Twenty Phrases For Writing Facial Expressions

quotes about books

"books are uniquely portable magic" — stephen king

"a room without books is like a body without a soul" — marcus tullius cicero

"that’s the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet" — jhumpa lahiri

"a book is a gift you can open again and again" — unknown

"the reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries" — rené descartes 

"the man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who never learned to read" — mark twain 

"there is no friend as loyal as a book" — ernest hemingway

"no two persons ever read the same book" — edmund wilson

"outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. inside of a dog it's too dark to read" — groucho marc

"books open your mind, broaden your mind, and strengthen you as nothing else can" — unknown

"book support us in our solitude and keep us from being a burden to ourselves" — unknown

"reading brings us unknown friends" — honoré de balzac

"reading is a conversation. all books talk. but a good book listens as well" — mark haddon

"the book you don't read won't help" — jim rohn

scents and smells to use in your writing

sandalwood — think intoxicating, slightly masculine (if you want it to be), wood-y,

fresh laundry — think febreeze, freshly cleaned clothes, cleaning wipes, that kinda thing

cinammon — think cinnamon rolls, desserts, sugar, sweetness

vanilla — sweet and soft. it’s a classic and i feel it’s almost feminine because it’s in a lot of perfumes but it can be for anyone

sea salt — think sand on your feet, sea in your lungs, maybe a few seagulls cawing. a very beach-y smell

chlorine — think of pools, summer, theme parks with water slides. it’s not the most appealing smell but it certainly is a smell

strawberry — when i think of strawberries, i think of strawberry picking when i was little and kind of the taste of the strawberries themselves. as for the ice cream or perfume kinda strawberry, it’s a fun and sweet smell

chocolate — think hot chocolate, a hershey’s kiss, that hint of chocolate in your coffee creamer. it’s warm and cozy

coconut — think tropical, beachy, refreshing. when most people see coconuts they see “exotic”

banana — think banana sundae, banana smoothie, fruit-y smell, laffy taffy, that kinda thing

apple — think apple trees, apple jam, apple pie, that kinda sweet crisp smell

pine — think of a damp, dirty forest with towering trees and leaves gracing its floor. maybe a deer or two is nearby. it’s a forest smell basically

metallic — think of blood, wet copper or iron, etc.

dirt/earth — think the smell of dirt, grass, trees. the general smell of nature

rose — think romantic, date night, mysterious, alluring. roses are most commonly associated with life and affection, at least in american culture

sweat — think intense workout, maybe tangy, smoky, etc. just sweat

mint — think of waking up bright and early, toothpaste, doctor’s offices, etc. mint really speaks as fresh to me

damp, wet, wet dog — think of moist places, like a really old pool or something akin to that

dew — think early morning and mist in the air. can be associated with spring as well

musk — think of a scent similar to sweat, but the aftermath. not just pure sweat everywhere, but the scent about an hour after you work out. it smells different for everyone though

smoke — think of that scent you smell when a fireplace turns off, wood stops burning, or when you overcook something

spicy — think of ginger, paprika, spices in general. it’s a kind of fun and daring smell

toasty, warming — this can be anything warm you want: hot cocoa, warm blankets, turning the heater on, summer, fireplace flames

floral — this can be any flower you want it to be. spring is full of it, it is the embodiment of a bouquet, and is the scent you smell when you “stop to smell the flowers”

body language to use in your writing

he furrowed his eyebrows — in confusion or concentration

he raised his eyebrows — in surprise or skepticism

he narrowed his eyes — in suspicion or annoyance

he bit or pressed his lips together — in hesitation

his lips parted slightly — in shock or anticipation

he clenched his jaw — in frustration or determination

he tilted his head — in curiosity or disbelief

he wrinkled his nose — in disgust or disapproval

he rolled his eyes — in exasperation

he puffed his cheeks — in frustration or exhaustion

eye movements:

