I often encourage writers to use the book, The Emotion Thesaurus, by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi as a helpful tool for describing emotions through physical signs and behaviors, sensations, and mental responses.
This descriptive duo has now taken their many thesauruses one step further and put them online at One Stop for Writers. In this video, I’ll show you the online emotion thesaurus and how you can use the information presented as ways to describe rather than state emotion in your stories.
One Stop for Writers contains a tremendous amount of information and is a subscription-based site. I suggest you sign up for a free fourteen-day trial requiring no credit card information and use it as a reference to write this week.
Please know I have no affiliation with this site and receive no compensation from its use. I believe it is a helpful resource I simply wanted to pass on to you.
The Sounds, Smell and Aura of the ocean and it effects. Hope all enjoy one of my loves.
A sweet story, Jackie. The photo was very nice to see. It was interesting to read about your introduction to the ocean and how it wound its way through the rest of your family’s life.
Beautiful story. I love the sound of the ocean.
My Day 2 story. Please read and your commens would be appreciated.
Lorna you have some of the most interesting and fabulous stories to tell, but most of all, you tell and describe them so aptly. Thanks again for sharing. LOL&LOLJackie
Hi Jackie,Thanks for your comments. Glad you found this one interesting! LOL
Another great story Lorna. Beautiful descriptions. You put me there into the carnival.
Thank you Etya. Glad you were able to be there with me. The experience was exhilarating.
I bet.
Hi Lorna. Enjoyed your story immensely. Well documented, strong detailed descriptions. I was able to follow you visually. Orlando celebrates carnival so I had a pretty good idea as to what was happening. Sorry about your feet but experience is our best teacher. Seems like you healed OK. You are here today sharing this story. Thank you. Keep up the good work.
Thank you so much Notma. Greatly pleased you enjoyed my story and had experienced something akin to that. Thank you for your encouraging words.
Day 2 story, titled Leap of Faith. Feedback welcome. Worked on “showing” emotion. Does it show?
LM you not only showed your despair and remedy, but described it so well. Thank you for sharing, I go to the beach for the same reasons, so can relate.
Thank you, Jackie.
Nice description of scenery and emotion all along. Enjoyed the read.
Thank you, Monique.
Lisa, did you see me sitting in the passenger seat of your car? I was there. Nicely done!
Awesome. Thank you, Etya. Roadtrip!
Scene day 2, the moment within the moment
WOW, Yes I agree what beautiful descriptions of moments, mood, and movements of all sorts. Yes, it was moments within moments. great meditation thoughts.
Beautifully said. I was moved by your words, Thank you.
Nicely done; liked the meditation, the descriptions, the meditative feeling.
Touching. Meditation does that to you. Definitely a moment within the moment. Thanks for sharing.
This is the next portion of my story. I’m going from macro to micro. This story focuses on history, context, description and significance of place.
The devil is in the details. Less about scene, I spent time painting the details as I feel it’s important to show them so as to frame the story.
As author, I want to bring my readers along with me as best as I can. I’d like you to get a sense of the mindset and view from which I was writing at the time.
This is the first part of this story II have read. I felt at home in the fishing pier. You used it as a place to be comfortable and at home to write. Your brother was there and used it to pursue his passion. It was a neighborhood thing for all seasons. Life goes on. Liked the descriptions.
I forgot to mention one more thing, Steven. I heard your voice coming through loud and clear.
Steven, a wonderful blend of hustory and personal story combined with excelllent descriptions. I loved this piece and how you connected it to the first story. $25,000 for a whiskey bottle or a shipload if them? That is the only part of your story I found confusing. Excellent writing, my friend!
Etya, the great prophet, Milton Berle, once said, “if you have to explain ’em (referring to jokes he had said), they ain’t worth it. But I’ll explain it to you since it involves knowing American History of a century ago. Here’s the line: Considering H. Willard’s finesse with a casting rod was equal to his ability to wend influence, For the Glory of the Sport during those Boardwalk Empire Days of Prohibition may have been code for private investors who wanted the glory of a big catch in the form of a fishing vessel containing smuggled Canadian whiskey. Wending influence… Read more »
Hey Steven. I did not have to explain the history to me. I know about the prohibition and watched the Boardwalk Empire staring Steve Buscemi.thanks for clarifying the $25,000 Canadian Whiskey part.
