
MASTER STORYTELLING
Write Brilliant Fiction with the Gold Standard of Storytelling Guides
Whether you're just starting out or you're already published, these essential descriptive thesaurus guides give you an edge, helping you craft powerful, immersive stories that leave readers wanting more.
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The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression eBook (EPUB File)
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The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Flaws eBook (EPUB File)
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The Positive Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Attributes eBook (EPUB File)
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The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Personal and Natural Places eBook (EPUB File)
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The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces eBook (EPUB File)
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The Emotional Wound Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Psychological Trauma eBook (EPUB File)
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The Occupation Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Jobs, Vocations, and Careers eBook (EPUB File)
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The Conflict Thesaurus, Volume 1: A Writer’s Guide to Obstacles, Adversaries, and Inner Struggles eBook (EPUB File)
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The Conflict Thesaurus, Vol 2: A Writer’s Guide to Obstacles, Adversaries, and Inner Struggles eBook (EPUB File)
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The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Stress and Volatility eBook (EPUB File)
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The Character Trait Boxed Set eBook (EPUB File)
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What is a descriptive thesaurus, anyway?
Part how-to guide, part brainstorming list, our thesaurus books take the guesswork out of show-don’t-tell.
Each volume blends expert writing advice with a rich collection of descriptive ideas that makes crafting an immersive story easier than ever.
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Series in Order
Our books can be read and used in any order, but if...
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eBooks (EPUB file)
Print books are nice, but when you're writing on the go, they...
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PDF Format
What's better than having an eBook version of your favorite writing guide?...
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Over 1000+ 5-Star Reviews
Not sure which book to start with? Try a fan favorite. Each...
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Master Your Craft
Level up your writing skills via live workshops, on-demand webinars, worksheets, and...
Buzz About These Books
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James Scott Bell, International Thriller Writers Award Winner
One of the challenges a fiction writer faces is coming up with fresh ways to describe emotions. This handy compendium fills that need. It is both a reference and a brainstorming tool, and one of the resources I’ll be turning to most often as I write my own books.
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Hyacinthe Miller, Author
Each book delivers not just an extensive list of writing resources, but the introductions are master classes on the foundations of good writing. Since I bought the first volume many years ago, I never complete a project without referencing these thesauri.
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Michael Hauge, Hollywood Script Consultant and Story Expert
In these brilliantly conceived, superbly organized and astonishingly thorough volumes, Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi have created an invaluable resource. It is hard to imagine more powerful tools for adding depth and dimension to your screenplays, novels or plays.
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Dana Goldstein, Author
As the author of six books, I can confidently say that every writer should have these in their toolbox. They have helped me improve my craft and get to know my characters on a deeper level.
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Stuart Wakefield, Author Accelerator Certified Book Coach
Angela and Becca have once again proven why they’re trusted authorities in character development. By leaning into the complexity of emotional amplifiers, they’ve created a resource that informs and inspires, empowering writers to create more authentic, emotionally resonant characters and stories.
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Sian Claven, Author
This series has been a valuable asset in my arsenal against writers block. A quick consultation and I’m on my way with the words again.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I upload a digital file to my device?
We'll send you an email with a download link. Just open it on your preferred viewing device (an e-reader, phone, laptop, tablet, etc.), and that's that!
Can I buy your books in print?
Yes! Our volumes are available in both print and digital formats. We'll be adding paperbacks to this store soon, but until then, you can order print copies at your preferred retailer.
Am I supporting you by buying direct?
Yes! As a writer yourself, you may know that publishing houses and retailers like Amazon take a sizable chunk of revenue, making it difficult to eke out a living as an author.
When you buy direct, you're ensuring more money flows to us as authors. This enables us to continue providing free education through our Writers Helping Writers blog, and paying it forward to our charitable projects.
Do you have a bulk order discount?
Yes! If you're a retail store or organization wanting to place a bulk purchase, please reach out so we can get you what you need.
Do you have a refund policy?
Digital purchases are delivered via an emailed download link from our digital distributor, BookFunnel. This email arrives immediately after you complete your purchase. Please be sure to download your file within 14 days. If additional time elapses and your link is no longer valid, or if you have issues with your file, contact BookFunnel directly for assistance at help@bookfunnel.com.
For digital books, no refunds or returns will be given. The only exception is if a duplicate item is bought within 48 hours of first purchase, in which case we will replace the duplicate item with the one intended to be bought. In this situation, please contact us directly at info@shopwritershelpingwriters.net.
Can I find your books in other languages?
You sure can! Our books have been translated into a wide variety of languages. Find our foreign edition list here.
When will your next book be available?
First of all, thank you for your interest—you rock. Second, we've been releasing books every other spring, so depending on when you see this, it may be this spring or next.
The best way to stay in the loop about new books is to add your name to this list. We'll send you an email as soon as we have a release date, and then again when the book is available.
Do you offer workshops around your books?
We do! To build lifelong book fans, authors need to master description that brings depth, meaning, and emotion to their writing. The right details can take a story from good to great, so we offer many workshops around show-don't-tell and powering up your storytelling.
We host open-to-all workshops through Zoom and present to writing groups, online and off.
If you're interested in bringing Angela or Becca to speak at a conference, retreat, or virtual event, please reach out to info@shopwritershelpingwriters.net for more information and a list of sessions.
I have another question. How can I get in touch?
We'd love to hear from you. Just send us a note at info@shopwritershelpingwriters.net.
Meet the Authors

