I was pretty
excited when first alerted to the release of this new book by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. The Emotion Thesaurus
by the same authors is a fabulous resource for writers wanting to explore
emotional responses beyond the simple and the known. But The Emotional Wound
Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Psychological Trauma is another thing entirely.
As Story Genius author Lisa Cron says “What good is ‘writing well’ if you
haven’t zeroed in on the essence of the story you are telling? This book peels
back the layers to reveal not only where the beating heart of your story lies,
but how to get it onto the page.”
So why have
the likes of Lisa Cron and James Scott Bell endorsed this book? Because it is so
practical, giving information on various reasons for motivation through
exploring backstory, which is where he essence of all good stories lies.
TEWT begins
with a warning (!) that some of the issues raised may touch on an author’s own
past, and to be wise when and where exploring such issues takes place. As it
goes on to say “People are products of their pasts, and if we want our
characters to come across as authentic and believable to readers, we need to
understand their backstories, too.” The beginning section looks at how experiencing
a traumatic event – whether it be bullying, divorce, car accident, witnessing a
shooting, or even ongoing challenging situations, such as living with poverty
or a disability – can impact how people see the world, and result in disempowering
beliefs about themselves and the world they live in, which affects
relationships, their moral code, and their ability to communicate. It then
touches on the trigger for change, with a brief look at Maslow’s Hierarchy of
Human Needs, and how unmet needs tend to motivate characters to particular
goals – a helpful tool for authors needing some help with Goal, Motivation,
Conflict.
TEWT
explores over 100 different scenarios, examining possible examples of this
issue, the basic needs often compromised by this wound, false beliefs that may
be embraced, what characters may fear, possible responses and results,
personality traits that may form, triggers that may aggravate the wound, and
opportunities to overcome the wound. It even gives case studies, and tools to help your character arcs, and backstory profiling.
I think
this is a fabulous resource that I cannot recommend highly enough. Want your
characters to be believable? Get this resource. Now.
Carolyn Miller lives
in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, with her
husband and four children. Together
with her husband she has pastored a church for ten years, and worked part-time
as a public high school English and Learning and Support teacher.
A longtime lover of
romance, especially that of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer’s Regency era,
Carolyn holds a BA in English Literature, and loves drawing readers into
fictional worlds that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives. Her Regency novels include The Elusive Miss Ellison, The Captivating Lady Charlotte, and The Dishonourable Miss DeLancey, available at Amazon, Koorong, etc
Connect with her: www.carolynmillerauthor.com
