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, continuing Part 3 of the book: Other Beats. This chapter deals with:

Houses and Scenery

Emotional Beats | From the blog of Nicholas C. Rossis, author of science fiction, the Pearseus epic fantasy series and children's books

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The best way to describe a house is to flick through an (online) architectural magazine. The second best is to read on.

  • The walls were covered in rich, black wallpaper that exhibited a shimmering, barely perceptible pattern in the winking candlelight.
  • Depression glass candleholders stood on the shelf.
  • Along the far, short wall was a wide, polished, walnut, rectangular table.
  • Their footsteps echoed on the travertine floors.
  • All the paint chips he had been forced to stare at had driven him crazy.
  • The interior was cuter still, with wooden floors polished to a warm honey-gold and exposed brick walls showcasing vintage travel posters.
  • The room was perfect for sit-downs that didn’t call for the formality of a conference room.
  • The room had seamless windows and a breathtaking view of the park.
  • The polished marble flooring gleamed in the full sun.
  • Blue plaid curtains accented with a soft beige draped the windows.
  • He touched the rain-streaked pane.
  • A smattering of trees met his gaze.
  • He saw a pretty jut of cliffs upholstered with wild grass.
  • The tower lorded over the seaside village.
  • Ladders slid on oiled rollers from one section to the next. Bookcases lined each level, from floor to molding.
  • The garden was redolent with the scent of gardenias.
  • The central desk looked like a cresting wave, scooped up from a thick base on one side, its leading edge flattening to form a workspace.
  • Brocaded chairs topped by soft throws lined the wall.
  • One section of the gate rolled on a rail to the side and another could be raised and lowered.
  • Their footsteps echoed on the gold-veined marble flooring.
  • A wet bar was tucked into an alcove. Another wall was nothing but floor-to-ceiling plate-glass windows with French doors.
  • Original works of art hung placed on recession-lit walls.
  • She touched the embroidered fingertip towels.
  • He gazed at the slow-paddling ceiling fans.
  • Behind elegant banisters, platform walkways permitted catwalk access on the second and third levels.
  • It was a grand two-story home, painted a pristine white and fronted by tall shrubs that sheltered most of the columned porch from view.
  • Shining hardwood floors graced a large open space furnished as a combination living and dining area.
  • The ceilings were open, the rafters exposed.
  • The porch was narrow, but the second story of the cottage pitched over it and provided much welcome cover.
  • The shutters outside were open to the sun’s indifferent reach, and dawn streaked in.
  • Simple railing emerged from the wraparound veranda without any architectural artifice.
  • Two enormous English elms flanked the old manor. Their bowing branches arched elegantly over it, bobbing in the gentle breeze.
  • The furniture is old-world, sumptuous and expensive, like the authentic tufted Chesterfield sofa.
  • Trees with skeletal limbs, badly in need of a trim, scraped against slate, like oaken nails on the lid of a coffin.
  • He looked at the fancy balusters, like young girls at their first dance, all curves and waists and giggles.
  • Paintings in vibrant colors covered walls, like small windows into faraway scenery.
  • Five interior poles held up the roof of the command tent, a standard issue square block of pale canvas. Scraps of rope tied open the doors to admit morning light and a hint of breeze rustled the maps and missives littering the long table. The chief’s sturdy chair stood in a corner, stacked with slightly crumpled, rolled documents, a clear indication that the man preferred to stand.
  • The road coughed them out into a clearing set beside standing water.
  • High trees brooded over the night, keeping back the moon’s shine.
  • Lilacs scented the warm air; honeybees droned their busy song while picking over those late-summer blooms. Mosquitoes planned attacks from the overgrown grass.

Next week: Hunger, drinks, and food. View all posts on the subject, or buy the book on Amazon – free on KU!