Random Acts of Kindness Day 5: Giving Back to Writers

WOW! The time has flown past and here we stand at the weekend's doorway! Have no fear, RAOK Week is still underway, and will continue through Sunday. Every day we see more and more Random Acts of Kindness, and writers everywhere are realizing just how much they are appreciated by others.

As the industry helps to show their admiration for writers, Scrivener has led the charge and offered up their amazing software each day. We are so grateful for their support, and their excitement to partner with us to celebrate the community.

I think we can all agree by now that kindness is contagious so today I'd like to put the focus on the word RANDOM. Maybe you'll see a tweet later from a writer who seems overwhelmed. Or in a forum, you notice a post from a person struggling with frustration or self confidence. These are things we all understand and have worked through ourselves, so why not send a bit of sunshine their way? A kind word or small gesture can mean so much. If you would like to steal our badge and surprise someone with an official RAOK, please add your blog to our link list at the bottom of this post!

Meet our Industry partners who want to show their appreciation for all you do. They are a part of our crazy, word-crammed world, and see the way writers strive and persevere. Read on to see what gifts they are offering today to celebrate you, and maybe win something that will make your writing path a bit easier.

Today, you have 3 chances to win, so read on!

RAOK Gift #1: TWO Scrivener Software packages (1 PC, 1 Mac)

Scrivener is billed as 'your complete writing studio' and it really is. This software, developed by a writer for writers, is the complete package. How many notebooks do you fill up as you research, brainstorm, outline, create character sketches and finally draft and revise your novel? Well, flipping through that stack of paper or set of binders is a thing of the past with Scrivener. Organize, storyboard, make notes and research all in the same place, and best of all, access it all as you write. The index card and cork board system is nothing short of brilliant.

Simply put, Scrivener is a writer's best friend. I love how they evolve to serve writers in this new world of publishing, like using the compile feature to export manuscripts to Kindle or epub formats! You can even download a free trial to see if this tool fits your working style!


More good news: David and the crew at Scrivener loved the idea of RAOK for writers so much they are giving out software packages every day this week!

RAOK Gift # 2: Lecture by Agent Irene Goodman on How an Agent Picks a Client: From Query to Career.

Writer's Digest is one of the most familiar names in the publishing industry. Their books on writing technique are best sellers and they run Writer's Digest University, offering a legion of webinars, lectures, courses and critique opportunities. The lecture featured today will help writers to get a better idea of how an agent thinks, and understand what they need both from a manuscript and a potential client to take them on.

WD also produces the highly reputable Writer's Digest Magazine and the yearly Writer's Market. Their newsletter is full of great articles, insider information and bits of Industry news. Each year, they put on Writer's Digest Conferences, which brings the biggest Agents, Editors and Authors in publishing together. (And what I love is that if you miss the conference, you can still buy the keynotes and workshop sessions, honing in on the topics that pertain to your own writing!)

Writer's Digest has an entire Community where writers can share information and collaborate as they work toward publication. I'm cutting to the bone here as I describe in order to keep this short-ish, but snoop around the site to really see the full value. Make sure to stop in at Chuck Sambuchino's excellent blog, Guide to Literary Agents,  and The Writer's Dig, run by Brian Klems (who I hope is having a great birthday today!)

So...want to win these wonderful RAOK Gifts? Of course you do! Enter this FORM and consider spreading a bit of kindness in the Writing Community. A small gesture can mean so much.

Random Acts of Kindness Day 4: Feel the LOVE!

More Random Acts of Kindness are in store today here at The Bookshelf Muse! Once again, Scrivener is giving the Writing Community a virtual hug with their software giveaways, and AutoCrit Editing Software is stopping in as well to help us celebrate writers.

Today we set aside worries over the ever changing Publishing landscape, forget about the hitches and bumps on the writer's road and instead enjoy the great relationships we've built. A bit of kindness goes a long way, so we encourage you to use this excuse to thank your blog followers for visiting, your betas for reading, and appreciate the published authors who have offered you encouragement and counsel when you need it. If you would like to steal our badge and surprise someone with a RAOK yourself, please add your blog to our link list at the bottom of this post!

