I can’t believe I missed Monday Musings! I just cannot believe it.
I take that back. I can totally believe that it completely slipped my mind. I mean, I had to get up, get groceries, hit the park for a good walk with the Husband. Oh, and I had to play with the puppies. I love the puppies.
Truth be told, I didn’t have much to ponder yesterday. So, no bigs, right? You’ll forgive me one tiny indiscretion? You will? Thank you!!
Anyway, on to Tidbit Tuesday – plus advice.
First, the Tidbit:
Duncan choked on his third lemon tart, the flaky crust catching in his throat. His mother shoved a cup of tea into his hand. “But that’s impossible. My own man has not yet been able to find the source. Are you certain you know?”
A thought occurred to him. Slamming his cup onto the table, he leaned forward. It gave him no thrill to see Helena flinch. Likely, she compared him to McGillicuddy. But damn it, she would explain herself. “Unless it was you.”
Helena’s expression hardened. Her upper lip curled back. “Of all the ridiculous – Why would I do that, my lord? To tie myself to the likes of you? Oh, please.”
Duncan leaned back into the sofa, a cocky smile on his lips. “Why else would you have worn the pendant, if not to cause speculation? It is only natural that some gossipy old busybody took your cue and let the rumors loose.”
“But – but I had no idea it was a recognizable stone, Lord Blacke. You never said.” Helena closed her eyes, avoiding his gaze.
Now, the advice. Again, taken from the Emotion Thesaurus.
When revising, look for instances where emotions are NAMED. Nine times out of ten this indicates a lack of confidence that the emotion is shown clearly through thought, sensations, and body language. Strong verbal and nonverbal cues negate the need to “explain” the emotion to the reader.
Laura Michaela Banse, Author 