· Holding the head in the hands
· Blank eyes that are devoid of hope
· Short, clipped answers: "Fine." "No." "Who cares."
· An emotionless tone
· Crying, often accompanied by silence
· Not responding to others' attempts at encouragement
· A thickness in the throat
· A voice that cracks
· A slow shake of the head
· Disconnecting from others
· Not responding to aggression or verbal attacks
· Losing all enjoyment in everyday things
· An unkempt appearance
· Looking worn, appearing older as a result of the current situation
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.
7 comments:
Hey! This list is the EXACT routine that I go through after I receive a rejection letter. Have you been watching me? ;0)
Christy
Haha, Christy--you are too funny!
(but yes, I've been watching you. I watch ALL of you! Muahahaaaa!)
You guys realize I click over to this Thesaurus like a thousand times a day when writing? OK, not a thousand, but let's just say I have you guys bookmarked in a special place!
Anytime I need help 'showing' vs. 'telling', The Bookshelf Muse is the first site I hit. So many emotions, so many actions. ;)
Woot! Glad to be of service!
Christy took the words right out of my mouth. I was just about to write that this one is something I'm already so familiar with I hardly need a thesaurus. Every night I sit at the computer wondering if the call will come -- and it doesn't -- and I end up going to bed with all of the slumping and blank eyes and mouth sags you could possibly want.
Yes, I wish we weren't all so familiar with this emotion. *sad face*
BUT, when we hit the big time, think of how awesome we'll feel when we're rereading the enthusiasm or happiness ones!
Post a Comment