SIR SAYS - EMOTIONS ARE NEVER CLICHED

SOURCE: Psych-your-mind Blogspot

My second piece of homework didn't get done.


Considering a range of suitable excuses, I was thinking of leading with "the monster ate it." He looked like one of these faces ;)

My excuse, it wasn't exactly true. 


I was thinking about this quote from Dr Seuss:


"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."


Reality got in the way of writing the CW short story... Reality got in the way of polishing up the short story I've already written in my notebook. The reality of writing, finishing a final and significant re-write, polishing up the query letter and sending off 4 submissions! 


Just to prove I haven't been slacking, I sent my submission to Sir!


I'm writing and loving it.


If the purpose of the Creative Writing course was to remind me that I love writing it's doing a brilliant job.



SIR SAYS:

• identify and eliminate emotions words
• describe emotions using specific and "concrete" terms
• avoid clichés - look for an original (and specific to your character and the setting of your novel) way to describe an emotion
• describe all aspects of the physical sensations of emotions 

SIR SAYS NEVER USE:

• her heart melted
• she felt like breaking down when she read her results
• she felt like her hear was being torn from her chest

IN A BRAINY AND INTELLECTUAL MOMENT, SIR SAYS:

• Emotion words are abstract nouns - they are not solid and they cannot be seen.
• There are narrow definitions for each emotion but they have broad meanings and associations. 
• To describe an emotion you need to tap into what the emotion means to you and to your MC.

Garrick knew he'd been imprisoned in the cellar for almost a month but as his sleep pattern was irregular and he was often hungry he hadn't been able to keep track of the exact number of days. His fingers were bleeding again, and he hadn't found a brick anywhere around the barred window that he could prise out of line. He leaned his head against the wall and waited until the throbbing in his fingertips subsided so he could start to push around the bricks again.

PROFOUND THOUGHT OF THE DAY:

PEOPLE, AND CHARACTERS TOO, OFTEN USE ONE EMOTION TO MASK ANOTHER - WRITERS NEED TO LET THE HIDDEN EMOTION BLEED THROUGH