as the authors have created Thesauri about so many parts of writing including 2 on Negative traits and Positive traits. They go into extreme depth and it is so interesting. It is also very helpful and teaching you how to show and tell these traits and so much more. […]
Hi, I’ve taken a brief skim-through of the thesauruses you offer here, but I’m unsure if you have what I’m looking for.
I’m looking for a thesaurus (or another resource) that can give me a list of words to use as types of emotionally-tinged synonym for “said”.
For example “XXX!” she spat, or “X-XXX…” she stammered, or “A, B, C, D…” she rattled off.
Any help would be appreciated.
Ah, I see another comment on this 1 page (https://writershelpingwriters.net/suggestion-box/) that asked for the same thing. Guess you don’t have it yet then?
Hi, Jimmy. We don’t currently have a resource for that. The closest thing is our Weak Verbs Converter tool; just scroll down to the “Say” heading to see other words you can use.
The truth is that while some alternatives for “said” are ok to use, “said” typically works better because it’s invisible. When we get too flowery with the dialogue tags, they start to stand out and call attention to themselves. “Said” is one of those words that’s so common; like the, and, and I, it doesn’t get repetitive. So do feel free to throw in the occasional alternative when the situation calls for it, but do so sparingly. For the most part, it’s better to just stick with said. 🙂
Thanks for the reply and the advice!
My pleasure!
These have been very helpful to me
https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/words-to-use-instead-of-said
http://literallycait.tumblr.com/post/165517499005/words-to-replace-said-except-this-actually-helps
[…] from their own posts, posts by their Resident Writing Coaches (including yours truly), and posts of samples for whatever new thesaurus they have in the works (their newest addition is the Occupation […]
Hi, I must admit that all these fruits of your invaluable metculus efforts enriched me to give my ability to express myself a truely desirable orientation, which is why I am requesting for something more; can you please bless us with a thesaurus of plot drivers? Regards….
If you are looking for help on plotting, maybe check out our plot complication idea generator (and the Story prompts one!) at our other site, One Stop for Writers: https://onestopforwriters.com/generator
You might find this helpful. 🙂
[…] fiction. Other authors helping other authors that have also inspired me include K.M. Weiland, Angela Ackerman and Beth Puglisi and their thesauri series. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t also give a nod to […]
[…] your characterization and story. I reviewed four of them here, and you can learn more about them here as well. They also offer regular blog posts that cover other thesaurus like entries, such as the […]
Hello Interested in hearing and reading ur books online.
[…] The newest edition will be available October 25th, 2017 so mark your calendars! I look forward to adding to this wonderful series! […]
What are you working on next? 🙂
We are currently finishing the Emotional Wound Thesaurus book, and looking to October for release. 🙂 Are you on our notification list? If not, put yourself on it if you like, and we’ll send out an email when there’s a firm date. You can find the form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSezNaxWvLZdk_jE1fVTXDHgcha2YbqGEzoMp9qngPvEUtesCw/viewform
GOT IT!
IT’S AWESOME
I am so glad you found One Stop! That is our special project, and we absolutely love the freedom of being able to create amazing tools for writers there. I hope you find it really helpful! And thank you for the kind words. We love helping others. 🙂
I am a professional international psychologist with two minors; business management and english (lit) I need a thesaurus or online, I do not care, that I can get to easily, or have it attached already to my word: to purpose different wording possibilities. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, I would be grateful and appreciative
There are 13 description thesauruses for writers at One Stop For Writers: http://www.onestopforwriters.com
[…] other online resources, my favorite resource for a descriptive vocabulary is — hands down — WritersHelpingWriters.com. Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi have compiled an incredible collection of thesauri for […]
[…] I can’t get my friend another book, you say. But what about a book on writing? Every writer will appreciate On Writing by Stephen King or a Descriptive Thesaurus. […]
I would like to order one copy of, Emotional Thesaurus.
Hi, Hugh. I’m so glad you’re interested in getting a copy of The Emotion Thesaurus. We don’t sell them directly but use distributors to do that for us. This page contains links to the various places it can be bought, including Indiebound, which will show you any independent bookstores near you that carry our book. Please let us know if you have any trouble. Have a great week!
[…] There is a thesaurus for practically anything and everything that a writer might be puzzled by, with more coming out as the authors complete them. Their offerings include The Emotion Thesaurus, The Positive Trait Thesaurus as well as The Negative Trait Thesaurus and such in-depth subjects as The Emotional Wounds Thesaurus, The Symbolism and Motif Thesaurus, and The Talent and Skill Thesaurus, plus many more. You can read about them and learn where to purchase them on Angela and Becca’s website. […]
There’s so much I need to learn about writing well. Mostly I concentrate on good plots. Thanks for what you do.
