It's difficult to give much credibility to a book that late-night talk-show hosts read from in order to titillate their audiences, an indignity that has been endured by The Romance Writers' Phrasebook. But this slim volume, which lists more than 3,000 descriptive phrases, is actually a useful resource, and not only to romance writers. Any writer looking for a picturesque way of describing a character, demonstrating action, or revealing emotion will benefit from the advice of authors Jean Kent and Candace Shelton.
Well-organized and arranged for quick reference, The Romance Writers' Phrasebook is divided into easy to search categories such as "Physical Description," "Body Movements," "Facial Expressions," "Emotion," and "Colors." Because it was originally published in 1984, many of the descriptive phrases have long since become cliché and exact usage should be avoided. The phrasebook is most useful as a source of inspiration and ideas for helping writers develop their own descriptive style.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
GREAT WRITING TOOL FOR BEGINER OR WHEN YOU'RE HAVING A BRAIN FART.:
This book was a bit of a life saver. It's helped me to express what I've read so often and wanted to write, yet couldn't find the right words at the moment I needed them. Yes, one could think of it as cheating, but really, couldn't we all say we've cheated. Don't we get much of what we write from our life experiences? Our own experiences, watching others, others stories we've heard, copy others expressions or actions, or little bits from here and there, from all those books we've soaked up over the... more info
Helpful when you're stuck:
Think of this book as a romance writer's DW-40. If used correctly, it will let things glide along without sticking or squeaking. I am an avid romance reader and I bought this at a used bookstore. I was more amused by the content than anything, but as I work on my own romance I find it as helpful to me as a thesaurus. It is sometimes difficult to think how else to say "she glanced" or "he smiled" or even the various ways a shade of color can be described - this book helps you get past a sticking... more info
Great to get the creative juices flowing!:
Anyone who takes this book and writes these phrases verbatim did not read the book. The author clearly states in the beginning that it's meant to get your creative juices flowing. And that's what it did for me. While there are corny, cliche phrases in it, there is also a lot of good stuff that got me thinking of how to enrich my own writing. If you are an aspiring romance writer, as I am, I believe you will find some useful stuff in there to expand your writing skills. It's easy to read, and... more info
Extremely Helpful Jump Starter:
The writers of this book state it, this is a source for getting you -started- about thinking what phrases you may wish to use with writing a romantic scene. Not the book, not the chapter, but a scene. Its by far the best book out there for helping someone writing a sex scene. Any erotic romance writer's book only deals with one's attitude, to free oneself from guilt and just write it. Then they typically (4 out of 4 books so far) just say 'research it'. Here is one source you can use to help with the actual... more info
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