THE COMPANION GUIDE FOR THE EMOTIONAL THESAURUS & A GIVEAWAY

 Although I moved to WordPress for my new website, I'm still having issues with sending out blog notifications. Here's this week's post on the new Emotional Amplifier Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. There's still time to enter their giveaway--but submit your response today!

My web designer and I hope that you'll be receiving notifications through WordPress rather than Blogger very soon. We're working on it!

Behind the Scenes with The Thesauri Queens: An Interview with Angela Ackerman and Rebecca Puglisi

Congratulations to Sandra Warren who won the 15 minute Zoom Author Interview with Marsha Diane Arnold from last week's blog. She donated it to West Marion Elementary School in Marion, NC.

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Many of you have heard me extol the virtues of ONE STOP FOR WRITERS a rich, on-line writing tool. I've also frequently mentioned the creators of the site, Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi, who have co-written and published seven Thesauri. I teased them that they are the Thesauri Queens--but you probably know them as two smart, generous women who are being exactly what their website proclaims: Writers Helping Writers.

I bet many of you have used their resources and that's why you're here today--because like me, you're a nosey writer and want to hear how these two women have successfully collaborated for fifteen years.

But first, if you don't know about how Angela and Becca met online, please see Natalie Aguirre's interview. You'll also find out how they developed their unique brand. 

This was taken the first time Angela and Becca met in Disney World!

Now, without further ado-- let's get this interview going!

CAROL: What was it like when you met in person three years after only knowing each other online? 

ANGELA: Because we live in different countries, 99% of our communication is online. However, many years ago I took my family to Disney World, and as Becca lived close by, she agreed to meet us at the Magic Kingdom for the day, just outside Cinderella’s castle. We had traded pictures of one another of course, but as we pulled into the parking lot that day it hit me that a) I’d forgotten my phone at the hotel, and b) MK was huge, and c) 32,000 people entered the park every day that time of year. As this was my debut visit to the park, I began imagining scenarios where Becca would be at one part of the castle and I’d be at another, endlessly waiting for the other to arrive. So, I did what any desperate person might do…I made a sign with her name on it. 

Ironically, I never needed to use it. Somehow despite Magic Kingdom having several ferries and a sky train that transported people to and from the park, Becca and I ended up on the same packed ferry about ten feet from one another. This type of crazy coincidence was only the first of many for us; Becca and I are convinced the universe wants us to be together!

BECCA: One of the things I liked best about this day was the absence of the expected awkwardness that comes when you finally meet an online friend in person. (Well, except for that moment when I realized my car key had fallen out of my pocket on Space Mountain, and I thought we might be spending a huge portion of the day in the parking lot. Luckily, my key was sitting there in the seat, not wedged into a coaster track somewhere, so that was good.) We just picked things right up and enjoyed our day. It was a really good feeling to meet in person and confirm that she was the wonderful, kind, generous, and freaky person I’d always thought she was.

CAROL: How do you work together as a team? How do you figure out who does what?

ANGELA: Luckily Becca and I have writing styles that mesh quite well, but we have different strengths when it comes to business skills. She’s terrific at organization and tracking the million little things that keep us up and running as a business, like knowing book production processes, managing our accounts, making sure bills are paid, and working with third parties (formatters, designers, distributors, etc.). I handle the marketing side of things, our outreach, and steer business strategy. I think our partnership works so well because we trust each other’s knowledge in areas where we are not subject matter experts, and whenever we need to come to a consensus on something, we can talk it through.

BECCA: We assign duties based on individual strengths, which is a pretty simple process because we’re very compatible in our giftedness (or lack thereof). And the rest of it, we just divvy up between us. It’s a simple system, but because we’re each able to look at ourselves realistically and put the ego aside, it’s easy to say, You’re better at this, why don’t you handle it? or You’ve got a ton going on, so I’ll do this one.

CAROL: What have been the bumps in the road to successful collaboration? Do you have advice to other writers who are considering collaborating on a book or project? 

ANGELA: I won’t lie, there are some things we disagree on. For example, Becca hates pickle chips. It’s hard for me to overlook this horrifying flaw, but that’s what you have to do sometimes to keep the peace. Okay, that’s frivolous…but it illustrates the nature of most of the friction between us: superficial. 