[…] Descriptive Thesaurus. A thesaurus on how to describe everything from settings, to colors, to people. […]
[…] 1. The Descriptive Thesaurus Series […]
In the Negative Trait Thesaurus, Appendix A: Needs and Lies, the Associated Needs and Lies would be souch easier to view, understand and internalize if the information was s into 2 columns. That way the Need and the Lie ( the dicotomoy) would be visually laid out side by side, instead of 6 or 16 lines later.
Thanks for the feedback, Patricia. We are always interested in what will make our books better. 🙂
[…] you don’t like books, there are hundreds of different thesauruses out there for you to use (including some just for writers). Seconds, mere clicks […]
[…] with plot planning, self-editing and promoting your book. You’ll be especially excited about the collection of thesauruses for emotions, talents, skills, physical attributes and other important character […]
[…] tells to help portray emotions in a variety of ways. It still has some fairly extensive (and free) guides to characterization and setting, as well as some general advice […]
Has there been any thought about a book on similes? I am anxiously awaiting the new thesaurus coming in June, but coming up with a powerful or even a simple simile sometimes becomes taxing. It doesn’t have to be an entire book. It could be an add-on to what you already have on this site.
There isn’t a book on Similes by us, but there are many, many examples in the two Setting Thesaurus volumes releasing in June.
As always, very helpful!!
Are you planning on doing one on physical motion and movement? It would be helpful in my editing if I were able to describe characters movements in a variety of ways. I like to add a depth to my characters by giving them movement. For example, a regular thesaurus tells me alternate words for walk is: march, parade, step, and so on. I’m looking for shuffled, limped, ambled, etc. I am also looking for replacements for phrases such as ‘walked around’, ‘walked behind’…
Something that will help you Keri is the Weak Verb Converter Tool on the Tools for Writers page. This has many stronger options for “weaker” verbs. https://writershelpingwriters.net/writing-tools/
Thank you! The link has been a great help!
[…] This robust sampling from the published book lists the physical manifestations of many emotions. https://writershelpingwriters.net/thesaurus-collections ~~~To get updates on my new titles for 2016 and beyond, sign up, click here. […]
[…] with plot planning, self-editing and promoting your book. You’ll be especially excited about the collection of thesauruses for emotions, talents, skills, physical attributes and other important character […]
[…] Don’t have a villain as yet? Try my quick and easy recipe to develop characters to get you started. Just toss in some extra negative traits to make sure you get enough nasty in there. Having trouble with finding negative traits, try Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi’s book The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Flaws. […]
[…] with plot planning, self-editing and promoting your book. You’ll be especially excited about the collection of thesauruses for emotions, talents, skills, physical attributes and other important character […]
I don’t comment often but I sure enjoy your information. Question: I have purchased the Emotion Thesaurus and find it very useful. Will you be publishing the other Thesauruses in hardback?
The guests commentators on your site offer really great input. I look forward to seeing Writers Helping Writers pop up on my computer. Thank you.
Hi, Joanne. I’m so glad you’re finding helpful information at our site, and that your copy of the Emotion Thesaurus is coming in handy :). I don’t know if you’re aware, but there’s a free companion to that book called Emotion Amplifiers; you can download a copy at Amazon or Smashwords. We also have a published version of our Character Traits Thesaurus; that one is in two volumes, The Positive Trait Thesaurus and The Negative Trait Thesaurus. Those are available in print and digital copies; you can find distribution sites on our Bookstore page. The Setting Thesaurus is the next collection that will be turned into book form. That will have two volumes also (Urban and Rural settings), and those are due out in late spring. Please let us know if you have any other questions. Happy writing!
Dearest Becca:
First of all, thank you for this outstanding site. I bought the book about Positive traits and I love it. However I have a hard time trying to describe old, creaking, wooden floor, and all the words that I think of, do not fit in. How would you describe this type of floor in an abandoned house? You have to watch out because the floors are uneven, you may fall, etc, etc….
Hi, Julio. I’m so glad you’re finding the Positive Traits book helpful. As far as describing the old wooden floor, I would focus on words that show how it sounds and feels. Write a paragraph about your main character crossing the floor in the dark, where he can’t see and must instead rely on his other senses. His toes stub the uneven edges of the warped boards. He slides his feet across the rough boards, feeling the spots where the finish has worn off. The sound of the boards creaking is loud in the dark. This description isn’t one you’re likely to use in your story, but it will give you ideas for what details can be used to make your descriptions more vivid and realistic for readers. I hope this helps!
