The Conflict Thesaurus Conflict Challenge (+Giveaway)

I don't know about you, but I get a little excited when a new writing guide comes along. Today I get to spill the news that The Conflict Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Obstacles, Adversaries, and Inner Struggles (Vol. 1) has hit the shelves. 

This guide is about that killer ingredient our stories need: Conflict. It shows you exactly how to use conflict to raise tension, create a fresh story premise, and pull readers in. The guide also dives into over 100 conflict scenarios and how each can be endlessly adapted to challenge a character inside and out. Problems, Moral Dilemmas, Ticking Clocks, Obstacles, No-Win Scenarios...this book is plot brainstorming in overdrive!

I'm part of Angela & Becca's Street Team for this release, and we have an important question to ask you: 

Can You Survive Danger as Well as Your Favorite Protagonist?

Sure, it's easy for you to use conflict to torture your characters and make them struggle,

but what if it's you in the hot seat instead? Will you make good decisions, or bad ones? 

It's time to find out by taking the Conflict Challenge! I dare you to become the protagonist in a special story Angela & Becca have created. And heads up, if you survive, you win some pretty cool stuff! 

GIVEAWAY ALERT

While you're at Writers Helping Writers taking the Conflict Challenge, make sure to enter The Conflict Thesaurus celebratory giveaway, too. But hurry - it's only on for a few days. 

So, take the challenge...if you dare. And don't forget to come back and let me know how you did against Camp Deadwood! 

***

Then Conflict Challenge is so much fun! I have to admit I took the adventure twice and let's just say, I'm not always the bravest person!

***

My thoughts on this new thesaurus.

In a word: Fantastic!

I'm a romance writer and I love happy endings! In real life, I've been a teacher for more than a couple of decades. I'm great at defusing conflict and alleviating stress.

But as we all know, every good story needs conflict. The better the conflict, the better the story, and the better the happy ending! Cue stress for this mediator personality.

Angela and Becca have created the Conflict Thesaurus and it is magnificent!

In this thesaurus, a wide variety of conflicts are described. For each, the thesaurus lists examples, minor complications, potentially disastrous results, resulting emotions, possible internal struggles, negative traits that may worsen the situation, impact on basic needs, positive traits to help the character cope, and positive outcomes.

In short, everything a writer might want to know!

Looking to strengthen your writing? You won't go wrong with any of the books in this series, but the Conflict Thesaurus might just be your favourite!

How about you? Do you love new resources for writers? Any other fans of this Thesaurus series? How are you at coping with conflict?

The Emotion Thesaurus is HERE!

Hi guys! Today I'm helping authors Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi launch their new book, The Emotion Thesaurus (Second Edition)! You might know about The Emotion Thesaurus or even have it on your shelf. But chances are, you may not have known a second edition was in the works. Becca and Angela decided to keep it a surprise and only recently announced the book was releasing!

Your Favorite Book Is Now Bigger & Better

The Emotion Thesaurus is known for its powerful lists that help writers show (rather than tell) character emotion through body language, thoughts, visceral sensations, dialogue cues, and behavior. This second edition gives writers more of what they love: more emotions (55 more to be exact!) more teaching content, and more writing tips. Here are three of the new entries: Euphoria, Vindicated, and Schadenfreude. This book is almost twice the size of the original, so it's almost two books in one. Anyway, if you'd like to check into it, Goodreads has some reviews up, and you can find more information here.

One More Thing...Want to Attend a FREE Writing Conference?

Or a writing retreat? A workshop? Or even have your yearly membership to a professional writer's organization suddenly paid for? OF COURSE YOU DO!

Angela and Becca have a giveaway on right now to celebrate their release, and one lucky winner will get their choice of the above, up to a $500 US value. There are some conditions so check that out, but this is the giveaway of a lifetime, so hurry over to enter. And good luck! 

Angela, Becca & The Emotion Thesaurus 2nd Edition!

Have you ever held onto a secret you've been dying to share, and then finally...you can?