However, we have different backgrounds, life views, and comfort zones, so we aren’t twins. Certain content we’re not comfortable writing about might be a sticky point and when this happens, we talk it through and come to a consensus. Another way we differ is that Becca and I have different comfort zones when it comes to risk. But again, it’s fine because we discuss it and challenge the other to convey their point of view better so we can reach an understanding. I love this because it means we always move ahead on the same page, or “on the same page for now,” leaving things open for reassessment down the road. 

My advice for collaborating is to make sure each person is in alignment before jumping into a project. Not only does there need to be a huge amount of trust and respect, collaborators should have complementary communication styles, the same vision and goals, and a strong work ethic. 

BECCA: Yes, to all of this, except the bit about my dislike of pickle chips being a flaw. That’s just a result of having functional taste buds. I would add that potential partners should go into the collaboration with eyes wide open, knowing that, no matter how well you get along, there will be conflict and disagreements. Ironically, this becomes more pronounced if you find success, because success leads to increased complexity, requiring the business to grow and change. Recognizing that choppy waters are ahead can be really helpful in navigating them.

CAROL: What have been the high points of your collaborative work? 

ANGELA: Honestly the best part for me is our friendship; Becca is my better half. I have such tremendous love and respect for her and am eternally grateful for how she helps me grow as a writer and a human being. She’s an advocate for me and everything I do (and I for her), and that’s pretty powerful stuff! 

Another high for me is how we took an idea on how to help writers in a more practical way and helped shape the industry’s ideas of what a writing guide is and isn’t, and what a thesaurus is and is not. This, I believe, has opened the box a bit for all creators as now there are many books-slash-tools called thesauruses (or something similar) that incorporate lists to help writers in some way. Another thing I love is how Becca and I continually innovate, even to the point where we think beyond a book format. Creating One Stop for Writers with Becca and Lee is one of the coolest, most rewarding things I’ve done. In many ways I feel we’ve only scratched the surface of what we can do there, and that’s exciting. Our ability to be more open-minded about what is possible is a direct result of hearing from readers about the impact our books have made. Knowing we’re making a difference is a feeling that can’t be beat. 

BECCA: My gosh, there are so many high points. There’s this exponential thing that happens when we put our heads together; the results are typically way bigger than we originally planned. For instance, I came up with a very basic version of the Emotion Thesaurus back when we were critique partners, but it was Angela’s idea to turn it into blog material. And of course, that ended up becoming such a successful book. We’ve achieved so much more together than I believe either of us would have on our own. There are many, many examples of this throughout our journey together. It’s a beautiful thing.

CAROL: Have you always had the same vision? Do you invest equal amounts of time and energy as the Thesauri Queens? 

ANGELA: I think so--mostly? I’ll have to wait for Becca’s answer to know for sure, haha! I guess maybe a better way to phrase my answer is to say that we each have a huge desire to help others and it drives us. We may have our own ideas on how to best accomplish this but the magic between us is we are very good communicators. Because we discuss everything and make it a practice to incorporate the other’s insight before moving forward, we become flexible thinkers. This helps us choose a path that feels right for us both, one that means we’re helping writers and running a sustainable business. And when we don’t quite agree, if it’s important to the other, we compromise because we have such a strong bond of trust. Resentment or negativity is not part of our relationship.  

BECCA: I think it’s truthful to say that we want the same things and we each give as much as we can in pursuit of those goals. It helps that we also see ourselves with a certain duality: we are individuals with many and varying responsibilities outside of work, and we’re also two parts to a professional whole. Real life happens, and there are times when we each have personal stuff going on. In those moments, the other person steps in to fill the gap. I know that Angela has my back, and she knows that I have hers—both personally and professionally. I thank God regularly for bringing the two of us together.

CAROL: Thank you so much, ladies, for sharing your working relationship and your encouragement to all of the men and women who are becoming more skilled writers because of you!

For those of you who haven't used any of Angela's or Becca's Thesauri, you can begin by reading my blog about their latest book, The  Emotional Thesaurus, Second Edition. 

No matter what genre you are writing or if you write for adults, children, or young adults, ONE STOP FOR WRITERS is the writing resource you need. It's the first place I go when I'm stuck writing a scene. I haven't begun to plummet the depth of writing helps that are included. By the way, their Pinterest board is pretty amazing too!