Today and the rest of the week, Industry partners are showing their appreciation for writers. They know how hard you work and admire your dedication to the written word. Read on to see what gifts they are offering today, and maybe win something that will make your writing path a bit easier!

Today, you have 3 chances to win, so read on!

RAOK Gift #1: TWO Scrivener Software packages (1 PC, 1 Mac)

Scrivener is billed as 'your complete writing studio' and it really is. This software, developed by a writer for writers, is the complete package. How many notebooks do you fill up as you research, brainstorm, outline, create character sketches and finally draft and revise your novel? Well, flipping through that stack of paper or set of binders is a thing of the past with Scrivener. Organize, storyboard, make notes and research all in the same place, and best of all, access it all as you write. The index card and cork board system is nothing short of brilliant.

Simply put, Scrivener is a writer's best friend. I love how they evolve to serve writers in this new world of publishing, like using the compile feature to export manuscripts to Kindle or epub formats! You can even download a free trial to see if this tool fits your working style!


More good news: David and the crew at Scrivener loved the idea of RAOK for writers so much they are giving out software packages every day this week!

RAOK Gift # 2: a Professional AutoCrit Editing Wizard Membership (1 year)


AutoCrit Manuscript Wizard is an apt name, because in my mind, the scope it covers as a editing tool is nothing short of pure wizardry. The creator of AutoCrit, Nina Davies is a writer herself (we knew one another at Critique Circle!) who also happens to be a Computer Whisperer. Marrying her two passions, she created AutoCrit, a program that flags potential wording problems in your manuscript. The free version of this is amazing. Not only will it catch those pesky passives, weak or overused words and clichés that gremlins sneak into your writing (because it isn't you, right?), it also highlights them so there's nowhere they can hide. Her program also examines your sentence length and flags any potential run-ons. 

With premium membership, your analysis is ever deeper! Autocrit will tell you that you have 80 'said', 30 'exclaimed' and 12 'declared' in your manuscript, and it will look at pacing, repeated phrasing, and more, like 'two word phrasing'. This one will be handy if you overuse gestures like 'he smiled' or 'she nodded'.

Autocrit can't take the place of a flesh and blood critique partner, but it does catch what eyes miss! This Professional Membership will definitely improve your manuscript no matter how much you've worked it. They have a great resource page, too.

Want to win these wonderful RAOK Gifts? Of course you do! Enter this FORM and consider spreading a bit of kindness in the Writing community. A small gesture can mean so much.

What is The Emotion Thesaurus?

ANGELA: It’s a tool to help writers show, not tell, emotion. Formatted similar to a thesaurus, the ET explores 75 different emotions, and lists out possible body language cues, visceral sensations (like shivering, a flush of heat or adrenaline, tightness in the throat, etc.) and thoughts a character might experience for each. The result is a brainstorming guide to reference when a writer is struggling with a fresh way to show the reader what a character is feeling.

What prompted you to create the Emotion Thesaurus?

BECCA: Back in 2004, the stars aligned, God smiled, and Angela and I hooked up with the same group of writers at Critique Circle. One of the first things I realized when I started seriously examining my writing was that my characters were always shifting their feet, narrowing their eyes, and fidgeting. To come up with new ways to show emotions, I started a list of physical indicators that I had seen in books, observations I had made, and phrases I had experimented with myself. Right about then, Angela opined that her characters were always biting their lips, nodding, and smiling or frowning. She began a discussion in our critique group about how to convey emotions through different indicators. When everyone responded that they struggled with the same thing, I shared my bare-bones list of emotional indicators. We agreed to contribute to the list and Angela kept a master copy.

That was how the idea started. It grew when we began The Bookshelf Muse and decided to open with a series of blog posts that covered this material. The information was pretty well received and people started telling us they’d love to have it all in a nifty book format. And...vóila! An Emotion Thesaurus was born.

How did the Emotion Thesaurus change your own writing?

ANGELA: well as Becca mentioned, it got us out of the eye rolling/shrugging/smiling camp, but for me, that was only the start. Overall, it forced me to really understand what telling was, a lesson I could apply to all aspects of description. I began thinking more about how the words I used and the descriptions I chose could create an emotional response in the reader. After all, that’s the goal--connect with the reader and make them FEEL.

