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"Show don't tell" doesn't mean that for every feeling there is a periphrasis that expresses it better. So there is not a specific phrase to use for each case. It's never about single expressions, b...
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#3: Attribution notice added
by
System
·
2019-12-08T07:32:10Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/32044 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision
by
FraEnrico
·
2019-12-08T07:32:10Z (almost 5 years ago)
"Show don't tell" doesn't mean that for every feeling there is a periphrasis that expresses it better. So there is not a specific phrase to use for each case. It's never about single expressions, but rather about actions. "Her heart was pounding" is ok, but it's not enough: you want to express a condition throughout the whole scene, so one single phrase is not the solution (in most case, I mean). For example, you need to "show" someone nervous, not try to find a fancy way to express nervousness. Your character needs to do actions that are dictated by that feeling. "She was tapping her feet rapidly" or "she couldn't stop bite her fingernails with her teeth".
#1: Imported from external source
by
System
·
2017-12-17T17:33:44Z (almost 7 years ago)
Original score: 1