Mmmm love that pier already my friend, it does sounds like heaved for the quiet seekers, really enjoyed reading that story
Your attachment to the place clearly shows, as does the feeling of serenity you get from being there. I’m also hearing your closeness to your brother.
Day 2 story , sorry, can’t figure out how to post as an attachment! Portrait in Pastels “There, in the eyes – maybe a little more gray in the blue.” My husband and The Artist talked about me as if I were a bowl of fruit, instead of a young woman sitting silently across the room, posing for her portrait. I didn’t know who had suggested that I let Harry paint me. Maybe Harry, resident artist at the resort hotel where I had waitressed the previous summer, had singled me out and tracked me down. New London wasn’t that big… Read more »
Well written story. Strong portrayal of characters, varying emotions and seeds of conflict. There is a BIG STORY, waiting to be told. I would love to read more.
Thank you, it’s part of a larger piece
Good to know.
Wow. Liz! What a poignant recollection. You set the tone for something dreadful to happen in the opening line. As I read, I knew your relationship would not last. I could hear the sadness in your voice and see the description if a beautiful young lady. I felt your pain at the end, and what great ending that was. Thank you for sharing
Thank you Etya
You give a nice description of the picture and how it came to be, as well as of the different family background. The ending begs for a continuation.
Thank you Monique. It’s part of a bigger project – or will be if I ever get my act together!
My day 2 story.
Detailed, vivid story, showing a range of emotions. Loved how you described, then overcame panic and fear. Hats off to Soni who remained a calming, supportive presence and saved the day. Must have been a spectacular sight!
It was incredibly amazing!!! Thank you for your reply.
That sounds like quite an adventure, Geri! Glad you made it.
So Soni descended with you. What about Tim? Did he descend as well?
Yes, Tim descend as well. I should have mentioned that, thank you!
DAY TWO: Margaret Harris
Touching story, Norma. Lofty ideals and lofty accomplishments. ‘Whatever you vividly imagine…’ quote comes to mind. I share your grief. Effective show of emotions. Well done.
Love the setting, description was great I could smell the Victorian house I was there ty for sharing
Thank you for your story – you made her memorable. And definitely “showed” not told your emotions about her death.
I thought your description of the Victorian house with porch and furniture was spot on. When you mentioned integration I thought maybe it would have something to do with the story – like maybe Martha married a black dentist. That part was a little confusing. I enjoyed the read.
My story for Day Two.
Julie, I liked your story. You effectively showed your emotions and what it meant to you to move. Touching how your Dad identified something positive to soften the impact.
Good story, Julie. You were a brave girl to overcome so many “starting overs.”
Oh wow Julie really good story, I feel like I know this family. Like some parts” get the boxes again ” or some like describes their lifestyle in a hige way. the loosing of friend and staring over is all things I can relate to really enjoyed reading ty
a sad story about loss and starting over. Well done!
That was well written and sad.
forgot the attachment
Diane, kudos to you for writing this story. It is a little bit disjointed. It reads like two stories at once, but each part is cohesive and can stand on its own. Loved your description of Aria. She probably knows what that word means and lives up to her name. I have never met a dog that whistles. Her behavior is funny.
Now that you have said you have autism your story makes much more sense. It is rather disjoined, but with some editing I think it could be a very good story. If I had a clue how to edit I’d give you some pointers. Thank you for sharing.
I think this is my challenge 2. I am not really onboarding about the feelings awareness and writing for identification. if you haven’t noticed now by my writings, i have autism. feelings to us is what nuclear physics or differential equations is to most, difficult, elusive, and forgive me, how many of us reallly need to study it? I finally understand why one therapist fired me for “intellectualizing”, she misdiagnosed my autism.
The end
Mary, this was powerful. Your emotions were raw and strong. I hoped he would give his reason for leaving. I could just imagine how hard it must have been for you to start over again without knowing why. Thanks for sharing.
Very good scene, strong emotions, hard right from the uncle to conflict or just desicion to sepparate, the description the moods and tones the space really place the movie in my mind
“I kept twisting my wedding ring back and forth as waves of heat seemed to roll down my body” – good imagery in a very compelling scene.
.
Mary, I was nearly in tears reading your emotional story. What an awful event to go through. I hope things are better for you now. Great descriptions and emotions.
the heartache really came through in your writing.
Challenge 2
Thank you for this story. You made me laugh because I recently went through a similar experience with a provider.
You sound like my brothers! I think you have the universal problem that so many have – your story is good but I feel like it could use some editing to make it flow better.
