Exploring The Emotion Of Anger

One of the major emotions we use in descriptive writing is anger. And although we can use the word in many different forms, repetitive usage of the same word, or close variations, becomes tedious and boring for our readers. Below I have listed alternative descriptions of the emotion of anger and while it isn't a complete list, it gives you an opportunity to explore other ways of describing your character.

Physical Signs 

1. Flaring nostrils
2. Sweeping arm gestures
3. Handling people or objects roughly
4. Legs planted wide
5. Baring of teeth
6. Shaking fist
7. Protruding eyes
8. Flexing fingers or arm muscles
9. Cracking knuckles
10. Cold, hard, flinty eyes
11. Glaring
12. Red face
13. Lips curling
14. Crossing arms
15. Nails biting into palms
16. Slamming doors, cupboards or drawers
17. A vein that pulses, twitches or becomes engorged
18. Deploying sarcasm
19. Picking fights (verbal or physical)
20. Stomping or stamping

Internal Responses

1. Grinding teeth
2. Muscles quivering
3. Heartbeat pounding
4. Body tense
5. Heat flushing through body
6. Sweating

Mental Responses

1. Irritability
2. Poor listening
3. Jumping to conclusions
4. Irrational reactions
5. Demanding immediate action
6. Impetuosity
7. Taking inappropriate risks
8. Fantasizing violence

Using these prompts, you should be able to create other angry descriptions of your own to add to your character. Combining a selection of these descriptions, plus some of your own, will create a convincing character who will be remembered by your readers. Good luck!

Are You Bored?

Bored and tired of writing the same old stuff? Have you written your last paragraph about the same old thing? Why not lay down your pencil (or pen, laptop or whatever) and get out of the house. Have you noticed that Spring is blooming?

Yesterday I was out and I noticed those pretty pink trees blooming and putting off their fragrant sweet scent. I don't know their name, but they inspired me to breathe deep and clear my mind. Then I remembered that the East coast of the United States is still buried in snow. At first I was depressed, but then I thought of how I might send some of my own good thoughts to the people there.

Pretend you can see all the greenery of Southern Oregon as it shoots up into buds. The pear trees are still dormant from their own winter sleep, but grass is growing in the fields, tickling their trunks. An eagle sits perched atop a telephone pole gazing down into a field, probably hoping to find its next meal. The cows are out in the pastures munching on the sweet grass. I spied an old dilapidated barn that was sagging under its own weight. It looked like it was ready to collapse and had boards missing from its sides.

I saw all this in a short ride from one city to the next. I was exhilarated with nature and my creative juices began to flow. I believe whatever scenery is near where you are, be it rain, shine or snow, a short jaunt out in nature will be to your benefit and help revive your senses. Enjoy what is before you today.

IWSG-Your Story's Beginning

Welcome to Insecure Writer's Support Group March meeting on the first Wednesday of the month, hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh. To visit the website and find more participants, click HERE.

Your Story's Beginning

The beginning of your story, whether it be a short story or a novel, needs to do three basic things.

1. The most important is to get the story going and show what kind of story it's going to be.
2. To introduce and characterize the protagonist.
3. Engage the reader's interest in reading on (plot).

Some beginnings do more than this. Some create moods; some create characters who aren't the protagonist, or one or more of the subordinate characters. Some will establish a norm the story will then depart from. A story can do more than the basic three things but should never do less.

These three jobs are absolutely vital. To the degree that any short story or novel neglects them, it's risking being dull, uninvolving and possibly confusing to the reader.

Why do I bring up such a very basic writing construct? Every once in a while we need to make a re-assessment of the beginning of our story. Is it doing all it can for our readers? Does it grab them and take them on the beginning of a journey that they won't want to quit reading? After not seeing my story for over a month, I got to see it with fresh eyes and found myself editing it to liven it up. You might try setting your story down for a time and then start at the beginning to see what you find. The results may be just what your story needs.

I'm Back in the Game!

For those of you who wondered why I took February off, it's because of illness that required my full attention. I apologize for not posting earlier, but a stay in the hospital prevented it.

I was able to get a lot of thinking done while laying in bed. I was reminded of my mortality and what time I had left. Funny how we get down to basics when the chips are down. Anyway, I decided that I wanted to spend time making sure my family had another book or two from me as long as I'm able to write.

One of the things that became evident to me while I was recuperating was that the attitude a person adopts will either make or break the spirit. And that will change the ability to be able to create. When we become victims instead of survivors, our flow of creativity changes. In my case, it was blocked. I found myself staring, like a deer in the headlights, petrified to move. But I have grabbed onto life and have decided to fight back. I decided to journal my fears and indecision so I can continue to work on my  stories without constraints. The hardest part, of course, is the actual writing itself. But that will come.

Thanks for letting me share my thoughts with you. I hope they help someone.