Emotional Doppelgangers

Whether written or acted out, stories have one hefty life-thread in common: EMOTIONS. Without them, stories would just be statistical outlines of facts and events that possess no meaning or purpose.

For every reader, there's a point just after the onset of a story where a spark ignites. (At least the writer sure as heck hopes so.) A question might form in the mind, or a faint pang might gnaw at the gut. Regardless of the exact sensation, the result is the same - we keep reading. But why?

We FELT something.


Title: The EMOTION Thesauraus: A Writer's Guide To Character Expression
Authors: Angela Ackerman, Becca Publisi
Pages: 170
Format: e-book
Published: May 2012

Personal Note: I'd like to thank Angela and Becca for supplying me with a copy of their book and for entrusting me with its care.

Favorite Line/Passage: The stronger the feeling, the more the body reacts and the less conscious control we have over movement. Because characters are unique, they will express themselves in a specific way.

My Splats: a fantastic writer's handbook, and must have as a reference while writing to help bring clarity yet interest to one's writing.

In The Emotion Thesaurasus, Angela and Becca have created a functional tool to enhance an author's writing and storytelling choices. The book is written in an easy-to-read-and-follow format, which is great for any writer, even high school and college students.

I especially liked the breakdown of words into Verbal and Nonverbal Communication, Physical Signals, Mental Responses, and Internal Sensations. This is a brilliant way to present words of the same likeness and show how they can be properly used to add flavor to any essay, article, short story, novel, or screenplay.

The authors give clear and specific examples, which apply their methods of choosing proper description. It's like a genealogy of appropriate emotional usage when telling a story. As an added bonus, they highlight the results of effectively using backstory to further empower a story.

I'm definitely giving my son a copy of this book as he heads off to his freshman year in college. I know I'll covet my copy.

For more details about Angela, Becca, or the book, visit The Bookshelf Muse and/or purchase your own copy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Kobo, and Smashwords. Add it to your GOODREADS List.