[…] from The Emotion, Positive Trait, and Negative Trait thesauruses (and their other thesauruses on Writers Helping Writers) to Bath and Body Works Pocket Notes booklets (I used to work there) that list the key notes of […]
[…] Descriptive Thesaurus. A thesaurus on how to describe everything from settings, to colors, to people. […]
[…] The Emotion’s Thesaurus -Descriptive Thesaurus Collection (story) […]
[…] and “The Negative Traits Thesaurus”? And then there’s the rest of the thesaurus collection at WritersHelpingWriters.net. All that is now updated, enhanced and available through a brand new […]
Thank you so much! This is a gold mine here…food for thought and composition. So much hard work to benefit writers. This is an amazing legacy. Most grateful!
[…] https://writershelpingwriters.net/thesaurus-collections/ […]
How would you describe yearning in a child. Like they want to do something but are afraid.
I would describe the thought process of wanting something and then the fears. Also think hesitation and start/stopping in body language and action.Like taking steps forward, then stpping, reversing direction, that sort of thing. Or making a decision, and then reversing the decision.
How would you describe the sounds of a fiddle being played?
I would try to describe the melody be how it makes the listener feel. Give it an emotion component. 🙂
Thanks
[…] author of the book “Three Lines.” Follow her @blackinkpinkdsk Angela Ackerman over at Writers Helping Writers is one of my favorite go-to resources for advice on characters, setting, word building, symbol […]
Do the two of you ever plan on attempting to possibly turn all of these into books (physical and/or eBook) in the future? The reason I’m only asking because I think it would be great to have them as a use. Especially for those who are on the road, having no way to connect to the internet, or just not wanting to actually be on the internet at that given time due to whatever given reasons. (Such as getting easily distracted and whatnot.) If not, that’s fine! I can just come back and forth with looking all of this up on here! ^^;;
Hi, DJ. I’m glad you’re finding so much of our content useful. Some of it we will be turning into books; the Setting Thesaurus, for example, should be out this winter *fingers crossed*. But some of the material we won’t be publishing, because not all of it is in high demand. So yes and no :).
Hey! Some is better than none! So I’m not complaining. Either way, I’ll be using this site in one way or another regardless of the situation.
[…] and Ends Show Emotion With Body Language (scroll down for samples) Descriptive Thesaurus Find a Career With Wages Behind the Name – First Name History/Origin Name Generator Currency […]
[…] with plot planning, self-editing and promoting your book. You’ll be especially excited about the collection of thesauruses for emotions, talents, skills, physical attributes and other important character […]
[…] The Emotion Thesaurus […]
Would you be willing to come up with a thesaurus for smells.
Hi, Chellie! We’re always open to new ideas :). What kind of information would this cover?
The description for smells is extensive, but I will try to narrow it down to a shorter version of what I was thinking. It would combine a lot of what you already have, but I think it would help writers become more rich in their story telling. I am not as good a writer as others I have not been doing it long.
I must admit I am guilty of not taking the time or attention to identify smells, I have been trying to remember to do it in different situations, but those who are a lot like me that do not smell as well as others do.
I compensate by adding verbs to smells, kind of like bringing them to a little bit of life, such as waft, surround, wrap, assault etc…
Like others when I hear sounds, smell things or feel specific feelings they will spark or trigger memories which in turn elicit emotions, connect smells with emotions.
Sometimes smells will cause images to form in my mind, sometimes they are not even related to the smell, I am sure I am not the only one who does this.
I can try to put together something for you, but it will take a while, smells are the most difficult thing to do, but I cannot do it alone.
Ok, I think I see what you’re saying. I can see how something like this would be helpful. Please don’t go to any trouble putting anything together, only because I don’t know when/if we would be able to do a Smells Thesaurus (since we have a list of possible thesauri that we’re working through). We will add this one to the list of possibilities and see what happens :). Thanks so much for your input, Chellie!
Becca, I hate to ask for more as you already have so much wonderful information here. However, I’d like a book like the one asked for above, especially if it could cover all the senses. Smell, taste, touch, sight, sound. To me it sounds like such a tall order that I think I’m asking for too much. But it would be so helpful (eyes cast heavenward in supplication). Oops, sorry for the flying body parts.
