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Angela Ackerman

Goodreads Author

Born

in Canada

Website

http://writershelpingwriters.net/

Twitter

angelaackerman

Genre

Nonfiction, Reference, Writing

Influences

http://onestopforwriters.com ...more

Member Since

April 2009

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/angela_785

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ANGELA ACKERMAN is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of 11 bestselling books for writers, including The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression. Her books are available in 10 languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. Her home country is Canada.

Angela is also the co-founder of the popular site Writers Helping Writers®, as well as One Stop for Writers®, a portal to powerful tools and resources that help you think like a writing expert so you become a stronger storyteller. A strong believer in writers helping and supporting other writers, she tries to pay-it-forward however she is able to.

http://writershelpingwriters ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

Thank you for making these wonderful resources! I have the emotions thesaurus open on my desk as we speak. The entire series is a MUST for everything I do -- be it drawing, writing, animating, whatever! If I was trapped on a deserted island and I could only bring five books with me...? well, once those settings books come out, I think we know which books I'd end up bringing along with me. ;)

Angela Ackerman Haha, you are the very best, Courtney!

Here's hoping you never get stuck on a deserted island, or if you do, it has a computer, wi-fi, bar service, a …moreHaha, you are the very best, Courtney!

Here's hoping you never get stuck on a deserted island, or if you do, it has a computer, wi-fi, bar service, a pool, and maybe a handsome masseuse, too! (less)

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If I were to buy just one of the thesauruses, which one would you recommend? (In an ideal world I'd already have all of them, but you can't have everything when you aren't making money.)

Angela Ackerman It's a great question, and I know where you're coming from. Honestly, I'd need to know what you struggle most with as a writer--emotions, bringing cha…moreIt's a great question, and I know where you're coming from. Honestly, I'd need to know what you struggle most with as a writer--emotions, bringing characterization to life, character arc, show-don't-tell, etc. The Emotion Thesaurus is the most popular, but the character books are also game-changers when it comes to building rich characters who are incredibly lifelike and are driven by real world motivations readers connect to. We also have 2 Setting books that will release in a month, and these are excellent show-don't-tell guides for using the setting to achieve all of the above and bring readers deeply into each scene.

I recommend using the free preview at Amazon ach book and see which one seems like the most helpful. Also, grab Emotion Amplifiers as it's free! https://www.amazon.com/Emotion-Amplif...

Finally, to save yourself even more money, write down the ISBN for each book via Amazon and ask your library to bring in the books. Or see if your library already carries them as some do. Then you can access these resources but not break the bank. :) Happy writing! (less)

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Angela Ackerman’s books

Average rating: 4.57 · 14,731 ratings · 1,636 reviews · 36 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression, Second Edition (Writers Helping Writers Series Book 1) by Angela Ackerman (Goodreads Author), Becca Puglisi (Goodreads Author) 4.53 avg rating — 6,366 ratings — published 2012 — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Flaws by Angela Ackerman (Goodreads Author), Becca Puglisi (Goodreads Author) 4.59 avg rating — 1,913 ratings — published 2013 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Positive Trait Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Attributes by Angela Ackerman (Goodreads Author), Becca Puglisi (Goodreads Author) 4.62 avg rating — 1,624 ratings — published 2013 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Emotional Wound Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Psychological Trauma by Angela Ackerman (Goodreads Author), Becca Puglisi (Goodreads Author) 4.69 avg rating — 1,273 ratings — published 2017 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Emotion Amplifiers by Angela Ackerman (Goodreads Author), Becca Puglisi (Goodreads Author) 4.40 avg rating — 1,347 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Personal and Natural Places by Angela Ackerman (Goodreads Author), Becca Puglisi (Goodreads Author) 4.67 avg rating — 657 ratings — published 2016 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to City Spaces by Angela Ackerman (Goodreads Author), Becca Puglisi (Goodreads Author) 4.63 avg rating — 618 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Conflict Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Obstacles, Adversaries, and Inner Struggles Volume 1 by Angela Ackerman (Goodreads Author), Becca Puglisi (Goodreads Author) 4.70 avg rating — 371 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Occupation Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Jobs, Vocations, and Careers by Angela Ackerman (Goodreads Author), Becca Puglisi (Goodreads Author) 4.61 avg rating — 294 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Conflict Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Obstacles, Adversaries, and Inner Struggles Volume 2 by Angela Ackerman (Goodreads Author), Becca Puglisi (Goodreads Author) 4.73 avg rating — 184 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Angela Ackerman's Blog: Writers Helping Writers

Finish the Book: Save 25% at One Stop for Writers

Writing can be frustrating. You see the story in your mind, but getting all those ideas onto the page? Sometimes, it’s harder than you expect.

The plot tangles.
Character feels flat.
Tension peters out and the middle becomes a bloated mess.

That’s when you start second-guessing everything: Did I mess the story up? Is it beyond fixing? Should I abandon this book?

When problems crop up that we don’t know

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Angela Ackerman wrote a new blog post Finish the Book: Save 25% at One Stop for Writers Writing can be frustrating. You see the story in your mind, but getting all those ideas onto the page? Sometimes, it’s harder than you expect.The plot Read more of this blog post »
Feb 22, 2026 01:25AM · like

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Quotes by Angela Ackerman (?)

“To avoid melodrama, recognize that emotions run along a continuum, from mild to extreme. For each situation, know where your character is along that continuum and choose appropriate descriptors.”
― Angela Ackerman, The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression

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“Each human being exists inside of a subjective sphere created by his own experience.”
― Angela Ackerman, The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Flaws

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“Because above all else, readers pick up a book to have an emotional experience. They read to connect with characters who provide entertainment and whose trials may add meaning to their own life journeys. As”
― Angela Ackerman, The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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Angela’s Friend Comments

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message 3: by Cornelia

Oct 28, 2016 02:11AM

Hi, Thanks for friending. I feel honoured.

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message 2: by Monica

Jun 14, 2016 12:05AM

Thanks for Friending. Great profile. Clever lady.

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message 1: by William

Jan 11, 2011 01:10PM

Hi Angela -
Please visit my website http://www.peteradarkenedfairytale.co.uk
to view a sample page and many other snippets about the book.
Expected release date mid-late Jan.
Best wishes, William

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Angela Ackerman’s Followers (1,023)

Angela Ackerman

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