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The Well Spoken Thesaurus
Spring is the season where literary journals are gearing up to open their pages for acceptances. You should be writing, but coming off of a bizarre winter season, you may be in a creative writing slump. No inspiration. No motivation. Here are some books that will help you snap out of it.
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The Well Spoken Thesaurus by Tom Heehler
Fear not, this book will help you to make great strides in your writing. A good thesaurus helps, a well spoke thesaurus helps with the betterment of your prose. This book includes over 200 words in easy to use categories such as “positive emotions”, “negative emotions” and “descriptive terms”. Additionally, each entry has a definition, synonyms, antonyms and usage examples. Not only will this book help with your writing, but improve your communication skills as well.
Never Say You Can't Survive by Charlie Jane Anders
The world is on fire.
So tell your story.
Things are scary right now. We’re all being swept along by a tidal wave of history, and it’s easy to feel helpless. But we’re not helpless: we have minds, and imaginations, and the ability to visualize other worlds and valiant struggles. And writing can be an act of resistance that reminds us that other futures and other ways of living are possible.
Part memoir, part personal anecdote-this book is the perfect manual for creativity in the times of now.
Elements of Fiction by Walter Mosley
If there ever was a book that said, “Sit down and just do it”, this is it. There’s no flowery language here. Just easy to understand and well written advice. Among that is creating a daily writing regimen or how to hook readers with dynamic characters and challenging sentences. It’s perfectly straightforward and inspirational.
The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman
Show emotions. Tell feelings. No, wait. Its show don’t tell, right? This is a masterclass in showing our characters feelings by giving us an inside look at how it’s done without the simplicity of “raising a brow” or “snarling a lip”. It’s very easy to read and navigate. It has over 130 body language cues that can make your characters jump off the page. Place a hold on this book and keep it for the full three weeks.
Consider This by Chuck Palahniuk
This book is the master of the Kitchen table DIY Writing MFA Program. Chuck Palahniuk gives the reader advice and examples of his own books in how to do some powerful writing. He shares with the reader different methodologies for writing in this blend of memoir and personal writing advice.
Consider this Palahniuk’s love letter to all that tell stories, booksellers and even books themselves. It’s an instant classic.
Keep Going by Austin Kleon
You started your project but can’t find the motivation to follow through. That’s where Austin Kleon comes in. Be sure to check out his other books, but this one is pure motivation to keep going. There are 10 simple rules on staying focused and making it to the finish line. Pay attention to what you pay attention to. Worry less about getting it done and focus on the worth of completing the project are just two examples of the rules in this book.
How to Write Erotica by Rachel Kramer Bussel
Step out of your zone and try writing something different. Erotica! This book not only tells you the ins and outs of writing erotica but where you can sell it when you’re done writing it. There are also steamy examples of different types of erotica. (Bet you didn’t know that!) So, have some fun with your writing and break the spell of the doldrums.
About the Author
Tracy is a technician at MLK and has been in the system for 13 years. She loves horror, Washington DC and has a cat named Percival.