I’ve bought all your thesauri in ebook form as they came out. Now I’m scraping the money together to get the hard copies.
Whatever you want to put in book form I will buy and be thankful for. And I really appreciate your emails. I save most of your columns on my hard drive so I can use them at any time. Sorry use isn’t the word I want, but had a stroke in November of last year and words won’t always come.
Judi, there’s never any harm in asking. We’re always grateful for feedback from you all about what you’d like to see; it’s a part of what drives our choices regarding new thesauruses. We’ve added this idea to the hopper and will take your comments into account. And thanks so much for your kind words. I’m so glad that our books and resources are coming in handy :).
[…] of a word. Doing this research makes you a stronger word smith. Don’t just use one type of Thesaurus, just as you would not use the same word over and over again in your stories. Think outside the box […]
[…] thesauri specifically made for writers. Thesaurus.com can only do so much. I particularly love the thesaurus collection written by the ladies over at Writers Helping Writers (formerly The Bookshelf Muse). They have […]
I teach a nonfiction picture book class and at the beginning of each class, your books are must haves for every aspiring writer. Have you considered doing your other thesauruses (settings, colors, etc) in an ebook format? Even for a nominal fee? It would be so worth it to me and I am sure to many others as well.
Hi, Kristen! Thanks so much for promoting our books through your nonfiction picture book class. People like you are doing the heavy lifting for us when it comes to marketing our books, and Angela and I really appreciate it! We talk quite a bit about which thesauri to turn into books. Some have been better received than others and we feel they would sell well as books. Others, not so much. We’ve discussed the ebook-only option, and it’s something that makes sense for some of our smaller collections. Some of them, honestly, we may never publish in book form. But as new products become available, we’ll announce them here, so stay tuned :). Thanks again for your support and feedback.
Hey guys, I recently purchased all your thesaurus collection, and I would like to know witch one should I start with?
Hi, Júlia. Thanks so much for buying the books! As for which one to read first, it kind of depends on what you’re most interested in learning. The Emotion Thesaurus contains a lot of in-depth information about the importance of showing instead of telling; while it focuses mostly on how to show character emotion, the techniques shared can be applied to any of the descriptive writing in your story. If you feel like that’s an area you could hone in your writing, I would start there. If you’re focus is on character building and characterization, I’d suggest starting with The Negative Trait Thesaurus; it goes into great detail about how flaws are formed, the importance of knowing your character’s backstory, and how to go about creating unique and realistic characters.
The good news is that the books aren’t sequential, so you can honestly start with any of the three and come away with new techniques and information to help with your writing. Best of luck!
This is so awesome! I’ve been building a collection like this for ages, but mine is pitiful. You are an answer to prayer. Thank you.
Very happy you found you way here, Connie! 🙂
[…] with plot planning, self-editing and promoting your book. You’ll be especially excited about the collection of thesauruses for emotions, talents, skills, physical attributes and other important character […]
Thank you, I am looking forward to them and I will purchase them. The emotion thesaurus has gotten me out of many stressful binds and the personality traits, both have served me well.
First off, I love the three books, the Emotion, Negative and Positive traits Thesaurus books; I first purchased the Emotion thesaurus and it helped me so much I purchased the other two. They are very helpful resources; if you were to put the other thesaurus’ in eBook form I would purchase them without hesitation. Thank you so much for the help.
Chellie, thanks so much for taking the time to write us. We are so pleased you are finding our books helpful! Converting our blog content and then expanding it to become an ebook and print book takes a lot of time, and so it is rewarding to hear from people that the time is well spent and they are getting good use from our collections. We hope to have two more books ready in April (on setting)!
Yay!!
[…] Every writer needs to have good reference books at hand. Yep, good old fashioned, hard copy dictionary and thesaurus. I know there are free ones online, but there is still something awe-inspiring about holding a giant dictionary in your hands and skimming through the myriad words you can use to express yourself. Call me a geek, but I still love and use the good old Webster’s and Roget that I used in college. Other options would be the Synonym Finder, The Emotion Thesaurus, The Negative Trait Thesaurus, or The Positive Trait Thesaurus – all are excellent resources. Check out the other thesauruses (thesauri?) that these talented authors are working on here. […]
I got here by someone saying this was like a Paradise for an author.
And she was so right!
Thank you very much for useful resources! I have a doubt, though – why are the titles strickenthrough?
Also, a suggestion: maybe you could make a verb substitute thesaurus, for replacing weak verbs for powerful ones (exploded instead of ran, for instance).
