· Tingling skin
· A heavy feeling in the stomach
· A stiffening posture, rigid muscles
· A sudden coldness (dread) that hits at the core
· Reaching up a hand to lightly clasp the throat
· Splaying the fingers out in a fan against the breastbone
· Pulling books or another object tight against chest
· Eyes that water, shine, or form tears
· A sudden onset of anger or frustration (swearing, screaming, acting violent)
· A shaky voice--soft, halting, disbelieving
· Asking simple questions for clarification: who, when, why?
· A feeling of disorientation, dizziness, euphoria
· A shaky or slow smile that builds as the surprise sinks in
· Grabbing someone close by for comfort
· Giving a quick bark of laughter
Good news! This sample has been expanded and streamlined into book form! The full list of physical, internal, and mental cues for this and 74 other emotions can be found in The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and Smashwords. The PDF is also downloadable via the Paypal button in the sidebar.
8 comments:
You took the challenge! That's wonderful! I'm in the middle of my book and people are starting to stare in shock a lot; I needed a reference like this to fall back on. You guys are great! :D
<3 Sera
Sera-Phyn.com
*stares at Sera phyn*
LOL, thanks. Glad it's helping!
These are great. I know I'll refer back to them often. Thank you so much, both of you!
I made it, finally. Just what I needed ladies, as I try to write a new scene.
Glad to see you here, Roy!
I used your blog for my first book... Most Wanted by Mark McHugh (available on Amazon) and I am finding it indespensible for the sequel, which I am now writing.
Happy bursts of screaming, shouting, laughter, squeals, giggles from a devoted fan!
Awesome.
Just used this again and had to say thank you. I put the link to our article covering this and your other thesaurus tools on our new Popular Posts section so everyone can see it. Thanks so much!
Post a Comment