Writing advice often includes the old adage, “show, don’t tell,” without any concrete instructions about how to actually do that. As much as I love (and am guilty of creating) characters with quirked lips who release breaths they didn’t know they were holding (looking at you YA literature), it’s nice to inject some fresh descriptions and unique actions to give our characters life. That’s why February’s craft resource highlight goes to The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi.
The co-authors run the website Writers Helping Writers and the One Stop for Writers online resource. When I started writing back in 2015, I first used the One Stop for Writers version of The Emotion Thesaurus, which is an abridged version of the book. I asked for the print version a couple years ago for Christmas and it has become a reference book I keep handy at my desk at all times, but especially during revisions. I’m checking it often now that I’m in the first major edit for the second book in the Sezna Seer Series and it is saving me a ton of time Googling, “How to show [x emotion].”
(Related Post: For more editing resources, check out my post on Susan Dennard’s writing website)
This book is like an instruction manual in how to “show, don’t tell,” with detailed breakdowns of many emotions and tips on how to illustrate them. I have the first edition, which includes 75 emotions. The second edition, which published in 2019 expanded to include 130. I think this book is a must-have reference material for every writer who wants to create memorable, believable characters.
I personally haven’t done a deep dive into Writers Helping Writers, so I can’t speak to the website’s usefulness. But if it’s a fraction as helpful as The Emotion Thesaurus I’d say it’s well worth the money.
For more craft resources, check out the Writing Craft Resources post archive.
Have a favorite writing resource? Send me an email at author@kierstenlillis.com. I’d love to know what’s making your writing life better!