Thank you for your comment and suggestion about better flow. I do tend to be choppy at times, especially when I am annoyed (ha :)-)
Monique, great descriptions and emotions about the electronic world most of us weren’t raised in, so is foreign and frustrating to deal with. Thanks for sharing!
wow! i really felt this Monique, and very much identified to the feelings through such descriptive interactions. I’ve been there. I can’t stand the loud music they play when they place you on hold! I can’t wait for Elon Musk to perfect his neurolink. on the one hand it scares me, on the other, i think it would solve much of these problems we continually encounter with internet and phone and other providers. it’s all about access and interruption. thanks so much for writing!
A bit long but join me in…
Good story, Linda.
Very sweet reminiscence. .
another good one, Linda. I could really see the house and the town. I took baths in one of those tubs, too – water heated on a wood-burning stove, not gas
It may have been heated on the woodburner in the shanty/backroom.
Good story of days gone by.
Linda, your story was informative, with lots of descriptions about your homes and your family. So glad your father recovered from his accident and heart attack. Your stories captivate me with all your siblings. Thanks for sharing!
Does anyone remember a Disney movie “inside out”, about a young girl moving to a new town, told from the perspective of her emotions?
My day two story, The Paper Route. I managed a little more dialog in this one.
David, a wonderful story. Loved your descriptions and the dialog. You captured the moment well.
What a lovely description of the scene and the parental care…and they think we don’t figure it out. Sometimes we just have to let parents be parents, don’t we?!
when I became a father I understood better how my dad must have felt. It must have seemed a long time to him, waiting for me to return.
This story is a continuation of the time I was at a nursing station in the North.
Nice story, Nancy! Good descriptions.
Nancy, I liked your story about working in the North as a novice. So much to learn! I liked your great descriptions and emotions. Just didn’t want the story to end.
Nancy, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your practice and the learning process
you went through. I was, however, kind of distracted/disappointed when you transitioned
to your break outside. Just me. Otherwise good writing.
Life in the north, where mosquitos are big enough to carry you away. I could feel you anxiety as a newbie on the floor.
Here is my Day Two story which is a continuation of Day One
Judy, good writing. I felt sorry for you, your husband, and your son.
Judy, what a predicament to find yourself in. I too have found myself sitting and listening to two people who were supposed to love each other take vicious jabs at each other. Great imagery and emotions. I was standing there with you. I hope your son is doing better now.
I don’t know how left without taking him with you. The things people do to one another…good story – I saw the scar and I heard the drums.
I don’t have to imagine what it felt like to see your son in pain. Your story said it.
Here is a version with the right formatting.
A compelling read. Good pacing and sentence structure to build tension in the story.
Thank you, Steven, I appreciate your feedback
Etya, Wow – what a scary situation. Great imagery and emotions. I too felt like I was running next to you. Thanks for sharing.
You are welcome!
That was an excellent story – you certainly used a lot of emotions in the story. Good job
I thank you kindly.
A story like that is so full of what ifs. Thanks for sharing. I hope as you look back at that incident, you realize that you saved yourself by taking action and defending yourself. It is a story of triumph.
Thank you so much. I am so happy that fifty years later, I am the one telling it.
Wow, Etya. That story was very real. I was running with you with every heartbeat. Thank God you were a very brave girl.
Thank you, Judy, for taking the time to read it. It was real.
Day 2 Story
Great story! I have never heard of anything like this.
I,too had never heard of cauls or their implications. A very informative story.
Learned something new again. I had no idea about cauls, or the import.
Very interesting story. On the farm, we had to worry about baby calves being born with afterbirth around the nostrils, not allowing them to breathe. I hope in your case it is lucky to be born with a caul.
Loved the story, Peggy. Enjoyed your sense of humor throughout the story.
Peggy, I loved this story, especially the sarcasm you have woven into it.
Here is my story for Day 2.
Thank you for sharing this strongly emotional piece with us. It is well written and confirms that we often have strength of which we are unaware. Nice job.
Thank you.
That is a very strong piece. Thank God the bus was still there!
Thank you.
Thank you for your story of strength and perseverance
Thanks.
I don’t know what happened but when I opened your story the first page was blank. Readers should scroll down to page two.
I believe I posted my story on the wrong day. Here is another try.
Challenge 1
I signed up on the One Step for Writers website. I was amused to see Schadenfreude listed as an emotion.