The Emotional Wound Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Psychological Trauma (Writers Helping Writers Series Book 6) Kindle Edition

Five stars!Typically, I do not review books. I know how hard it is to write them, yet I find most of them disappointing; as a result, I leave book reviews to less conflicted readers. Also, I am resourceful enough to pinpoint the information I need from multiple research sources, so I rarely read informational nonfiction. This one is an exception, proving invaluable for my developmental edit process.I am intuitively effective at the emotional side of writing such as character motivation, setting, etc., yet I still find the emotional wound and trait thesauri invaluable. While reading them, I keep find myself saying, “Aha! So that’s why I *knew* this character had these traits/reactions/hangups.” These references help me to proceed with greater confidence and clarity as I rewrite my current novel. They move my intuitive understanding of character motivation into a more conscious, left-brain space where I can organize it.Personally, I would not use this series to plan a draft until I first allowed myself to explore and allow the ol’ magic to enter the process. And this series cannot replace an authentic understanding of human psychology. It might even send a beginner, particularly one who *has not read enough fiction* or explored the creative process enough, in the wrong direction. Still, in the end, this is the single most useful writing book I have because I already understand the writing process, creative thinking, narrative structure, and other fundamentals well enough that it is difficult to extract new knowledge from those types of craft books. In short, I would pay triple to keep this book and will buy a physical copy to keep as a reference.Thank you to the writers for taking the time to construct such a truly helpful book🙏.

Excellent resources!! Extensive research and great writing makes a very interesting support for characters of all types.

This is a great tool for character sketches. Characters need their flaws and emotional wounds are one way to build them in. While it would be wonderful that folks didn’t have emotional wounds, we (and our characters) do have them.The authors are clear that this book may affect some readers. They’ve included a section on self-care for writers. They include information how to use the book as well.The emotional wounds presented are grouped into similar wounds. For example, Failures ad Mistakes includes Accidentally killing someone, cracking under pressure, declaring bankruptcy, and more. There are several buckets wounds are grouped into.Each emotional wound has two pages in the book. Each includes:Examples of this woundBasic needs often compromised by this woundFalse beliefs that could be embracedThe character may fear…Possible responses and resultsPersonality traits that may formTriggers that might aggravate this woundOpportunities to face or overcome this woundVery handy tool for building characters. Emotional wounds are unfortunately part of our lives as humans. This guide can help a writer build richer characters. It can be a useful tool.

I find this book helpful because it gives me so many new ideas when I’m creating characters.

Dear son, I was fishing around Amazon for something to read, and because I've read several books on writing, it suggested "The Emotional Wound Thesaurus." I've only recently studied anything about character arc, and how the protagonist must change over the course of the novel. I discovered that to create a compelling story, the main character must have some kind emotional wound they keep hidden, and that the story is a series of conflicts/obstacles that help him deal with that wound a little at a time and become a better person by the end.So, I grabbed the sample copy of Emotional Wound Thesaurus to check it out. It was eye-popping revealing. I saw myself in what they were describing. Believe me, I have a carefully curated inventory of wounds that I can retrieve at light speed. What I didn't realize is how these wounds manifest themselves in compensating behaviors, some good, some bad, some really bad. It's as if they read my life's wound inventory list, then said, "and this is what you did as a result, isn't it?" It was frigging uncanny.This book is trying to get authors to create more compelling, relatable, likeable characters through their quirky/mysterious behaviors, and eventually to grapple with the wound that drives their every action and strongest desires.Not only did it open my eyes to my own motivations and behaviors, but made me realize how everyone, everyone, everyone suffers the same kind of wound/reactive behaviors that guide their life's actions and choices. Many times I feel like the thousands of people I have met are cardboard cut-outs. They walk into my perception, say and do such and such, and I am left with a general impression. They're nice, obnoxious, a jerk, charming, what have you.After this life epiphany, I see other people as characteristics shaped by complicated positive and negative influences that make them behave the way they do. Even the unbelievably nice people are possibly significantly shaped by substantial wounds and the persona is a façade to mask they pain they feel deep down. And, really, this is the point the book is trying to get across. If you want interesting, compelling, or "three-dimensional" characters, rather than pop-in-and-out of your perception "two-dimensional card-board cutout" characters, imbue them with wounds that drive their personalities.Read this book!  You don't have to buy it, even. At the very least, download the free sample. Your eyes will be opened and you will likely buy it because it's so good.I wish I had read something like this much earlier in life, like age 16. I always want to pass along golden nuggets that might help you succeed in life. Consider this nugget passed. Your fellow life-traveler,Daddio

Excellent, easy to use. Great suggestions and ideas

Diese Bücher haben mir soviel geholfen. Egal ob es darum geht einen Charakter auszuarbeiten oder Orte zu kreieren. Dies ist kein typischer Schreibratgeber, sondern ein wundervolles Nachschlagewerk für jeden Autor. Schade, dass es die Bücher nur auf Englisch gibt. Ich kenne einige, die diese Bücher kaufen würden, würde es sie auf Deutsch geben.

This book has been an important milestone in my creative writing journey. It enabled me after first read, to provide real depth to my characters as well as creating new, exciting plot points and arcs based on their emotional wounds.Following the directions and helpful hints in the book the ‘wounds’ became characters in their own right, creating fears, needs and subsequent fallout. I was able to quickly plot how character’s previous and new trauma directed their words, thoughts, actions and reactions, and how it impacted on other characters and the overall plot.In many ways, this book directed and arranged the Tetris blocks of my previous reading and understanding of emotional wounds and trauma into coherent, believable personal stories.Note: You must heed the warning given at the start of the book about being in a safe environment when reading it, as it is possible to be brought face to face with trauma themes that have occurred to a loved one or yourself. Maybe even something you never previously recognised as a wound. I think this speaks volumes for how powerful this book is as a tool for empowering your writing.

Me ha servido para darme una idea clara de como funcionan los traumas a nivel literatura. NO es un libro psicologico.

Fantástico y muy completo. Me ha ayudado mucho. Compraré todos los demás libros sin duda. Mi enhorabuena a las autoras por el esfuerzo.