List of human emotions. List of feelings. I put this list of emotions and feelings together some years ago for use in my counselling sessions. I was aware that men in particular (though of course not exclusively) often struggled to articulate their feelings. I thought it could help to give them a list of emotions and feelings to guide them towards identifying specifically what they felt. Prof. Simon Baron Cohen, in his book “The Essential Difference”, talks about 'empathising' brains and 'systemising' brains. Men are more likely to have systemising brains while women are more like to have empathising brains. The 'emphasisers' are more 'in touch' with their feelings and so can more easily pinpoint the particular emotions they are experiencing at any time. This can mean that women are generally more able to identify and talk about their feelings than men. Of course, I learned over time that sometimes roles are switched. Oh and by the way... clients couldn't care less about the difference between emotions and feelings!
Online - Thirty Tools for Writers [Author’s note: Of the many things I’ve written for the Poynter website, none has been as popular as my "Twenty Tools for Writers." This list has been quoted, cited, praised, debated, and repurposed by writers, editors, teachers, and other professionals who care about the craft. That folks find these tools useful gives me courage. So I’m adding ten more to my workbench, and sharpening up several others. As you can see, I’m very impressed with myself. At times it helps to think of writing as carpentry. Below is a list of 30 writing and revising tools. Sentences and Paragraphs 1. 2. 3. 4. Language 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. Effects 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. Structure 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. The Writing Life 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. This list contains tools, not rules. Tags: Writing tips and techniques
Index - www.fiction-writers-mentor.com A Writer's Toolbox Welcome to your own box of writing tools! Just like in a real toolbox, you may use any tool you need to help you in each step of the writing process. You may need to use the same tools for different drafts or just one for a bit of fine-tuning on your final piece. Whether you are a novice or a veteran, you know that writing is an ongoing process. Following are the tools to help you through the writing process. This-n-That Thursday: How I Conquered My Fear of Research I have a confession. After years of focusing on writing contemporary romances and being totally convinced that I would never author a historical romance, I’m not only writing one—I’m loving it! How did this happen? You see, even though I’ve been drawn to reading historical fiction for years, the type of research that goes into writing a historical has always felt rather daunting. But then I had an idea . . . and I began to wonder . . . My grandparents had lived in my hometown; my parents had grown up there, and then they later returned to raise a family. I discovered that the small farming community had indeed experienced some glory days in the late 1800s and early 1900s. An idea formed for a historical romance set in 1902, and I began to get excited! Thus began more research into the early 1900s. When it felt like too much, Annette’s wise words reminded me that I wasn’t writing a history text book. What I realized is that story comes first. For instance, I’ve discovered that in 1902:
Tips for writing a historical romance novel - by Megan Hart Megan Hart's image for: "Tips for Writing a Historical Romance novel" Caption: Location: Image by: Tips for writing a historical romance novel First, understand what a historical romance novel is. So, how do you write a historical romance? Tell a good story. However, you still need to do your research. Have a happy ending. Helpful Research Books What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist-The Facts of Daily Life in Nineteenth-Century England The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in Renaissance England: From 1485-1649 (Writer's Guides to Everyday Life) The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in Colonial America, 1607-1783 Also consider less-specific research books like The Dummies series. U.S. World War II for Dummies Children’s books on history are also excellent sources of basic information you can use for adding accurate touches to your story. Finally, you’ve done your research, you’ve written your novel.
Tips on Organizing Your Research Last night, I had a marvelous dream. I went back in time five years and smacked 21-year-old me upside the head. Bewildered, young-me rubbed her head and said, “Ow! What was that for?” I answered, “Will you please organize your research? Since I did my research for Sacred Fire so long ago, I started rereading and fact checking to make sure I’m not getting sloppy. For example, I wrote in my book that there was a grate surrounding the temple of Vesta. The only place it could be is in a book at the BYU library. I wrote an article awhile back on how to organize your research before starting your book. Now I’m thinking about how to organize research while in the process of writing and revising. Footnotes I had a crazy idea; what if I treated this book like it was a school paper? That way, when one of my characters say “Fire is the highest and ethereal nature of heaven,” I don’t have to flip through my notes or run a Google search to find who said that quote. Timeline Review Everything
Worksheets for Writers The writing community is fortunate to have many great resources. Based on things I learned from phenomenal teachers like Larry Brooks, Michael Hauge, and Martha Alderson, I developed these worksheets* to help all writers, from plotters to pantsers (those who write by the seat of their pants). Let me know at my Contact page if there are other worksheets you’d like me to create. * With the exception of the Save the Cat Beat Sheet, which was developed by Elizabeth Davis. New to Beat Sheets? Note: I love sharing these worksheets, but if you give others the direct links to the files, the links won’t work. (Click each image to view larger version.) Save the Cat Beat Sheet: This spreadsheet is based on Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat writing craft book. Save the Cat Beat Sheet Spreadsheet for Novels by Elizabeth Davis. Story Engineering Story Structure Beat Sheet: Save the Cat and Story Engineering Master Beat Sheet: Jami Gold’s Basic Beat Sheet: Jami Gold’s Scrivener Template:
50 of the Best Websites for Writers There are tons of reference sites on the web that can help you find a job or write a poem, essay or story. Here is a list of the best 50 websites for writers. Reference Websites Merriam-Webster Online - Merriam Webster is the perfect place to look up words and find information. The site offers a dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopedia, podcasts, word games and a lot of other things that may be of interest to writers and word-lovers. General Writing Websites Writer's Digest - Probably one of the best all-around websites for writers, Writer's Digest offers information on writing better and getting published. Fiction Writing Websites About.com - About.com publishes a Guide to Fiction Writing with general information about fiction writing and a number of community forums for both current and aspiring writers. Nonfiction Writing Websites Bella Online - This site offers a large collection of resources for nonfiction writers. Websites for Freelance Writers and Authors
WRITING TOOLS | WRITERS HELPING WRITERS Character Pyramid Tool (PDF) Visualize your character’s FLAWS & associated behaviors (for a deeper understanding of this tool, please reference The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Flaws) Character Target Tool (PDF) Organize and group your character’s POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES by category: moral, achievement, interactive or identity (for a greater understanding of this tool, please reference The Positive Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Attributes) Character Profile Questionnaire (PDF) Not your average character questionnaire! Reverse Backstory Tool (PDF) Work backwards to find your character’s wound, needs & lie (for a deeper understanding of this tool, please reference The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Flaws) Weak Verb Converter Tool (PDF) Transform all those generic, boring verbs into power verbs Scene Revision/Critique Tool Level 1 & Level 2 (PDF) A ‘light’ and ‘in-depth’ revision checklist for creating compelling characters and scenes
Storytellers Unplugged Writer's Block Help - Inspired Creative Writing Ideas and Techniques