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
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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!
