the best [writing] advice -- part two [emotion]

While I have read—and loved—PLENTY of fiction that has ignored the following advice, I do think writing packs more of an emotional punch if you don’t identify [by name] the emotion of the character.

This is what I mean:

“He looked angry.” [Okay, I guess I can picture it. And I should say that one of my favorite humorous authors does this to great effect, but it has to do with timing.]

“His nostrils flared, and he cracked his knuckles. His lips curled into a sneer. A vein pulsed in his neck.” [I can tell he’s pissed off.]

While I’ve violated this rule—as I think you should probably violate all writing rules at some point—I do try to avoid the name of the emotion and instead describe the person’s actions or aspect.

The best resource I know is The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi, although there are other books out there with lists of descriptive terms.

Use them.