After writing more than sixty romance novels, I can sometimes find myself at a loss for words, unable to think of the right word or find myself using the same ones. Having a good thesaurus is invaluable. I use my own thesaurus, Naughty Words for Nice Writers, all the time. I wrote it as a survival guide—it was the book I needed that didn’t exist when I started writing romance. Besides Naughty Words, the thesauri/reference books I’m recommending are tools I couldn’t live without.
I wrote
Naughty Words for Nice Writers: A Romance Novel Thesaurus
Romance is all about feelings. The highs. The lows. The dejection and the joys. But you need to “show” and not “tell” how your characters are feeling.
To do that, you use gestures, dialogue, facial expressions, internal sensations, and thoughts. The Emotion Thesaurus provides all that and more. There are more than 130 entries to help writers show emotion. This is a fantastic book for all novel genres. If I could only keep one reference book (other than mine), this would be it!
The bestselling Emotion Thesaurus, often hailed as “the gold standard for writers” and credited with transforming how writers craft emotion, has now been expanded to include 55 new entries!
One of the biggest struggles for writers is how to convey emotion to readers in a unique and compelling way. When showing our characters’ feelings, we often use the first idea that comes to mind, and they end up smiling, nodding, and frowning too much.
If you need inspiration for creating characters’ emotional responses that are personalized and evocative, this ultimate show-don’t-tell guide for emotion can help. It includes:
I was so thrilled when I found this little gem. I had been desperately searching for a book like this!
Authors use body language to show emotion and to use as dialogue tags. But in typical nonfiction books on body language you have to weed through a lot of psychological explanation to find the gesture. Author Tim Ellis did the work for us. This book lists just the gestures and expressions for emotions from A to Z.
My copy is paperback; unfortunately, the author has since passed away, and only the Kindle version is available now.
This book is for writer's to cherry-pick body language for their characters. It does what it says on the cover - it's an A-Z list of emotions, attitudes and feelings with the associated body language.
A trope is a common plot device used in fiction, such as the billionaire hero, fated mates, secret baby, fake relationship. Even before I knew what a trope was, I was using them.
The Trope Thesaurus is more than a listing of common tropes, it also explains how to creatively and effectively use them to create conflict and to plot your fiction. The author gives examples in romance, mystery, suspense, thriller, science fiction, and fantasy. If you’re ever stuck for a plot idea, check out this book.
Think of Master Lists for Writers as a collection of mini thesauri on topics of interest to writers including plot twists, settings, body language, character names, action scene words, funny plots, workplace plots, character quirks, and much more.
Many of the subjects could merit a book in and of themselves, so rather than an exhaustive list of words, Master Lists provides a high-level summary of the most common terms in each category. Often, that’s enough. I sometimes use this book for inspiration.
Write faster...write more! Master Lists for Writers makes “show, don’t tell” a lot easier and helps you figure out your story more quickly. In this book, you’ll find: • lists of phrases for describing facial expressions, body language, gestures, physical appearance, and emotions • 175 master plot ideas, including romance, high-stakes, family, and workplace stories • lists of words for writing action scenes and love scenes • inspiration for figuring out character traits and quirks, backstories, occupations, motivations, and goals • lists for describing settings and writing dialogue • lists of good character names for contemporary stories...plus medieval England, Regency…
If you want a general thesaurus, I believe The Synonym Finder with more than 1 million synonyms is the best one on the market.
I’ve used it for more than 30 years and had to replace my original copy because it was so well-used, it fell apart. What makes this thesaurus stand out is the quality of synonyms and the ease of use. It is super easy to find the words you’re looking for. Every author should have this book!
With a simple alphabetical arrangement this book has been expanded to include thousands of new words and expressions that have entered the language in recent years, and includes clearly labelled slang and informal words and expressions.
Now in its third edition, Naughty Words for Nice Writers, A Romance Novel Thesaurus contains thousands of usable, functional synonyms in more than 50 word lists to add spice and sizzle to your romance novel. More than a thesaurus, Naughty Words for Nice Writers is a writing guide filled with practical suggestions on how to craft a sex scene and “show” the intimacy between characters rather than tell it. Whether you intend to “fade to black” or spell it out in explicit detail, Naughty Words for Nice Writers will provide the craft tips and words to write an appropriate love scene. This is a “forever tool” you’ll want to keep right next to your laptop.
So many books, so little time! If you're a nonfiction fan, this field guide may help you make better choices about what to read.
Just like a field guide helps you identify plants or birds, this book helps you navigate the rich world of nonfiction. You’ll uncover how your favorite authors break down complex topics, keep you hooked, and forge those deep, personal connections that make their work unforgettable.
Practice spotting techniques "in the wild" and track your responses in the Field Notes. Record your own preferences and favorites in the Field Observations. With this guide by your side, you'll…
Attention nonfiction book lovers, this guide is for you!
If your nightstand is stacked with histories or essays, how-to guides or science books, The Curious Reader’s Field Guide to Nonfiction is going to be your new favorite companion.
Just like a field guide helps you identify plants or birds, this book helps you navigate the rich world of nonfiction. You’ll uncover how your favorite authors break down complex topics, keep you hooked, and forge those deep, personal connections that make their work unforgettable.
More than just a guide—a reading companion
This isn’t just a book you flip through—it’s an interactive…
