Angela Ackerman: The Emotion Thesaurus Blog Tour

Today it's my huge honor to welcome Angela Ackerman to The QQQE. Angela has long been a mentor of mine, but she's also a good friend, and an incredibly accessible person when it comes to lending a hand to anyone in this journey we call The Path to Publication.

Dun, dun, duh, duh.

I know, I'm just being weird for fun. I do that a lot. Anyway, today is my turn on the blog tour for the release of Angela and Becca's first published writer's thesaurus: The Emotion Thesaurus. I've long been a fan of these features on their blog, The Bookshelf Muse, but having this reference as an e-book, or even better, in print, is an amazing tool for our writer's toolboxes.

So, before I go on forever, I asked Angela to write about something really cool today.

Take it away, AA:

When Matt invited me to swing by, I asked him what flavor of post he’s like to see. Of course the dear man suggested a topic that’s right up my undead-clogged ally: Zombies, and why they’ve become such a phenomenal draw in our society.

Anyone who knows me knows I like three things above all else: Bacon, Diet Dr. Pepper, and Zombies. But his question made me dig deeper into why I think society is thrilled by the slash-and-gnaw scares of a world turned undead. So, here’s my slab of brain with some buckshot on the side: Politics.

Politics?

Yep, that’s right, Politics.

We live in a world that is immense--in size, in population, in rules and regulations, in political agendas, economy and business. There's famine and disease and global warming and war and who knows, maybe aliens to worry about...and as lone individuals, the scope of it all is beyond us. So, we elect governments and leaders to think the big thoughts and handle the big decisions, juggling everything so the important balls all stay up in the air.

The giant machine of government handles all the details. They tell us what is right, wrong, good and bad. They distill our options, ask us choose A or B so we feel like we’re contributing and then pat us on the back and send us on our way. After roughing a sea of propaganda, statistics and promises delivered by bright, teeth-whitened smiles, we just hope that whatever we chose -A or B- will get it right more than it will wrong.

Each day we go to work, we pay taxes, we color inside the lines. But this type of adherence also binds us to a strict path. On some level, we become the Borg. Oh sure, we’ll also growl and snarl over stupid policies or laws, get upset at the unfairness, inequality and unbalance we see. Some even take it a step further and stand up and say Enough! They march, petition, and for awhile, we remember that we are should be in control.

But then time passes and the majority goes back to work, to taxes, to coloring inside the lines. Because deep inside, we know Resistance Is Futile. No one truly can fight the Machine we’ve created, not unless the Machine agrees itself that change is needed.

Hmm...sounds like a dystopian novel, doesn’t it?

Now back to Zombies. Or the Borg. Because if you’ve been paying attention, you’ll see I’m really talking about who we’ve become in the big picture: a little zombie-ish. We don’t like it. None of us do. But regardless, we are chained by the fact that when our ancestors, attracted by bright colors and blinking lights, climbed onto the carousel named Progress, they didn’t realize that maybe one day it would spin too fast for anyone to get off.

So why the Undead appeal? Simple. Fiction and movies provide us with a twisted, carnival-like reality where we can imagine what it is like to fight back. To break free of the mentality of helplessness and stop the carousel. To act, and regain the Amusement Park. Battling zombies gives us the chance to take control and turn the big world small again.

I know, this sounds a bit dour. Maybe it is. But it also illustrates why writers are so important! At the heart of Man is the desire to leave one's mark. People want to express themselves in a way that leaves the world a better place. Unfortunately people don't always have as much control or influence over the big things as they would like, which is why so many turn to movies and fiction to escape.

So, keep those undead hordes coming writers & filmmakers, and your audiences will love you for it! :)

Angela Ackerman is one half of The Bookshelf Muse duo, and co-author of The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide To Character Expression. Sadly, this book has nothing to do with Zombies, but it has everything to do with writing, so if you'd like to find out more, visit us here.

Thanks so much, Angela!

Now I've got two more very cool things to say. Very cool, because they involve all of you, directly.

We're giving away two things today. Well, really Angela's giving them away, but I'm here to facilitate.

The two prizes are: A free .pdf copy of The Emotion Thesaurus, and a 1000 word critique from Angela, which I forgot to give away when The Bookshelf Muse honored me as a Writing Hero. It can be for anything. I would suggest you use it to tighten the all important opening pages of a manuscript you plan on submitting to agents or editors, but you could certainly ask her to look at a short story, or probably even a synopsis (but you'd have to work that out with Angela).

Here's how it will work. I'm no good at rafflecopter or randomizer.org, so I like to keep things simple. Each person who comments on this post will get one entry. If you want to earn extra entries, you must find a new follower for The QQQE, The Bookshelf Muse, or both. This will be on the honor system, so don't cheat. You don't necessarily have to Facebook, Blog, or Tweet, but just talk someone you know who doesn't follow our blogs into stopping by to follow. A new follower to The QQQE who mentions your referral in their comment earns you an extra point. A new follower to The Bookshelf Muse who mentions your referral in their comment earns you another extra point. BUT, if you send someone to both blogs who doesn't follow either, and they mention this (and you) in their comment, you'll get five extra points/entries.

Think of it like the reaping in The Hunger Games, except, you know, cool.

Then, I'll put the entries in a hat, and the first name I pick will have their choice of the two prizes. The second name will win whichever prize is left.

So, leave your comment, thank Angela for being so awesome, and if you have to come back and comment a second time to total your points, that's fine with me!