tools

When I decided to write my first novel, I didn’t know how to do it. I didn’t know if I could do it. It was a massive, incomprehensible project looming over me. I wanted to know, needed to know, if I could do it.

Before anything else, I find the most useful thing to do is to admit that I don’t know everything. I completely, 100 % admitted to myself and anyone who asked that I didn’t know how to write the novel that I so desperately wanted to write. I had no idea where to start. The first ‘chunk’ or set of scenes was the hardest.

This was fiction. This was ‘make belief’ laced with a high level of realism since I wanted my potential readers (if there were any out there) to get pulled into the fictional homicide investigation I was creating and become invested in the outcome.

When I started writing fiction, I wanted the words on the page to be good. I wanted readers to connect with the characters and get pulled into the story. It took time and effort for me to learn how to translate the snippets in my brain to well written sentences on the page. One thing I have going for me on my new found path as an author is that I love to learn. Along the way, on my journey one word at a time, I’ve built a tool box. One of my most favorite tools is the thesaurus collection written by the dynamite duo Angela and Becca. This is my personal collection

I’m here to share with you today some exciting news! The release of the newest thesaurus is just around the corner. More information here.

I blasted through my advanced reader copy in no time and am thrilled to have discovered yet another way of looking at and developing both my characters and my storylines. Yes, just when you think there’s nothing left to learn, these two put a new spin on things. I understand if you are wary of writing tools. Trust me, I stick to what I feel in my gut and I dig into whatever natural talent I have. But, sometimes it helps to learn a new technique, try a new way of thinking about things, and get the brain tingling with ideas.

The reason I love the thesaurus collection so much is that they are easy to digest, well organized and can be used as references to go back to when you are stuck or need to elevate something.

To put the cherry on top, I’ve found these books helpful for any type of story or character, no matter how dark and twisted. After all, I do write about killers and demons.

Give any them of a whirl. I doubt you will be disappointed.

If you like it, stop on by Writers Helping Writers (free!) or One Stop for Writers (subscription).

Stay tuned for tip #2!