This is a neat list, but I agree with some of the other commenters--I think it's easy to mis-use this sort of list as an excuse to slip into lazy writing.
Personally, I suggest Angela Ackerman's book "The Emotion Thesaurus." I like her book because it focuses on the psychological aspects of human emotions, and the physiological effects they can possibly have. She doesn't just list a bunch of physical actions, but rather takes the time to delve into what sort of character would use a certain set of actions, and when might be appropriate to include them. It's only a couple bucks on Amazon, if you want to check it out: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00822WM2M/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1#navbar
Another amazing reference for learning how to show character feelings is the Emotions Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. They have a whole series of similar books on other subjects, as well as a website - One Stop For Writers - that are also awesome resources.
What country are you in? Some countries can't use the link I provided you have to use your country's Amazon site. But if you are in the US use this link: https://www.amazon.com/Speak-Japanese-90-Days-Becoming-ebook/dp/B014RTDPBA?ie=UTF8
There should be the option to get the Kindle (free) or paperback (not free). Click the Kindle link and check out on the right (this is how it appears on desktop it may be different for mobile)
If that doesn't help let me know.
Edit: a word
What are you describing? Are you describing emotions? Physical characteristics? Location? Action? Amazon has all kinds of books that focus on particular subjects and how to describe them; for example, The Emotion Thesaurus and Writing Vivid Settings. If you take a look at those two, it will lead you to other books that focus on how to write descriptions.
Available for free on Amazon Canada too!
How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler and the reading list at the back is a good place to start.
How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler covers when and how to “judge a book by its cover,” and also how to X-ray it, read critically, and extract the author’s message from the text. Plus there is a great reading list in the Appendix.
Nobody start to market a product when it’s actually there, they all start before it’s there.
Not really; however, here are two books that have helped me develop my plot and characters in an organized way:
The greatest ever.
Depending on your skill level. For beginners though, "Learn German with Stories" series is a fantastic place to start.
You can get it on kindle for cheap, or you can get it on other places for free wink wink
On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft- Stephen King
Others have mentioned already, but it's worth looking into Save the Cat. If you can't/don't want to buy it, there's a very condensed summarisation of it here (which was what convinced me to buy a copy).
Every time I sat down to write, I hit a wall within a chapter or two because I just didn't know how to structure a coherent plot from start to finish. STC was beyond helpful in providing examples and analysis of published works, but especially in the way it walked me through each part of my own novel. I'd tried so many other methods of outlining in previous years but this was the one that clicked and made me realise where I was going wrong.
Remember the adage: show don't tell? So instead of Timmy said wisely, show him thinking like knitting his brow, pinching his nose, etc. For example: Timmy sucked in his breath and stared at his nemesis. "I'm better than you."
Highly recommend The Emotion Thesaurus by Becca Puglisi and Angela Ackerman. The writers have a series of writing thesauri I think are worth looking at.
I'd recommend The Emotion Thesaurus. It really helps with finding different body language and internal sensations for different emotions. I'm still rifling through it, but I guess when you've used it often enough, you will remember what you can use when. Or just make a shorter list for yourself with those reactions that work for your characters.
I thought this book series are great.
They are basic enough for you to read through understandably. Every chapter has a section to explain difficult words too. Its about an italian guy who goes thru various german cities (starting with book 1 = berlin) and his experiences and problems. The books aren't super long either.
There's quite a bit of stereotype in there but i think it's ok since it gives you confidence and also gives you a bit of cultural background across germany.
Being descriptive is a challenge, and can be daunting. However, what comes to mind when you describe a setting? It's what you hear, see and smell. Depending on the situation, touch and taste. Those can be difficult to explain without experiencing it yourself, or at the very least, read enough to have a vague idea. As another comment said, reading is you best option. Also, I highly recommend The Emotional Thesaurus
It's a magnificent guide on description, there are 7 books in their series. I cannot stress enough how amazing these are. I have 6 out of 7. If you're like me, and need help sometimes, they will give you a sudden boost of confidence. If I had to choose only two I'd go with The Emotional Thesaurus and Emotional Trauma Thesaurus. Believe me, I know how hard writing can be, and we all need assistance at times. Best of luck, and happy writing.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00822WM2M/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
If I implied it's free, that was a mistake. I bought it and have the kindle version bookmarked.
