Writing is a struggle about finding the right word. Or string of words. You need to be able to convey, to describe, to paint, and do it all in as few unnecessary words as possible. Which is a whole lot easier than it sounds, believe me. So I’ve used these two, on occasion – and they do help:

The Wheel of Emotional Description

100 Ways To Say “Said” (and use this one sparingly – “Said” is still the best way to say something, but when you need occasional umph, another word may do better).

Then you have to put the words into some sort of structure. Here are three references that I’ve skimmed and gleaned from and applied in various ways:

This one’s a little difficult to read, but worth it when you do.

This one is time-consuming as hell and I’ve never been able to do all of it, but what I used of it was immensely helpful.

This one is more of an exercise in fun, but It’s good to read through because I guarantee incorporating some of it will refresh your tired brain and take your story someplace new.

 Hope those help!