For the last few weeks I've been helping Angela and Becca at Writers Helping Writers keep a BIG secret...what the next book in their thesaurus series will be.

It might seem strange to not tell one's readers what book you're planning to release...unless you happen to write books on Show, Don't Tell like Angela and Becca do! They couldn't resist the opportunity to show, not tell, by waiting for the cover reveal. They even created a *REDACTED* cover for it, which you might have seen floating around.

We're revealing the cover at long last!

*drum roll*

                                         

The next book in the descriptive thesaurus series is 

The Emotion Thesaurus Second Edition! 

It's been 7 years since the original Emotion Thesaurus hit the shelves. Many writers have credited this unusual book with transforming their writing. This guide is packed with helpful lists of body language, thoughts, and visceral sensations for 75 different emotions, which makes it easier for writers to convey what characters feel.

Since 2012, many have asked the authors if they would add more emotions, so that's what Angela & Becca have done. This new edition has added 55 more emotions, bringing the total to 130.

There are other new additions to the book and in fact, it's almost doubled in size! I recommend checking out the full list of emotions (and some sample entries) HERE.

And more good news: this book is available for preorder!

You can find it on Amazon, Kobo, Apple Books (iTunes), and Indiebound.

One last thing: go grab some free education!

Angela & Becca are giving away a free webinar recording of one of their popular workshops on Emotion, so head over if this is an area of struggle for you. It might really help!

The Emotional Wound Thesaurus & The Strength of Writers

Today I am happy to be part of Writers Persevere!, an event that authors Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi are running for the next few days to celebrate their release of their newest book, The Emotional Wound Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Psychological Trauma. This book looks at the difficult experiences embedded in our character’s backstory which will shape their motivation and behavior afterward.

Because Angela and Becca have spent the last year exploring painful human struggles, they wanted to highlight a very important aspect of overcoming difficult circumstances: it can make us stronger. I promised to let Angela hijack my blog today, so please read on!

***

Hi everyone! When you set out to find examples of inner strength, you don’t have to go very far. Right here in the writing community we see it every day. Writers more than anyone understand the swirl of emotions as we work toward publication. We dream of making it and seeing our books in the hands of readers…yet doubt and frustration can be a constant companion. For us, there is a lot to learn, much to steel our nerves for, and unfortunately, a host of real-world problems that can try to derail us. And, even as we slowly move forward and grow, we can sometimes feel like impostors. This is a tough road.

But the fact that writers face this battle, day after day, and KEEP GOING…this should be celebrated! We need to be reminded that we are much stronger than we sometimes believe. We dream, create, and force ourselves to keep striving. Through the ups and downs, we persevere!

Have you encountered something on the writing road that made you question yourself? Have you faced an obstacle that required a force of will to get past?

If so, we want to hear about it! Join Becca and me at Writers Helping Writers from October 25-27^th, where we are celebrating writers and their stories of perseverance. Stop in, and tell us about a challenge or struggle your faced, or if you like, join this event by writing a post on your own blog and share it using the hashtag #writerspersevere.  Let’s fill social media with your strength and let other writers know that it’s okay to question and have doubts but we shouldn’t let that stop us. 

GIVEAWAY ALERT! 

We also have a prize vault filled with items that can give your writing career a boost, so stop by Writers Helping Writers. I would love for one of you to win something that will help you get closer to your goal!

If you struggle, remember to reach out to others. We are in this together, and by supporting one another, we cross the finish line together (and then keep going!). 

Happy writing!

Angela & Becca

***
Thanks ladies!! Perseverance is a necessary trait for writers. My life (like many other folks) is more than a bit chaotic and I need to dig deep to find the perseverance to keep at this gig. My progress is slow because I tend to write in chunks of 15 or 30 minutes. But that's all okay. I'm moving forward and gaining confidence and skills. I'm learning to jump hurdles. I'll be ready when the time is right.

How about you? Is perseverance important to you? Let us know - and remember to use the hashtag #writerspersevere to help spread the word!