Buy the book the Emotions Thesaurus. Within it there’s explanations of internal and external manifestation of the emotion identified. Also provided are examples of to what the emotion becomes if not resolved. https://www.amazon.com/Emotion-Thesaurus-Writers-Character-Expression-ebook/dp/B07MTQ7W6Q/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=emotions+thesaurus&qid=1619008841&sprefix=emotions+the&sr=8-3
So in Save the Cat Writes a Novel speak, you seem to be talking about a "high castle surprise", where the characters encounter an additional obstacle during the "storming the castle" resolution part of the story.
That's perfectly fine, but you need to remember that your romance arc is as important if not more important than the main action plot in any romance subgenre, even the action ones. So a high castle surprise is just fine (and IMO better—the dearth of high castle surprise elements in indie romance-action fiction is more down to a lack of developmental editing in the plotting process and a lack of experience/confidence in writers) as long as it doesn't cause you to scrimp on your romance grand gesture/HEA beats (as per Romancing the Beat).
This book is a good resource for possible body language. This page is also worth checking out. Keep in mind that this sort of thing doesn't have to be in your first draft if writing it doesn't come easily to you. You can add it in later when you edit. I would also suggest paying attention when you read books and note how different authors handle it. You can glean some interesting possibilities from that.
Deal link: Amazon
Category-wise subreddits:
Is your reddit feed getting flooded with deals for products you are not interested in? Below are our category-wise subreddits where I crosspost from the main sub.
Category | Subreddit |
---|---|
Electronics | /r/Deals_Electronics |
Grocery | /r/Deals_Grocery |
Video Games | /r/Deals_VideoGames |
Home Improvement | /r/Deals_HomeImprovement |
Clothing and Accessories | /r/Deals_Apparel |
Discord Server: Instant deal notifications on our Discord Server!
Amazon Canada Deals: /r/OnlineDealsCanada
Disclaimer: The deal links are affiliated. We may earn a small share on qualifying purchases. It does not affect the deal price in any way.
This series of reference books are helpful IMO:
The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression (Second Edition) (Writers Helping Writers Series Book 1) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MTQ7W6Q/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_x.ZYFb04W6T50
Another fun gift is this:
The Writer's Block: 786 Ideas to Jump-Start Your Imagination https://www.amazon.com/dp/0762409487/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabc_-a0YFbYVJF23B
Look into The Emotion Thesaurus by Becca Puglisi.
There is a whole fantastic series for just this thing.
Since you're already familiar with Blake Snyder, consider this:
What kind of novel do you want to write? Read novels that are similar. Also, I've found that subs like r/WritingPrompts are helpful in that it can get you into practicing writing daily without much pressure. Practice, practice, practice, is my advice.
I've started to read the first in a series of books about developing characters, which has helpful information. I will link it below:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MTQ7W6Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_d_asin_title_o00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Another great resource is the Emotions Thesaurus. It helps you find other ways to describe your characters’ emotions besides “she was angry.” Showing how your characters are feeling, what they are experiencing on physiological and mental levels, will go a long way to helping readers connect with them.
Excel.
Basic programming skills.
Read "How to Read a Book" by Mortimer Adler. (mostly for nonfiction readers interested in making connections)
If you're a student, learning to use /r/Anki. It will probably change your life. It certainly changed mine.
Down there is the link for the book "Korean short stories for beginners", from Lingo Mastery, on Amazon! You can get it (I think it's still there for free) and read it on the Kindle app on your phone! It's really easy, and the material is awesome! They have in this book 20 short stories. Each story is first full in Korean, then they break the story in paragraphs and put the English translation beneath each paragraph, then they have the summary of the story in korean and then in English, then they have a list with the vocabulary from the story, and finally a few questions to see if you understood the story with the answers right after it. I really like it and you can see they put a lot of thought on the development of this book. I recommend it a lot
https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B08KFCQZB6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_S6hFFb22G2Q4P