Thanks a lot for the awesome content!
Hi, Thiago. Thanks so much for bringing this to our attention. We experienced some kind of technical snafu this weekend that I believe triggered the strike-throughs. It should be fixed now. As for your suggestion, we don’t have a weak verb thesaurus in the pipeline, but we do have an Active Verbs List on our Tools page. I believe this might be what you’re looking for :).
Hahaha that’s exactly what I had in mind. Thanks for pointing it out to me! I’m gonna go crazy with this in the rewriting! 🙂
All the best for you, and thanks again.
Thank you so much for your presentation to National Assn. of Memoir Writers and for sharing this site with us.
Thanks so much for having me. I think you guys have a very challenging job to do, which of course makes it so very rewarding and worthwhile. Go Memoirs!
Best site ever. I have scoured the internet looking for something just like this. Silly thing is, I have had The Emotion Thesaurus for months, but was so wrapped up on what was in it, I didn’t take the time to look at the book itself and find the website, until showing my Aunt your amazingly helpful book. Thanks so much.
What about smell descriptors? That would be great.
[…] from The Emotion, Positive Trait, and Negative Trait thesauruses (and their other thesauruses on Writers Helping Writers) to Bath and Body Works Pocket Notes booklets (I used to work there) that list the key notes of […]
This is paradise for young writers like me. It makes me giggle as I read through your posts. Thank you so much for sharing these to us.
so glad you found us, Ysadora!
[…] Well then you can imagine my excitement at discovering an abundance of alternative thesauruses at Writers Helping Writers. You’ll find links to scads of helpful resources, such as the Weather & Earthly […]
[…] THESAURUS COLLECTIONS […]
[…] other online resources, my favorite resource for a descriptive vocabulary is — hands down — WritersHelpingWriters.com. Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi have compiled an incredible collection of thesauri for […]
[…] THESAURUS COLLECTIONS […]
[…] can also check out their blog Writers Helping Writers where Angela and Becca have more Thesaurus Collections on the […]
[…] THESAURUS COLLECTIONS […]
[…] Story is my go-to book for plotting, and I love Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi’s Thesaurus Collections for building characters, settings, moods and more! […]
Hello! I have just started using this site and I must say that it just blew me away! I have been having some trouble writing some certain scenes lately as I didn’t know how to describe some objects, and this helped me a lot as a beginner. This is awesome!
So glad you found your way here, Summer Splash! Happy exploring & writing!
I have only just begun to explore the wonderful tools available on this site, so please forgive me if I recommend something that you already have. I think it would be useful to have an Injury Thesaurus, or something similar, where one could find the causes of an injury and the immediate and subsequent effects. What I’ve seen of your collection so far is full of helpful writing tips; thanks for sharing your expertise 🙂
This is an interesting idea, Kat. We’re always open to new thesaurus ideas that will be helpful to writers. Thanks for sharing!
[…] THESAURUS COLLECTIONS […]
I love this blog. Your title intrigued me, but your resources hooked me. I scanned through your thesaurus and was blown away by the descriptions, the advice and the warnings. I felt like you catered this site for people like me. Sometimes, I like to ‘get the info’ without slogging through a maze of metaphors. I am now, and will continue to be, a faithful follower. Great job!!! 🙂
We’re so glad to have you here, Ella. Make yourself at home :).
I Love these and I seriously think they would make great android apps for writers on the go. I have the emotion thesaurus in hard copy and love it. Thank you for these. I have shared your books with my writing group who’ve flown to their computers to buy them too. Fabulous tools. ~Christina
Thanks for the kind words, Christina. Angela and I have talked a little bit about apps to go along with our books. There’s nothing in the works right now, but down the road, we very likely could come up with something. And thanks for spreading the word with your writing friends 🙂
[…] recently won The Emotions Thesaurus and companion pieces The Positive & The Negative Thesaurus from Angela Ackerman and Becca […]
[…] write more. Also, if I haven’t mentioned it before, I highly recommend getting a thesaurus. The Bookshelf Muse has been a great help to me, also. There is a collection of thesauruses on this site for just […]
I love all your theasauri. It would be wonderful if all were put in PDF so I could download them all. Hope you never run out of ideas.
[…] post is about helping two writers who’ve created an amazing tool for writers. https://writershelpingwriters.net/thesaurus-collections/ This is a website you must check out. I absolutely love their Emotions Thesaurus, and their […]
[…] Thesaurus Collection includes unique descriptions and tips for how to use the entry in our writing. Find collections for […]