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Awesome Resources for Creative Writing: Emotion Thesaurus

Awesome Resources for Creative Writing: Emotion Thesaurus

One of my greatest challenges in creative writing is finding new and unique ways to express things that EVERY other writer is trying to communicate. Every character in our books has emotions, and there are only so many ways to express those emotions right? For example, let's say the Hunter (from The Last Bucelarii series) is angry--which he often is. There are only so many ways to express his anger:
  • Frown
  • Clenched jaw or fists
  • Rush of blood
  • Heat rising
  • Nostrils flaring
  • Cracking knuckles
  • Shouting
  • and so on…
But, if the Hunter gets mad a few dozen times per book (which he does--anger issues, anyone?), these descriptors are going to get very old very quickly. So how can I find more clever and original ways to describe the emotions? Enter the Emotion Thesaurus! This glorious work, created by Angela Ackerman of Writers Helping Writers, is chock-a-block full of body language, visual cues, visceral reactions, and words to describe the emotions your characters are feeling. It is a literal A to Z of every possible emotion and tips on how to write them without sounding boring and repetitive. Here's the book description: "One of the biggest problem areas for writers is conveying a character's emotions to the reader in a unique, compelling way. This book comes to the rescue by highlighting 75 emotions and listing the possible body language cues, thoughts, and visceral responses for each. Using its easy-to-navigate list format, readers can draw inspiration from character cues that range in intensity to match any emotional moment. The Emotion Thesaurus also tackles common emotion-related writing problems and provides methods to overcome them. This writing tool encourages writers to show, not tell emotion and is a creative brainstorming resource for any fiction project. " I paid a $4.99 for the book, and it's been sitting on my iPad Kindle app for a week or so. I've already referred to it a half-dozen times in my writing, and I have no doubt I'll use it VERY often as I continue to write my characters. Sure, some of the emotions may never arise as I write the character of the Hunter. His emotional immaturity means his range of feelings and emotions are pretty limited (part of what makes him human--well, HALF human). But, as I write many more books with many more characters, I have no doubt I will get to tap into all 75 of the emotions listed in the pages. Worth the $5? ABSOLUTELY! Find the book on Amazon and buy it now. It will help you to be a better writer when it comes to emotions. Bonus: The Emotions Amplifiers book (find it on Amazon) is FREE for Kindle. This book explains the 15 states (i.e.; boredom, pain, hunger, illness, etc.) that can amplify the emotions of your characters. Definitely a handy addition the Emotions Thesaurus!