his eyes darted around — nervously

he avoided eye contact — out of guilt or shyness

he held eye contact — in defiance or intensity

he squinted slightly — in scrutiny

he looked down — in shame or submission

he glanced away quickly — in embarrassment

he stared blankly — in shock or dissociation

he blinked rapidly — in disbelief or surprise

his eyes widened — in fear or astonishment

he peeked through his fingers — when scared or hesitant

head movements:

he nodded slowly — in understanding or agreement

he shook his head — in disagreement or disbelief

he tilted his head — playfully or teasingly

he bowed his head slightly — in respect or submission

he tossed his head back — in confidence or defiance

he ducked his head — in embarrassment or shyness

he rested his chin in his hand — while thinking or bored

he jerked his head toward a sound — in alertness

he rolled his neck — to release tension

he tipped his chin up — in defiance or arrogance

hand movements:

he clenched his fists — in anger or determination

he ran his hands through his hair — in frustration or stress

he wringed his hands — in nervousness

he drummed his fingers on a surface — in impatience

he pointed — accusingly or demandingly

he pressed his palms against a surface — in desperation

he tugged at his sleeves or hem — in nervousness

he threw his hands up — in exasperation or surrender

he rubbed his temples — in frustration or exhaustion

he covered his mouth — in shock or horror

arm and shoulder movements:

he crossed his arms — in defensiveness or annoyance

he wrapped his arms around himself — for comfort

he shrugged — in uncertainty or indifference

he threw his arms out — in excitement or exasperation

he linked arms with her — for comfort or closeness

he rubbed his arms — to self-soothe or ward off cold

he flailed his arms wildly — in panic or excitement

he stretched his arms above his head — in relaxation or boredom

he held his arms behind his back — in restraint or formality

he used exaggerated arm gestures — when talking passionately

leg and foot movements:

he tapped his foot — impatiently

he crossed his legs — to appear closed off or comfortable

he bounced his knee — in nervousness or excitement

he kicked at the ground — absentmindedly

he shuffled his feet — in hesitation or guilt

he stood on his tiptoes — to see something or seem taller

he turned his toes inward — in insecurity or shyness

he stomped his foot — in frustration or excitement

he swung his legs — in a carefree manner

he stepped back instinctively — in fear or uncertainty

posture and general movement:

he stood tall with his shoulders squared — in confidence

he slouched — in defeat or boredom

he leaned in — engaged or interested

he leaned away — in discomfort or disinterest

he puffed out his chest — in arrogance or bravado

he shrunk into himself — in anxiety or fear

he rocked back and forth — in nervousness or impatience

he swiveled his body away slightly — in disengagement

he walked stiffly — in discomfort or tension

her hips swayed confidently while she walked

microexpressions:

a smile briefly flickered across his face

his eye twitched a single time — in irritation

he swallowed hard — when nervous or emotional

he slightly shuddered — in disgust or fear

he bit the inside of his cheek — in thought or frustration

he quickly inhaled — taken aback

he exhaled shakily after holding his breath too long

he clutched his shirt tightly — in anxiety

he tilted his head down slightly while still looking up (puppy dog eyes)

there was a fleeting look of longing in his eyes before he looked away

words on trees, bushes, rural regions, and forests for your writing

thicket — a dense group of bushes or trees

grove — a small wood, orchard, or group of trees

underbrush — shrubs and small trees forming the undergrowth in a forest

undergrowth — a dense growth of shrubs and other plants, especially under trees in woodland

canebrake — a piece of ground covered with a dense growth of canes

chaparral — vegetation consisting chiefly of tangled shrubs and thorny bushes

woodland — land covered with trees

coppice — an area of woodland in which the trees or shrubsare, or formerly were, periodically cut back to ground level to stimulate growth and provide firewood or timber

hurst — a wood or wooded rise or hillock

hillock — a small hill or mound

copse — a small group of trees

bower — a pleasant shady place under trees or climbing plants in a garden or wood

deciduous — (of a tree or shrub) shedding its leaves annually

coniferous — conifers are a group of cone-bearing, woody seed plants. they are most diverse in warmer areas like tropical mountains, and are also found in the wild regions of canada and russia

