Emotional Beats
Page 8
He dawdled for a while, alone in the empty room.
He made a beeline for the bar.
He hoisted the satchel farther up his shoulder and continued walking.
He fell into step beside her.
He headed past her.
He stepped off the elevator with purpose.
He took four ground-eating steps.
She backpedaled, heading for her boots.
She slinked down the darkened corridor.
They made their way through…
He propelled me toward the far wall.
She marched up to him.
She stalked into the kitchen.
She strode past him.
He stormed across the parking lot.
He made a break for the door.
He loped forward into the thick fog.
She picked her way over the rough ground.
She slogged through a quicksand jungle.
She strode forward.
He thrust past him, shouldering him roughly aside and flinging hard against the palisade.
He walked towards her, cresting the shingle ridge.
She stepped away.
She drew nearer.
He leaned closer.
She inched forward.
He loomed closer.
The children bounded down the stairs for dinner.
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 (http://writeworld.org/):
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.
Waking up and beds
* * *
Much like standing up from a chair, waking up can be hard to make interesting. Hopefully, these beats will help:
She snapped awake.
She jolted awake to the brutal sound of splintering wood and a resounding crash.
She catapulted out of bed and stumbled across the door.
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes with one hand and covering a yawn with the other, she shuffled into the corner of the sofa, propping herself against the armrest and the back for support.
&n
bsp; He slipped out of bed.
She plopped down on her bed and grabbed a pillow to cuddle to her chest.
She cracked open her eyes and squinted at her surroundings.
He washed/rubbed the sleep from his face.
She swung her warm feet out of bed and into cold slippers.
She hopped out of bed.
A woman still crumpled by sleep answered the door.
Her morning voice sounded just as he remembered: a little scratchy from a dry throat and her speech slow, like it was still warming up. She scrunched up her face and yawned.
…he said, gaining his feet.
She rose like a hornet got her on the backside.
She sat bolt upright and gained her feet.
Her eyelids gave a flutter like brand new butterfly wings hoping for flight. She fixed on him through a lazy squint.
Weather, Skies and views
* * *
With our surroundings offering so many interesting views, finding the perfect description can be a challenge. Well, not anymore!
The mottled sky ranged from mid grey to dirty white.
A soft breeze picked up her hair, stirring the strands around her cheeks.
As a warm breeze stirred the sheer curtains of the open patio doors, the scent of baked stone and crushed flowers folded within its balmy caress.
We watched a thick, fluffy cloud shuttle across the sky.
It had started to flurry and a thin coating of snow covered the ground.
Overcast skies turned everything dreary and cold.
Rain spilled down in sheets.
The breeze was just a teasing shimmer in the air, fluttering leaves.
The rising sun shone beneath the lip of the departing cloud.
The sky was clear and the air carried a light musky scent mingled with pine.
There was still a bit of bite to the wind.
We watched a steady deluge of rain.
The cold seeped in through his light jacket and made him shiver.
Sharp jets/droplets of icy cold water needled her back. She shivered under the prickly feeling and raised her hand to protect herself from the tiny ice-cold daggers.
Water lapped against the graveled beach, causing a gentle swoosh as each wave slipped back into the azure ocean. Gulls circled above, calling to each other as they flew effortlessly back and forth. A gull swooped down to land a few meters from where they sat. It looked in their direction and cawed. He waved his arm to shoo the bird away, but it hopped back and cawed once more.
A squall streamed over the palisades. Dark clouds let forth sheets of rain, while churning winds ripped across the rocks, howling through the crevices.
In the west, deep pink and purple bands were chased beneath the horizon by the coming of night, while above and in the north, blackening clouds massed.
The gray sky darkened above the field, turning the rocky ground into shiny, blood-soaked black pools.
The tall wheat was performing its best impression of a green sea. The wind sent wave after wave to ripple through its surface, as if about to crash on a distant shore.
Clouds darkened the sky as he ran.
A flash lit the world white.
The world flashed to white clarity as another crack of lightning struck.