The Emotional Wound Thesaurus + Three Stories of Perseverance

Today I have a special post as part of the Writers Persevere event that authors Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi are running for the next few days to celebrate their newest book, The Emotional Wound Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Psychological Trauma. This book looks at the difficult experiences embedded in our character’s backstory which will shape their motivation and behavior afterward. 

To help them celebrate this release, many of us are posting stories about some of the obstacles we’ve overcome as writers. As we all know, this isn’t an easy path. Writing is hard and as writers we tend to struggle with doubt. Sometimes too, we don’t always get the support we need to follow our passion, or we have added challenges that make writing more difficult. Because people are sharing how they worked through challenges to keep writing, I decided to share three friends' stories. I trust their perseverance, in the light of discouragement, pain, and rejections, will encourage you as much as they've encouraged me.

 

Kathy Wiechman

I started writing when I was five. I loved putting words on the page. My mother, a published poet, encouraged me.

When I was an adult, I decided to try to get published. I had no idea how difficult that would be. Or how long it would take me. Novels were my passion, but I also wrote poems.

I submitted my writing. And I received rejections. I took classes, went to conferences and workshops, wrote, and submitted. Many people encouraged me, told me I had talent, but publishers kept turning me down. Some of my friends thought I was “out of my mind” to keep trying.

I finally sold a poem in 2002, but my mother did not live to see that success. She died in 1998.

I struggled with health issues, and the older I got, the more often I felt discouraged, thinking I wouldn’t live long enough to achieve my dream of a published novel. My sister advised me to think about how much I enjoyed writing and how many friends I had met along my journey. If I had to decide between being published or having the friends I had made, I would choose the friends in a heartbeat. That realization changed my attitude.

I changed my focus from the drive to get published to loving the process. My new attitude made me a happier writer. I don’t know if my change in attitude improved my work, but my dream came true.

I had written and submitted novels for 39 years before my first success in that genre. I was offered a contract for what was the eleventh novel I’d completed. I still focus on enjoying the work, and now I am a happy—and published—writer. 

Kathy Cannon Wiechman is a former Language Arts tutor and teacher. Her debut novel, Like a River, was honored with the inaugural Grateful American Book Prize. Both Like a River and her second novel, Empty Places, are frequently used in classrooms. Not on Fifth Street is her third book. She lives in Cincinnati with her husband.

Linda Phillips

My high school counselor told me I’d never make it as a writer.  I’ve come to determine she really meant to say, “be sure you keep your day job” not, “you stink as a writer.”  But I heard the latter, and thus delayed my writing career until well into my adult years as wife and mother.  Up to that point my writing life consisted of a growing stack of journals, desperate attempts to make sense out of growing up with a mother suffering from bipolar disorder. The unresolved questions from my formative years began surfacing in the form of poems, and to my delight and surprise, a number of them were published in adult literary journals. That was the beginning.  It took a dear friend’s suggestion that the scattering of poems seemed destined for a novel, and it took another seven years for the refining fires of editing to produce a publishable book. Today, I am thankful for all the bumps in the road that led to Crazy, and for the doors it has opened to encourage persons whose lives have been touched by mental illness.  

Linda Vigen Phillips is the author of Crazy (Eerdmans/2014), a YA novel in verse about a teenage girl coming to terms with her mother’s mental illness. While she awaits the release of her second book, Heart Behind These Hands (October 2018), she volunteers at NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and counts the days between grandkid visits.   

Kathleen Burkinshaw

The Last Cherry Blossom’s writing journey began in 2009.  My daughter asked me to speak to her seventh-grade class about the people under the famous mushroom clouds on August 6^th- like her grandmother. I had never spoken publicly about my mom surviving the atomic bombing. I had only learned details of that day 8 years earlier. I was seriously ill, hospitalized for a month, and diagnosed with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy(RSD).  RSD is a neurological disorder of the sympathetic nerves causing debilitating, chronic, burning pain.  I couldn’t walk on my own and had to endure grueling physical therapy.  During that time, my mom shared her heart-breaking memories of August 6^th.  I now realize that she didn’t tell me, just so I would know; but to encourage me because as bad as things were, I shouldn’t give up hope.   All along I thought it was therapeutic for her, yet it ended up also being therapeutic for me. 