bosk or bosque — a thicket of bushes; a small wood

woodlot — a woodlot is a parcel of woodland or forest, typically small in size, that is capable of supporting small-scale production of forest products

pine — an evergreen coniferous tree that has clusters of long needle-shaped leaves. many kinds are grown for their soft timber, which is widely used for furniture and pulp, or for tar and turpentine

oak — a tree that bears acorns as fruit, and typically has lobed deciduous leaves. oaks are common in many north temperate forests and are an important source of hard and durable wood used chiefly in construction, furniture, and, formerly, shipbuilding

birch — a slender, fast-growing tree that has thin bark, often peeling, and bears catkins. birch trees grow chiefly in north temperate regions, some reaching the northern limit of tree growth

mahogany — hard reddish-brown timber from a tropical tree, used for high-quality furniture

hinterland — the often uncharted areas beyond a coastal district or a river's banks

willow — salix, also known as willows, osiers, and sallows, is a genus of around 350 species of shrubs and trees that are usually deciduous. they are primarily found in temperate and cold regions on moist soils. the white willow is the largest species, with mature trees growing up to 25 meters tall

redwood — sequoioideae, also known as redwoods, are a subfamily of coniferous trees in the cupressaceae family. they are the tallest trees in the world and can live for thousands of years

elm — ulmus, or elms, are a genus of deciduous and semi-deciduous trees found across most of the northern hemisphere. they are known for their broad shade and vase-like shape

magnolia — a tree or shrub with large, typically creamy-pink, waxyflowers. magnolias are widely grown as ornamental trees

greenwood — a wood or forest in leaf (regarded as the typical scene of medieval outlaw life)

boskage — massed trees or shrubs

countryside — the land and scenery of a rural area

country — districts, areas, and small settlements outside large towns, cities, or the capital

backwoods — remote uncleared forest land

outskirts — the outer parts of a town or city

wildwood — an uncultivated wood or forest that has been allowed to grow naturally

sticks — an area in the country that is far away from towns and cities

i would’ve rather suffered with you than be happy without you and maybe that was what was wrong with us all along

the types of laughs and smiles

smirked — teasing, playful, snarky. usually, one side of the person’s mouth is slightly upturned.

smiled — a smile, both sides of the person’s mouth turn up and it can be slight or extreme.

laughed — a general laugh. usually in response to something funny or outlandish, can be dry, loud, kind of quiet, or hearty.

chuckled — laughter’s quiet cousin. usually more subtle than a laugh and can be the suppression of a laugh, like someone was starting to laugh but decided against it.

howled — a loud, intense and higher pitched version of laughter. think doubling over, hands on knees kind of laugh. like a wolf, if you will

convulsed/convulsing with laughter — the person’s body is shaking or moving a lot due to laughter, maybe their arms are moving, they’re bent over, i don’t know whatever you want

beamed — a more strong, noticeable smile, usually wide and cheerful. think your crush just asked you out kinda deal

i’m so tired of ai and of people. just because someone doesn’t write traditionally or repeats what they’ve said before doesn’t mean they’re not writing, it means they’re a real person. sure there’s dead giveaways like using the exact same vocabulary every single time you say anything, but unless there’s things like that that prove it’s ai it’s incredibly disrespectful and hurtful to witch hunt someone for not writing as good as you think they should. you’re trying to say they write so bad, good, or strangely that there’s no way they wrote it and signing off their writing as not belonging to them

punctuation in dialogue

“this,” i paused, “is a sentence with an action, pause, dialogue tag, etc. in between.”

“this is a sentence too,” i said.

“hey and this too.” i said

“this is a sentence,” i said. “this is another sentence.”

“this is a sentence.”

okay thanks that’s all i got same time tomorrow

ao3 is my safe place

helpful writing websites

prohintistery — very helpful for finding new words and other writing-related material

thesaurus — you can find antonyms, synonyms, and the meanings of most words here

the color thesaurus — here is a list of a variety of colors and their names

pinterest — helpful for mood boards, designing characters, capturing ideas in images