Every aspect of the writing process comes back to emotion: character, storyline, description, theme, etc. Our goal is to use empathy to connect the character and his struggles to the reader. We write to offer them an emotional experience, hopefully one that will remain past the last page because it holds a personal meaning to their own life journey. It is in our nature to hunger for meaning, and to search for answers. So when an author writes emotion well, not only does a window open into the character’s world, one opens within the reader as well.

What are three common mistakes you see writers make when writing emotion?

BECCA:

Not enough emotion. Readers need to feel what the character’s feeling. Yet I see so many characters who don’t seem to feel much of anything. Ways to effectively convey emotion: 1) Don’t name the emotion (She was overcome with sadness); show it (She rubbed at her chest, where a gnawing void seemed to have swallowed her heart). 2) Always show a character’s physical response to any event or conversation that elicits emotion; don’t rely on dialogue alone to get the point across. 3) Make sure events in your story are dramatic enough to elicit true emotion; if they’re not, you need to add some conflict and tension to the mix.


Weak emotional range. Humans have the capacity to experience dozens of different emotions, yet many writers tend to focus on the most obvious ones. Characters who only express happiness, sadness, and anger fall flat after awhile. To avoid this problem: For each scene, look at your character’s goal and the conflict that keeps him from achieving it. Then ask yourself: What does my character feel as a result of this roadblock? If the answer is always the same, try varying those roadblocks or throwing in a new conflict to broaden his emotional experiences.


Repetitive emotional description. We created The Emotion Thesaurus because we found this problem to be a nearly universal struggle among writers. We’re all a bit stymied when it comes to writing emotion because we only notice and retain the really obvious cues, and we tend to rely on them. But any repetition weakens the writing. To avoid this problem: 1) Note the cues that you overuse, then search and destroy when editing. 2) Observe, watch movies, and jot down physical responses to different feelings. 3) Practice expressing old cues in fresh new ways (he clenched his fists becomes his fingers curled into trembling fists of knuckle and bone), and 4) use The Emotion Thesaurus to brainstorm new ways to express emotion.

The Emotion Thesaurus is available in ebook, PDF & print...which is better? 

All three are awesome! LOL, no, really it's all about what the writer needs. The print book is handy because each entry is a 2 page spread like an open sandwich, meaning you can see the whole entry at once. Ereaders are smaller, so you can't do this, but the digital copies have handy-dandy links so a writer can move from entry to entry easily. 

Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi are possibly twins separated at birth, living in different countries. The Bookshelf Muse blog duo are co-authors of The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression. Listing the body language, visceral reactions and thoughts associated with 75 different emotions, this brainstorming guide is a valuable tool for showing, not telling, emotion.

RAOK day 3

It's day three here at The Bookshelf Muse, celebrating Random Acts of Kindness in the writing community. As I mentioned yesterday, the Industry is showing their own RAOK spirit and appreciation for writers by offering some amazing RAOK gifts for you to win. Yesterday, some lucky writers scored Scrivener Software and a Query Tracker Premium Membership!

Here's the deal: with all the turmoil in our industry right now, Becca and I felt a bit of kindness could go a long way. And so many wonderful people felt the same way, allowing us to Blitz the community! If seeing so much generous spirit has moved you to surprise someone with a RAOK yourself, please add your blog to our link list at the bottom of this post!

Tune in each day this week to help us keep the RAOK spirit alive, celebrate the contribution of writers, and who knows, maybe win something that will make your writing path a bit easier!

Today, you have 5 chances to win, so read on!

RAOK Gift #1: FOUR Scrivener Software packages (2 PC, 2 Mac)

Scrivener is billed as 'your complete writing studio' and it really is. This software, developed by a writer for writers, is the complete package. How many notebooks do you fill up as you research, brainstorm, outline, create character sketches and finally draft and revise your novel? Well, flipping through that stack of paper or set of binders is a thing of the past with Scrivener. Organize, storyboard, make notes and research all in the same place, and best of all, access it all as you write. The index card and cork board system is nothing short of brilliant. Simply put, Scrivener is a writer's best friend. I love how they evolve to serve writers in this new world of publishing, like using the compile feature to export manuscripts to Kindle or epub formats!


