Dahlia Evans - Thinking Like A Romance Writer: The Sensual Writer’s Sourcebook of Words and Phrases

Published By:

Satin Publishing

Copyright 2013 by Dahlia Evans. All Rights Reserved.

No part of this publication may be replicated, redistributed, or given away in any form without the prior written consent of the publisher.

It may surprise you to discover that all of the biggest and bestselling romance authors over the last 25 years have been guarding a secret that once revealed will give any writer the ability to create sexy stories that read like a bestseller.

And here's the secret...

Most romance writers use the same descriptive words and phrases. That's right!

When I first discovered this fact I couldn't believe it. But again and again the same words and phrases kept popping up in different books by different authors. Were these authors plagiarizing each other, I wondered? Or instead was it simply a matter of there being a limited amount of words that could be used to describe particular body parts or actions?

Whatever the reason, I was determined to compile these words and phrases. So I spent the better part of four months reading through hundreds of romance novels, sifting through each and every one, looking for choice words and phrases. The result is a romance thesaurus unlike anything ever seen before.

Thinking Like A Romance Writer contains 37 categories with over 8,500 words and phrases that have been used in romance novels time and time again to describe every intimate encounter imaginable.

1. Each category is broken up into sections (root words; adjectives, verbs, descriptive combinations; descriptive phrases).

2. Entries are sorted alphabetically.

3. Each entry is separated by a semicolon or line break.

You will notice that some categories are more detailed than others. This is due to the fact that certain details, such as teeth, are rarely described in a novel - perhaps two or three times if that. Whereas other details, like eyes, are used much more to convey emotions and intentions. In sections such is this, you will find an abundance of useful words and phrases that will help make your prose sparkle.

If you intend on writing traditional romance novels, then you will find the sections dealing with genitalia unnecessary. However, those of you interesting in writing erotic romance, or pure erotica, those sections will give you a treasure-trove of descriptors for crafting intimate love scenes.

This book is best used as a thesaurus for your romance writing projects. So for example, let's say you are writing a scene that involves the hero's hands touching the heroine's body. You can go to the category titled 'Hands' and find the necessary words to help you construct descriptive sentences.

Does your hero have strong hands? Perhaps a descriptive adjective like 'powerful' could be used.

Are you not sure what action a hand can make? Look under the 'Verbs - Things A Hand Can Do' section. Perhaps 'brushed over' is a fit for your scene.

Are you struggling with sentence ideas? Look over the 'Descriptive Phrases' for inspiration in constructing your own sentences.

Finally, I want to thank you for your investment. I hope this resource helps ignite your creativity.

Warm Wishes,

Dahlia Evans

ash-blond; auburn; black; blonde/blond; buttermilk blonde; dark brown; gray; iron-gray; light brown; medium brown; red; salt and pepper; white; wine-red.

afro; bangs; beehive; bob cut; bouffant; bowl cut; braid; bun; butch; buzz cut; chignon; chonmage; comb over; cornrows; crew cut; crop; crown braid; devilock; dreadlocks; ducktail; Dutch braid; emo; fauxhawk; finger wave; fishtail; flattop; flip; fontange; French twist; fringe; frosted tips; hi-top fade; highlights; hime cut; ivy league; liberty spikes; mohawk; mop-top; mullet; odengo; pageboy; part; payot; perm; pigtail; plait; pompadour; ponytail; rats tail; ringlet; undercut; up-do; waves.

aging; blow-dried; bobbed; bright; bristly; bushy; close-cropped; coiffed; coiffured; colorful; coppery; crinkly; curly; curtained; damp; dark; disheveled; drab; dry; fair; fairy; feathered; flowing; flyaway; frizzy; frosted; fuzzy; glorious; glossy; gorgeous; greasy; grizzled; healthy-looking; lanky; light; long; loose; luxuriant; maintained; matted; medium-length; messy; moonlight-pale; natural; neatly combed; neglected; no-nonsense; oily; pale; parted; plain; pretty; ruffled; rumpled; scraggly; scruffy; shaggy; shiny; short; shoulder-length; silken; silky; sleek; slicked back; slovenly; spiky; splitting; straight; styled; sunbeam; swept-back; tangled; tawny; thick; thin; thinning; tidy; tousled; trimmed; uncombed; unhealthy-looking; unkempt; unnatural; untidy; vivid; wavy; well-kept; wet; wild; wind-blown; windswept; wiry; wispy.

dark-haired; fall of hair; furrow of hair; grizzled gray hair; hair flowing in loose spiral curls; mane of hair; spiky shock of hair; sprinkled with whorls of hair; stray strand of hair; tangle of hair; tumbled fall of hair; wildly tousled hair.

blew; blew back; bounced; bounced against; bounced on; drooped over; feathered around; fell; fell back; flamed around; flying across; glinted; lay in a tangle; peppered; pool; rippled across; shone; slid across; spilled forward; spilled off the edge; spread around; strayed; stretched; tumbled around; waved; waved around.

brushed; brushed back; burnished; clipped back; delved into; dried; dried off; fixed; grabbed; knotted; mussed; plowed through; plunged into; pushed behind; pushed off; raked back; raked through; ruffled; scraped back; sliced through; smoothed back; smoothed over; stroked; swathed; tackled; tied circumspectly back; touched; tousled; unraveled; wet; wound.

He had brilliant blue eyes, short blonde hair, and a chiseled jaw that made her swoon.

He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear.

His shoulder-length hair spilled over his face.

She raked her hand through his silky dark hair.

She reached up to fix her windswept hair.

She sighed and raked her hand through her hair.

aching; arrogant; auburn; blonde; bright; clear; curly; dark; domed; good; handsome; heavy; imperious; little; pale; pounding; pretty; proud; tousled; ugly; unhelpful; well-shaped; woozy.

beat her head against a wall; crown of her head; curly brown head; dark curly head; fair head; head over heels; inside his head; lost his head; thoughts swimming around in his head.

ached; angled; banged against; bent; bobbed; bowed; bumped; cleared; cocked; dragged; dropped; dropped back; ducked; fell back; filled; flew up; flung back; held high; knew; leaned on; lifted; lolled back; lolled sideways; moved; nodded; poked out; poked over; pressed against; raised; reared; rested; rested against; rocked back; shifted; shook; spun around; stuck around; stuck inside; sunk into; swam; swiveled; threw back; tilted; tipped; tipped forward; tossed back; tucked beneath; turned; twisted around.