The sickle moon was gone from the sky, leaving only a blanket of stars to give light.
Blossoming dittany spilled over the slope.
The woman drifted away as the morning fog thinned in the warming sun.
Black clouds smeared the sky.
Thick fingers of mist stole across the lake, blotting out the far shore.
She heard the throbbing pulse of rain.
The mist twined itself around the trees.
Tufty clouds scudded across the lake in a reverse image of the heavens, its trembling silken surface spoiled by the ripples her feet stirred. They chased away from her across the mirror, folds in a liquid blanket.
A rank gust of icy air hit her.
The hulk of the dark mountains rambled against a sky layered with smoky clouds.
A red-throated sparrow alighted on the branch above her.
She found a rock overhang to weather out the now freezing night.
The stars were feverish.
Down the slope, water bubbled and purled over boulders, the wild rush complementing her internal turbulence.
A falcon circled lazily in the bottomless azure sky. It soared on an updraft, hunting.
She rode south as the sky grew pastel and brightened into full day.
Hulking masses of architecture hung over her.
The breeze fluttered leaves growing toward their summer ripeness.
Flowers grew in abundance, spilling out of window boxes, baskets and pots and from the dooryards.
A fitful wind swirled dirt and exhaust fumes into a toxic soup.
By the time she had left, it was overcast and pouring.
The sky had gone black with the bruise of thick angry clouds. They expelled a low rumble. A cool breeze tossed her hair into a delicate dance. A lone drop of rain kissed her bare shoulder.
Jagged silver flashes jabbed the coming night over the horizon.
The darkening sky rumbled like an empty stomach.
PART 4: EXTRAS
1000 Verbs to Write By
* * *
Author Alicia Dean has shared a list called “1,000 verbs to write by” that includes synonyms for some widely used (and overused) verbs.
For “entered”
stepped inside
went in
came in
sailed in
burst in
set foot in/on
broke in
forced her way in
intruded
penetrated
passed into
For “felt, seemed, showed, looked like”
sensed
had the impression
understood
detected
seemed
appeared
betrayed
indicated
betokened
foretokened
revealed
bespoke
suggested
signified
connoted
hinted at
alluded to
implied
intimated
presaged
portended
forewarned
disclosed
displayed
lay open
made manifest
exposed
bared
struck her as
looked as if
looked like
had the look of
had every appearance of
had the earmarks of
resembled
sounded like
exhibited
evidenced
showed
manifested
emblematic of
For “had, held”
bore
exhibited
showed
displayed
betrayed
wielded
carried
was furnished with
contained
wore
sported
spanned
suspended
grasped
gripped
clutched
contained
toted
possessed
retained
embraced
evinced
For “heard”
overheard
caught
detected
picked up
perceived
apprehended
eavesdropped
listened
listened in
gathered
heard tell of
strained her ears
harked
harkened
attended to
took heed of
took in
gave audience to
gave an ear to
lent an ear to
heard him out
within earshot
out of earshot
For “hit”
beat
socked
bumped
clapped
thumped
lashed
pummeled
punched
rammed
crashed
thwacked
slapped
smacked
pumped
impacted
attacked
hacked
swiped
swung
trounced
tackled
For “jumped”
vaulted
leapt/leaped
pounced
startled
flinched
sprang
lunged
launched
jerked
jolted
erupted
exploded
shot from
For “left, exited”
ran off
walked off
went out
departed
retreated
rushed off
decamped
deserted
repaired
retired
withdrew
stormed off
quit
took off
fled
sallied forth
bowed her way out
hurried away
For “lie down, lay”
reclined
eased onto
flopped onto
lay prone
lolled
luxuriated
lay prostrate
lay recumbent
lay back
rested
reposed
lazed
sprawled
lounged
slouched
slumped
sunk into
collapsed on
For “looked, saw”
glared
glanced off
regarded
made out
descried
remarked
had in sight
glowered
squinted
shot him a look
fixed her with a stare