More good news: David and the crew at Scrivener loved the idea of RAOK for writers so much they are giving out software packages every day this week!

RAOK Gift # 2: THREE Critique Circle Memberships (1 year)

The Critique Circle has a special place in my heart, not only because it's where I realized I knew only a fraction of what I thought I did 'cut my teeth' as a writer, but because this is where Becca and I met. One chance critique has led to many years of friendship and support, and this is one of the great aspects of an online community like Critique Circle.

CC is a password-protected critiquing site based on the tit-for-tat principle. You critique other member's work, and members critique your own. Each piece you put up will earn an average of 6-8 critiques. This is a lot of feedback to help you get your manuscript ready for publication. With thousands of members, you WILL find people to critique your work. Membership is free, but as a premium member, you can create private forums and story queues and invite smaller critique groups to! This site consistency earns Writer's Digest top 101 sites for a reason. If you are looking for a solid & safe site for your work and want to find a critique group that is all about working together to improve, this is the place.

Want to win one of these Amazing RAOK Gifts? Of course you do! Just fill out this FORM, and one more thing...consider spreading a bit of Kindness.  Visit some blogs and comment. Tell someone you appreciate their help. Maybe even offer up a RAOK salute of your own!

Random Acts of Kindness GIVEAWAY! (for week posters)

All this week, The Bookshelf Muse is hosting a Random Acts of Kindness BLITZ to celebrate the writing community.

Each day, Industry Sponsors are offering their own Random Acts Of Kindness to show appreciation for writers. WIN Scrivener software packages, Premium Memberships to award winning websites like Query Tracker, The Critique Circle, Auto Crit Editing Wizard, a Blogging class with Media Consultant Kristen Lamb, a Writer's Digest Agent Lecture and a Ultimate Writer's Course through Scribe's Forge (with Best-Selling Fantasy Author TRACY HICKMAN!) that will blow your MIND.

While you're there, don't forget to also grab your FREE PDF copy of Emotional Amplifiers (sidebar). This Writing Guide & Description Tool targets specific conditions like Pain, Hunger, Attraction, and Exhaustion, etc, which can stress characters and heighten their responses to emotion.

Have someone special you'd like to celebrate? Why not give them a shout out on your blog, Twitter or Facebook? Encourage people to connect with them, and improve their visibility online!

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Free download: Emotion Amplifiers

Blah blah. Emotion Amplifiers > banana splits with no calories. Blah blah. Download the free pdf file here or use the shiny new button in the sidebar.

RAOK Week At The Bookshelf Muse!

Random Acts Of Kindness.  These are the words taking over the Writing Community this week!

Angela and Becca at The Bookshelf Muse have released their Emotion Thesaurus book into the wild, and to celebrate being part of the best Community in the WORLD, they've staged a massive RAOK Blitz.

Writers of all genres are blitzing critique partners, writing friends, blog supporters and other kindred writing spirits with a Random Act of Kindness. Now, some of the Industry's finest are joining in, showing their appreciation for writers, too!

All this week at The Bookshelf Muse, you can enter to win incredible RAOK offerings, like Scrivener Writing Software, a Writer's Digest Tutorial with Agent Irene Goodman, Premium memberships to sites like Query Tracker, The Critique Circle and Auto Crit, and a $500 Ultimate Writing Course from Best-Selling Fantasy Author Tracy Hickman!

Has your jaw dropped yet?

Stop by The Bookshelf Muse, and enter to win! And while you're there, snag a FREE PDF copy of Emotion Amplifiers, a RAOK gift from Becca and Angela. This companion to the Emotion Thesaurus has 15 entries on conditions that will alter a character's physical and mental state such as Pain, Hunger, Thirst, Illness, Exhaustion, Inebriation, and more. Stressing out your characters by using one of these Amplifiers means one beautiful thing: TENSION.

Like The ET, each entry lists possible body language, thoughts, visceral sensations and actions to help you show rather than tell what your character is experiencing. These amplifiers can wear a person down, or build them up. Either way, they push your character to react, making emotional scenes more intense!

Feel like spreading a bit of kindness too? Send one of your supporters a thank you email or give them a blog shout out. RT them on Twitter, or post a virtual hug on their Facebook! The very best part of Kindness is that it is contagious! :)