Writers Helping Writers® Descriptive Thesaurus Guides

Ever struggle to find the right words? Do you feel like your characters
or scenes are missing that special something? If so, you aren't alone.
Writing is hard work, and sometimes we need help bringing our characters
and scenes to life.

Expert Advice Meets Creative Brainstorming

What makes these books different is their deep dive into an area of description—emotions, character personality and backstory, conflict, setting, and more—that will help you activate that element in your story. This knowledge is then paired with idea lists of details that will deepen characters, give your plot layers, and draw readers into the heart of the story.

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Master Show-Don't-Tell

These books don’t just hand you a bunch of words—they teach you how to use description to deepen your story. Whether you're struggling to write an emotional moment, a tense conflict, or a vivid setting, these guides help you nail that "show-don’t-tell" magic.

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Structured to Keep You Writing

Need to show a character's feelings or the dysfunctional behaviors tied to their emotional wound? Maybe you want to describe a meadow, food court, or haunted house. Flip through these user-friendly thesauruses for inspiration, then get back to writing.

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Bring the Real World Into Your Fiction

Learn how to make your character's emotions, experiences, thoughts, and struggles feel relatable so readers can make connections to their own life journey.

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Any Genre, Any Writer

No matter the type of fiction you're writing—fantasy, mystery, romance, or a coming-of-age YA novel—these guides adapt to your story. And whether you’re a newbie or a multi-book bestselling author, you’ll find value in every page.

Test-Drive Our Brainstorming Guides

Download a free Show, Don't Tell Pro Pack for a sampling of entries from our thesaurus guides, plus helpful tips and links for writing powerful description.

Download Thesaurus Sampler

Your Questions Answered

Can your books really help with show-don't-tell?

Yes! While telling has its place, showing is what draws your readers in emotionally so they feel connected to your characters and invested in their success. Our whole series is built around this concept.

Each guide provides education and idea lists that help you choose the details that reveal what's important about your characters, plot, and story world.

Is it cheating to use an idea list?

Not at all. A brainstorming nudge can often help you connect dots about your story, encouraging you to go deeper. If you see an idea that could work, just write it your own way to fit your project.

Do I need to read a thesaurus book cover to cover?

No, but we do recommend you read all the how-to content that comes before the entries, since this will deepen your insight into the book's topic and help you understand how to use the information in your story. With the entries, you can flip through them as needed, collecting ideas to help you plan, write, and revise.

What thesaurus format is better for me, digital or print?

We find a majority of our readers often choose both, which is why we keep our digital prices low (unlike other publishers who price their digital and print books nearly the same).

If you like paper books and want to be able to see the full two-page spread for each entry, a print book is best (find those here). If you want portable resource materials that are easy to take with you, we recommend the ePub or PDF format so you can access it from your laptop, phone, tablet or other reading device.

I write memoir. Can I use your books?

Absolutely. Whether your story is about a fictional character or yourself, the key to compelling storytelling is being able to describe the people, places, and events in a way that anchors readers in the moment, awakens their emotions, and conveys meaning.

What's your best piece of advice for using your thesaurus?

Writers often get excited about the entry part of the book (the lists) and may skip over the how-to section that precedes it. However, the true story gold is in all the knowledge and advice shared at the start of each book.

Writers who want to grow their skills and take their fiction from good to great should read this section. It's filled with clear advice on how to apply that aspect of storytelling and shows you how to get more out of the thesaurus entries.

Are your books available in other languages?

Yes! Our books have been translated into Chinese (simplified and traditional), Japanese, Korean, Romanian, Turkish, Russian, Arabic, and French. You can find all our foreign editions here.

Level Up Your Fiction

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