My mom agreed that I could discuss her experience in Hiroshima because she felt that the seventh-grade students might relate to her story since they were the same age that she was that horrific day. I started writing about life in Hiroshima during the last year of WWII through the eyes of a 12-year-old girl. Finding information about daily life in Japan written in English, took time and patience. Every step on this journey doubled in difficulty because of my RSD pain. There were days my hands hurt so much I couldn’t type, but I was blessed with wonderful friends and family who typed for and encouraged me. Shortly after I received my publishing contract, my mom passed away, overshadowing any other obstacle I had or would encounter. I became determined to honor her by creating through my pain and writing her story.

Kathleen Burkinshaw is a Japanese American author residing in Charlotte, NC.The Last Cherry Blossom, is a SCBWI Crystal Kite Award Finalist (southeast region), 2016 Scholastic WNDB Reading Club selection, and recently nominated for the NC Sir Walter Raleigh Fiction Award. 

Want to add more depth to your stories? Check out The Emotional Wound Thesaurus here. And here's a link to a sample entry. Want all the thesauri at your fingertips? Check out One Stop for Writers. It's my go-to writing resource for checklists, tips, and timelines. It should be yours too!

Do you have a story to share, or some advice for others? You can join Becca and Angela at Writers Helping Writers from October 25-27^th, where they are celebrating writers and their stories of perseverance. Stop in, and tell them about a challenge or struggle your faced, or if you like, write a post on your own blog and share it using the hashtag #writerspersevere.  Let’s fill social media with your strength and let other writers know that it’s okay to question and have doubts but we shouldn’t let that stop us. 

GIVEAWAY ALERT!

There’s a prize vault filled with items that can give your writing career a boost at Writers Helping Writers.

The giveaway is only from October 25-27^th, so enter asap. And don’t forget to share this using the #writerspersevere hashtag so more prizes will be awarded!

One Stop for Writers: The Place to Go!

Congratulations to Clara Gillow Clark who won EMPTY PLACES by Kathy Wiechman.

Illustrators and artists have brushes, pencils, and digital tools. Similarly, writers have their own set of tools: journals, laptops, and a wide array of websites, blogs, and online resources.  

In today's blog I'm featuring my new "go-to" website: One Stop for Writers. The last time I blogged about this fantastic tool created by Angela Ackerman, Becca Puglisi, and Lee Powell, I hadn't started using it. Today you're going to hear some of Angela's observations about the site, interspersed with examples from my WIP,  HALF-TRUTHS.

What is the inspiration behind One Stop For Writers? 

Becca and I love books, and as writing coaches, we love helping writers. But because our books are part list, anyone with a digital copy has to scroll through many pages to see a single entry. This isn’t ideal.  And, with many more descriptive thesauruses on our blog, nothing was in one place either. This left us frustrated and searching for a way to have everything in one spot. Lee Powell, the creator of Scrivener for Windows, came along at the perfect time, and his passion for helping writers matched our own. Together we created One Stop For Writers, a unique online library of description that also contains an arsenal of tools and information tailored to elevate storytelling. We are all about building stronger writers so more stories get into the hands of readers.

From Carol:

For those of you who are new to my blog, my YA novel is set in Charlotte, NC in 1950 and is written from 2 POV: 15-year-old Lillian (Lillie) Harris, a light-skinned descendent of a slave; and 14-year-old Anna Katherine (Kate) Dinsmore, who just moved in with her wealthy grandparents, along with her siblings and a goat named Eileen. In the course of the book the girls discover they have the same great-grandfather. The girls meet when Lillie gets a job helping Big Momma at the Dinsmores.

In the chapter I was working on today, Lillian is in the Dinsmore kitchen, helping her grandmother (Big Momma) prepare ambrosia for a fancy luncheon for Kate. Earlier I had randomly looked through One Stop's Symbolism and Motif Thesaurus and found this on "Enslavement."

The helpful tip on that page reads: "Symbolism is something that many readers recognize on either a conscious or subconscious level; including it adds a layer of richness to the story. Think about how you can add specific motifs or symbols to your setting that will reinforce the symbolism you are trying to convey. Additionally, symbols woven into the description of your scene can help reinforce your character's emotions and mood. In this way, you’ll be able to do more with less."

