2015-10-26

I’m so excited to announce the launch of my reference book for writers! Master Lists for Writers grew out of some popular posts on my blog, but most of the content is new. Whether you’re getting ideas for a brand new story, developing your characters, or searching for the right words as you write, I think it’s going to be a great resource.

It’s 270 pages in print. It’s available at Amazon in print or ebook versions, and at Barnes and Noble and iBooks in ebook version as well. I hope you like it! (ETA: And if you think it sounds like a good resource, please share on Facebook or Twitter!)



The easiest way to decide if it sounds good to you is to take a look at the Table of Contents. Check it out after the jump!

DESCRIPTIONS

Descriptions of Facial Expressions

Descriptions of Gestures and Body Language

Physical Descriptions

Emotional Descriptions

Evocative Images

Making Metaphors

SETTINGS

100 Potentially Interesting Settings for Scenes

Sounds for Settings

Scents for Settings

PLOTTING

50 Romance Plots

50 High-Stakes Plots

50 Family Plots

25 Workplace Plots

25 Plot Twists

25 Plot Points That Can Crack Readers Up

10 Plot Points That Can Melt Readers’ Hearts

50 Goals and Aspirations

25 Motives for Murder

25 Reasons to Move to a New Town

25 Reasons for Initial Attraction (Besides Good Looks)

ACTION

500 Great Words for Action Scenes

500 Great Words for Sex Scenes

Synonyms for Intimate Parts of the Body

50 Actions That Show Attraction

50 Actions That Show Animosity

25 Responses to a Crisis

DIALOGUE

25 Ways to Write Funny Dialogue

Ways People Say Hello

Ways People Say Goodbye

Ways People Say Yes

Ways People Say No

Ways People Verbalize Positive Feelings

Ways People Verbalize Negative Feelings

Ways People Preface Statements and Questions

Words and Expressions from Medieval England

Words and Expressions from Victorian England

CHARACTER NAMES

Names from Viking-Era Scandinavia

Names from Medieval England

Names from Regency England

200 Names from the Wild West

Names from World War II-Era U.S. and Great Britain

200 Names for Contemporary Heroines

200 Names for Contemporary Heroes

100 Very Common Last Names in the U.S. Today

CHARACTER TRAITS

100 Positive Character Traits

100 Negative Character Traits

25 Positive Character Traits That Can Also Be Negative

50 Past Traumas

50 Ways to Show a Character is a Good Person

25 Ways to Show a Character is a Jerk

25 Very Common Jobs

25 Potentially High-Paying Jobs

25 Jobs That Sound Like Fun

50 Common Hobbies and Interests

100 Character Quirks

ONE MORE VERY IMPORTANT LIST

~

If you have any questions about the book, I’m happy to answer them in the comments, obviously! And thanks so much for reading my blog and inspiring me!

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