Back in September, I published Emotional Beats: How to Easily Convert your Writing into Palpable Feelings. As promised, I will be posting the book on my blog. So, here is the next installment, featuring Part 2 of the book: Body Parts. This post deals with eyes:

Eyes

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As the saying goes, eyes are the window to the soul. They are also a writer’s best friend, as they can convey a wide variety of emotions. The only thing you need to watch out for is using overworn words: doesn’t “he gaped, unable to peel his gaze off the woman” sound better than “he stared at her”?

• Her eyelids fluttered shut.
• A flash of movement caught her eye.
• Her eyes clouded.
• He blinked owlishly.
• She blinked with feigned innocence.
• Her eyes rolled skyward.
• Her eyes wandered.
• Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him.
• She slammed her eyes shut.
• She squeezed her eyes shut.
• Disapproval gleamed in her eyes.
• She gave him an incredulous look.
• She treated him with a look of unmitigated disappointment.
• Her icy gaze stumbled upon him.
• Rheumy gray eyes picked apart the girl’s dress.
• His head tossed his gaze this way and that, like he had plenty to say but not enough time to say it.

He looked, she looked

I know it’s really easy to say, “he looked at her,” but you may also consider some of the alternatives. After all, there are so many other lovely words, like:

• gaze,
• glance,
• surveyed,
• glared,
• raked,
• searched,
• watched,
• scanned,
• inspected,
• inventoried,
• probed,
• watched.

How do I look?

An easy way to depict an emotion is to describe the look on a character’s face. So, just what kind of looks are there? Here is a selection:

• Absent: when your character is thinking of something else or wishes they were elsewhere.
• Appealing: when your character appeals to another.
• Beatific: an extremely happy and peaceful expression.
• Black: used when your character is angry or unhappy.
• Bleak: a cold and forbidding expression.
• Bored: like an absent expression, only stronger.
• Brooding: when your character has something in their mind and is mulling it over.
• Bug-eyed: a character who’s surprised, or caught unawares.
• Dark: much like a black expression, this signifies an angry or unhappy character.
• Deadpan: a character who’s pretending to be serious, when they are, in fact, joking.
• Doleful: a sad expression.
• Dreamy: much like an absent look, a dreamy look signifies that your character is thinking of something else; something more pleasant than their current situation.
• Etched: when a feeling is etched on someone’s face, it is perceived as intense.
• Expressionless: when your character wishes to hide their feelings.
• Faint: The opposite of etched; a feeling that barely registers.
• Fixed: an expression that does not change or look natural. It can signify brain damage or simply a lack of empathy.
• Glazed: it indicates a bored character.
• Glowering: a furious character.
• Grave: a solemn expression. It can indicate a character who’s worried or scared.
• Haunted: a character who’s spooked by something.
• Meaningful: characters exchange meaningful looks to avoid putting their thoughts into words.
• Mischievous: much like Loki, this is a character who enjoys causing trouble.
• Mona Lisa: like the enigmatic smile of Da Vinci’s famous painting.
• Pained: a character who’s expressing something that causes them anguish—physical or emotional.
• Pitying: it can indicate genuine pity, but also that your character does not think someone deserves better.
• Pleading: when your character pleads with someone to get their way.
• Poker: Much like an expressionless look, this signifies a character who wishes to hide their feelings.
• Quizzical: a character who’s confused or surprised.
• Radiant: an extremely happy expression.
• Roguish: a roguish expression suggests an individual who does not mind doing something wrong, as long as it’s not harmful.
• Sardonic: a sardonic character makes fun of others and shows them no respect.
• Set: like a fixed look, a set expression may hide your character’s actual thoughts.
• Shamefaced: your character feels shame about something.
• Slack-jawed: like a bug-eyed look, this is a very surprised character.
• Sly: used when your character knows something that others do not.
• Straight-faced: when something funny has happened, but your character does not wish to laugh.
• Sullen: a (teenage, usually) character who is in a dark mood and does not want to talk.
• Surly: like sullen, this is a character who is upset.
• Taut: a nervous or angry character.
• Thoughtful: describes someone lost in thought.
• Tight-lipped: may indicate someone who is annoyed about something, but also someone who wishes to make no comment.
• Unblinking: an intense stare, where a character does not blink at all.
• Unnatural: like a fixed look, it can indicate brain damage or simply a lack of empathy.
• Unreadable: like an expressionless look, it shows a character who does not wish to share what they are thinking.
• Vacant: like bored or absent, it describes a character who is not paying attention. It may also show someone who can’t understand something.
• Wan: a very sad and tired expression.
• Wide-eyed: like bug-eyed, it indicates surprise or fear.
• Withering: a withering look deliberately makes a character feel silly or embarrassed.
• Wolfish: a character with a wolfish expression is intending others harm.
• Wry: a character who thinks something is funny, but not necessarily pleasant.

Next week: facial expressions. View all posts on the subject, or buy the book on Amazon – free on KU!

Emotional Beats: Eyes

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