Since part of Lillie's struggles revolve around being help which she swore she never would be--I added this paragraph:

The kitchen is quiet except for flies buzzing outside the screen window. I hear Frankie yelling at Eileen. The goat is probably pulling on it’s rope and not wanting to be led around like a dog. Can’t say I blame her. She doesn’t belong in a small field like this. She needs to be somewhere she can romp and play.  

I had already included the texture, taste, and smell of the pineapple which Lillie was cutting and enjoying (although it made her want more), but I wanted to deepen the scene and introduce more conflict. I opened up One Stop, looked through the Setting Thesaurus list under kitchens, and found:

Rotten food! I started thinking how layering something distasteful into this scene might create more conflict. The tip on this page reads: "Settings should always be chosen with care. Consider the emotion you want your viewpoint character to feel and how setting choices, weather elements, and symbolism might build a specific mood in the scene, create tension and conflict, or even raise the stakes." 

I came up with this:

I’m about to ask Big Momma if she knows that she’s working for her half-sister when Missus Dinsmore looks in on us. "What on earth is that smell?” she asks. 

Big Momma sniffs the air. “I don’t smell nothin’ but this lovely ambrosia.” She gestures to the mixing bowl that is almost full of oranges and pineapple.  

Missus Dinsmore crinkles her nose in disgust and looks around the kitchen. “Not that. I smell something rotten.” She opens the back door, lifts the lid of the trash can, and then slams it back down. I’ve been so busy this morning I haven’t had time to haul the can out back.  

Missus Dinsmore storms back inside. “That is disgusting! Lillian, make sure you empty that can before Anna Katherine’s guests arrive!” Missus Dinsmore’s face is as red as the maraschino cherries Big Momma is spooning into the ambrosia.  

Back to Angela:

You’ve been up and running for just over 6 months. What’s the reaction so far? 

We’ve had nothing but good feedback. Hurray! I believe users are finding this site saves them time when it comes to character creation, world building, and sensory description because ideas are a click away. Story Maps is also popular, demystifying structure and character arc while allowing writers to “see” the turning points of their novel visually. And of course the expanded Emotion Thesaurus is a big favorite. It’s nice to not be stuck mid-scene trying to figure out how a character should behave and instead access lists filed with ideas for realistic body language, thoughts and visceral sensations. Writing time is precious, so anything we can do to make sure more of it is spent actually writing, the better! 

From Carol: 

When you check out this valuable resource you'll see why it's appropriately named, One Stop. And when you do, you'll be able to generate a list in your notes index that looks something like this:

These notes help me remember quirks and nonverbal behavior that are characteristic of each person. Inevitably these notes not only help me stay consistent but also prompt further associations. 

In an earlier scene Lillie boards a bus to work right after a confrontation with her best friend, Darla. She is debating about sitting in the white section. I thought about how she was feeling at that instant, looked up Self-loathing in One Stop and related words under Depression and Death. The word hollow jumped out at me and I wrote this:

Someone is coming up behind me. I hear Darla’s voice describing me as high yaller. I could sit here, but should I? 

“Girl, you need to get movin’,” a voice behind me says. I drop my hand and shuffle forward. 

I’m glad someone made the decision for me but I feel as hollow as an empty casket. What am I doing—letting someone else tell me where I belong?  

Back to Angela:

Your first upgrade included the ability to bookmark favorite content, a massive new Setting Thesaurus, and Story Maps, a visual story structure tool. What’s next? 

Deciding what’s next is always the hardest part for the three of us. We have so many ideas! A Scene Map tool and a Timeline tool is coming soon, rounding out the story structure element at One Stop. 

It won’t matter if you are a Plotter or a Pantser, we’ll have helpful story planning tools for every comfort zone! Also, an organizational system is in the works, allowing users to group bookmarks, worksheets, notes, and maps by project. This way people can have multiple stories on the go and keep everything organized. 

Honestly, it’s just a lot of fun dreaming up new ways to help writers and creating tools we believe will help them succeed. 

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I hope this quick look at One Stop will whet your appetite to explore the site yourself. For those of you on Pinterest, Becca and Angela have shared some of their amazing worksheets there. 

Have you tried One Stop? What features do you like best?