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:
Walking and moving (II)
For maximum effect, you can combine the beats above with some of the verbs below, most of which were found on WriteWorld :
- Amble: to walk easily and/or aimlessly.
- Bounce: to walk energetically.
- Caper: to skip or dance about in a lively or playful way.
- Careen: to pitch dangerously to one side while walking or running.
- Cavort: to jump or dance around excitedly.
- Clump: to walk heavily and/or clumsily.
- Creep: To move quietly and slowly.
- Cross: To cross a road or street.
- Falter: to walk unsteadily.
- Flounder: to walk with great difficulty.
- Foot it: (slang) to depart or set off by walking.
- Footslog: to walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud.
- Gimp: to limp; hobble.
- Hike: to take a long walk, especially in a park or a wilderness area.
- Hobble: to walk unsteadily or with difficulty; see also limp.
- Hoof it: (slang) to walk; see foot it.
- Leg it: (slang) to walk; see foot it.
- Limp: to walk unsteadily because of injury, especially favoring one leg; see also falter.
- Lumber: to walk slowly and heavily.
- Lurch: to walk slowly or furtively, as if stalking someone.
- March: to walk rhythmically alone or in a group, especially according to a specified procedure.
- Meander: to walk or move aimlessly and idly without fixed direction.
- Mince: to walk delicately.
- Mosey: see amble; also, used colloquially in the phrase “mosey along.”
- Nip: (British English) to go briskly or lightly; also used colloquially in the phrase “nip (on/out/over/round/down/in)” to refer to a brief trip to a certain destination, as if on an errand.
- Pace: to walk precisely to mark off a distance, or walk intently or nervously, especially back and forth.
- Pad: to walk with steady steps making a soft dull sound.
- Parade: to walk ostentatiously, as if to show off.
- Patter: to walk or run somewhere, making a series of short quiet sounds with your feet
- Perambulate: see stroll; to travel on foot, or walk to inspect or measure a boundary.
- Peregrinate: to walk, especially to travel.
- Plod: to walk slowly and heavily, as if reluctant or weary.
- Pound: to walk or go with heavy steps; move along with force or vigor; see lumber.
- Power walk: to walk briskly for fitness.
- Prance: to walk joyfully, as if dancing or skipping.
- Promenade: to go on a leisurely walk, especially in a public place as a social activity; see parade.
- Prowl: to move around an area in a quiet way, especially because you intend to do something bad
- Pussyfoot: to walk stealthily or warily.
- Ramble: to walk or travel aimlessly.
- Roam: to go without fixed direction and without any particular destination, often for pleasure; see ramble.
- Rove: to travel constantly over a relatively lengthy time period without a fixed destination; wander.
- Sashay: to glide, move, or proceed easily or nonchalantly; see parade.
- Saunter: to walk about easily.
- Scuff: to walk without lifting one’s feet.
- Scuttle: to run off.
- Scurry: to hurry away.
- Shamble: to walk or go awkwardly; shuffle; see scuff.
- Shuffle: to walk without lifting the feet or with clumsy steps and a shambling gait; see scuff.
- Skulk: to move in a stealthy or furtive manner.
- Slink: to go somewhere slowly and quietly so that people will not notice you.
- Slip: to go somewhere, especially quickly and quietly without people noticing you or stopping you.
- Slog: to move in a slow, heavy manner, as if carrying a weight.
- Sneak: to move somewhere quietly and secretly so that no one can see you or hear you.
- Somnambulate: to walk while asleep.
- Spring: to jump out on someone, surprising them.
- Stagger: to walk unsteadily.
- Stalk: to walk stealthily, as in pursuit.
- Steal: to move somewhere quietly and secretly.
- Step: to walk, or place one’s foot or feet in a new position.
- Stomp: to walk heavily, as if in anger.
- Stride: to walk purposefully, with long steps.
- Stroll: to walk in a leisurely way; see saunter.
- Strut: to walk with a stiff, erect, and apparently arrogant or conceited gait; see parade.
- Stumble: to walk clumsily or unsteadily, or trip.
- Stump: to walk heavily, as with a limp; see lumber.
- Swagger: to walk with aggressive self-confidence.
- Tiptoe: to walk carefully on the toes or on the balls of the foot, as if in stealth.
- Toddle: to move with short, unsteady steps, as a young child; see saunter and stagger.
- Totter: to walk or go with faltering steps, as if from extreme weakness; see stagger(also, sway or become unstable).
- Traipse: to walk lightly and/or aimlessly.
- Tramp: to walk heavily or noisily; see lumber and hike.
- Trample: to walk so as to crush something underfoot.
- Traverse: to walk across or over a distance.
- Tread: to walk slowly and steadily.
- Trip: to walk lightly; see also stumble.
- Tromp: to tread heavily, especially to crush underfoot; see lumber.
- Troop: to walk in unison, or collectively.
- Trot: to proceed at a pace faster than a walk; see nip.
- Trudge: to walk slowly and with heavy steps, typically because of exhaustion or harsh conditions; see plod.
- Waddle: to walk clumsily or as if burdened, swinging the body.
- Wade: to walk through water or with difficulty, as if impeded.
- Wander: to move from place to place without a fixed route; see ramble.
- Weave: to move in non-linear way, usually in order to avoid several obstacles.
Next time: Waking up and Beds. View all posts on the subject, or buy the book on Amazon – free on KU!
Your cat looks like my cat, Hunter, who keeps the vermin away. I downloaded Emotional Beats to keep as a reference.
Really? Our Perro is quite the hunter, too!
Thank you so much for buying Beats!!
Thanks, Nicholas, for sharing your emotional beats. Keep them as reference when I’m stumbling for a different word.
Yay! Thank you, Linnea 🙂
Another great list.
Thank you so much, Michelle 🙂
These word lists are awesome! Thank you for putting them together!
Yay! Thank you, Luna 🙂
I love these excerpts you share with us! This list is especially helpful. Wish I were still teaching; I would encourage all my students to purchase ( and use ) your book. Thanks for your creativity and your incredible generosity.
Thank you so much, Iris 😀
Awesome list! I have to get another copy of Emotional Beats. You might remember that I gifted the first one as it was my gist in a Secret Santa exchange I took part in last Xmas. There’s nothing like holding the physical copy when you need inspiration…
I hear you — and thank you so much!! I wish I had an extra copy to give you; I’ve only got the one I use myself, which is well-thumbed and unsuitable as a present I’m afraid 🙁
Goodness that’s a heck of a list. Thanks.
Lol – we aim to please 😀
An awesome list! Thanks. 😀
Thank you so much, D 😀
Hi Nicholas
I enjoy these series and I get great ideas. I need to buy your book as a reference book.
You will get most of it for free on my blog, so there’s really no need. Having said that, I have bought it for myself in print format 😀
Always get good word ideas from your Emotional Beats! Thank you, Nicholas! An ear scratch for Perro. ?Christine
Yay! Perro purrs. It might have something to do with the tiny bit of Prosciutto fat I secretly handed him, of course (Electra frowns upon such behavior, so don’t tell her).