Author
BECCA PUGLISI
Becca is a bestselling author of the Writers Helping Writers® Description Thesaurus series, with over 1.2 million copies sold worldwide. Based in sunny Florida, she is deeply passionate about empowering fellow writers through knowledge sharing. Alongside her co-author Angela, Becca provides writers with the resources and software they need to craft powerful stories.

Author
ANGELA ACKERMAN
Angela, a Canadian based in Alberta, is a story coach, international speaker, and co-founder of the acclaimed sites, Writers Helping Writers® and One Stop for Writers®. Alongside Becca, Angela creates groundbreaking writing guides, resources, and tools with a mission to help writers master storytelling and create fiction that stands out.
Let customers speak for us
from 51 reviewsOh gosh I thought I missed this. It's May 24tj.

When I bought this book, I didn't know how much benefit I would obtain from its information. The concept of the Amplifiers caught my attention, but when I started reading, I realised this was exactly what I needed: the theory behind situations I often force by instinct, but always make me doubt. Knowing the theory behind what I'm doing allows me to lay this tool on the paper more confidently, and use it with more purpose and only when necessary.

This book is a writer's dream. With the importance of character flaws in a novel or a screenplay, this book places high value on the subject, in clear, precise, understandable terms. I highly recommend it to writers!

Finding the perfect mix of strengths and weaknesses for our characters can be difficult. We need to choose the right blend of strengths that make them admirable and worth rooting for—without making it too easy for them to succeed—and we need to figure out which flaws best fit our characters.
These books, cousins to the Emotion Thesaurus above, are great tools for creating three-dimensional characters.

I was so excited when this came out and rightfully so! It’s genius and just adds so much.

What a helpful inside look at the jobs characters have and how they can influence personality and plot.

This is a great book for generating ideas. I especially use it a lot for secondary characters.

So many places I hadn't considered!

Considering the way traits are expressed helps my characters grow and multi-dimentional beings.

Finding the perfect mix of strengths and weaknesses for our characters can be difficult. We need to choose the right blend of strengths that make them admirable and worth rooting for—without making it too easy for them to succeed—and we need to figure out which flaws best fit our characters.
These books, cousins to the Emotion Thesaurus above, are great tools for creating three-dimensional characters.

A handy companion to my original. I simply had to have it

The introduction alone is extremely helpful to any writer, whether a beginning or seasoned author. As they state, for a story to work, it needs emotion for readers to be able to empathize with the characters. Emotional stress is also necessary for character development. The book has fifty-two states and conditions with the power to amplify a character’s feelings, such as Burnout, Deception, Pressure, Trauma, Pain, Illness and my favourite, Hangover. Each state or condition includes Physical signals and behaviours, Internal sensations, Mental responses, Associated power verbs, and Scenarios for building conflict and tension. All incredibly useful, especially for those times you get stuck or the story needs a boost. This book should be on every writer’s resource shelf.

When writing a character study for each of my protagonists, becoming familiar it’s their wounds and the impacts they had on past and present behaviours was incredibly helpful. I reference those entries when I’m questioning whether a character would do or say x or y, or digging deeper into their psyche to explain behaviours.

Possibly my favorite and most used out of this collection. What better way to flesh out a character than with some emotional wounds.

Writers know that our main character needs a wound. This book is fabulous for helping you determine the wound or dig deeper into the wound. It will make your writing better!
