When I say that I don't want to exist right now, that doesn't mean i want to die. Not to me it doesn't. All it means is I want to disconnect from myself. To not feel my own emotions, to not hear my brain rile on and on, to not feel my skin on my body, to not feel, to not hear, to not taste, to not smell, to not see but still observe. I don't want to be interacted with like a person when I wish to not exist. I wish to a narrator, a viewer, a camera-man. I wish that I could fast forward to when this was a memory. I know it may seem concerning, or maybe a bit outlandish, but it makes sense to me. I want to not be there but still be there. I want to not be acknowledged by anyone and to simply watch. Watch others experience what's happening. And I want to not experience it. I don't want it. I just want to sit in the corner and watch. But when someone's in the corner watching, someone has to whisper. Has to ask questions. Has to make me exist. I don't want that. I don't want to exist, but I don't want to die either. It does make sense to me, but not everyone is me. I don't mind that either. But I want to be able to say that I am not existing and for people to understand. For them to not be concerned about the kid in the corner. About the guy sitting in silence. About your suspiciously quiet friend. I am simply not for now, and I hope you can accept that.
How to write emotional scenes
How to show emotions Part I
How to show emotions Part II
How to show emotions Part III
How to show emotions Part IV
How to show emotions Part V
How to show emotions Part VI
How to show emotions Part VII
How to show emotions Part VIII
If you like my blog and want to support me, you can buy me a coffee or become a member! And check out my Instagram! 🥰
Eyes wide with pupils dilated.
Hands trembling uncontrollably.
Heart pounding audibly in the chest.
Backing away slowly, seeking escape.
Holding breath or breathing shallowly.
Breaking out in a cold sweat.
Startling at the slightest sound.
Whispering or speaking in a hushed tone.
Looking over their shoulder repeatedly.
Clutching at clothing or objects for reassurance.
Voice quivering or stammering.
Legs feeling weak or buckling.
Feeling a chill run down the spine.
Hugging oneself protectively.
Trying to make themselves smaller.
Furtive glances around the room.
Feeling light-headed or dizzy.
Stiffening up and freezing in place.
Swallowing hard, throat dry.
Eyes darting around, unable to focus.
by Writerthreads on Instagram
A common problem writers face is "white room syndrome"—when scenes feel like they’re happening in an empty white room. To avoid this, it's important to describe settings in a way that makes them feel real and alive, without overloading readers with too much detail. Here are a few tips below to help!
You don’t need to describe everything in the scene—just pick a couple of specific, memorable details to bring the setting to life. Maybe it’s the creaky floorboards in an old house, the musty smell of a forgotten attic, or the soft hum of a refrigerator in a small kitchen. These little details help anchor the scene and give readers something to picture, without dragging the action with heaps of descriptions.
Instead of just focusing on what characters can see, try to incorporate all five senses—what do they hear, smell, feel, or even taste? Describe the smell of fresh bread from a nearby bakery, or the damp chill of a foggy morning. This adds a lot of depth and make the location feel more real and imaginable.
Have characters interact with the environment. How do your characters move through the space? Are they brushing their hands over a dusty bookshelf, shuffling through fallen leaves, or squeezing through a crowded subway car? Instead of dumping a paragraph of description, mix it in with the action or dialogue.
Sometimes, the setting can do more than just provide a backdrop—it can reinforce the mood of a scene or even reflect a theme in the story. A stormy night might enhance tension, while a warm, sunny day might highlight a moment of peace. The environment can add an extra layer to what’s happening symbolically.
The bookstore was tucked between two brick buildings, its faded sign creaking with every gust of wind. Inside, the air was thick with the scent of worn paper and dust, mingling with the faint aroma of freshly brewed coffee from a corner café down the street. The wooden floorboards groaned as Ella wandered between the shelves, her fingertips brushing the spines of forgotten novels. Somewhere in the back, the soft sound of jazz crackled from an ancient radio.
Hope these tips help in your writing!
more words for worldbuilding: senses (pt. 3)
ASPECTS OF PERCEPTION
Physical: burn, hear, smell, touch
AUDITORY
Attribute of hearing: acoustic, deaf, distinct
Attribute of noise: blatant, cacophonous, deafening, dissonant, grating, noisy, piercing, raucous, shrill, soft-spoken, strident, vociferous
Attribute of noisemaking: dumb, mute
Attribute of sound: acoustic, audible, brassy, clarion, deep, dissonant, dull, faint, gentle, gruff, high, hollow, inaudible, low, lyrical, mellow, melodious/melodic, mum, noiseless, noisy, off-key, quiet, raucous, rich, round, silent, soft-spoken, soundproof, subdued, tight-lipped, tuneful, vocal, weak
Audible object: acknowledgment, air, anthem, arrangement, bang, blast, buzz, carol, clamor, clap, click, clump, crash, din, discord, ditty, echo, groan, gurgle, hiss, howl, inflection, jangle, melody, music, peal, psalm, report, rhythm, roar, rumpus, scream, shriek, song, strain, tick, yell
Hearing: attend, commiserate, hear, mind, regard
Sound perception: hearing
OLFACTORY
Attribute of odor: aromatic, fetid, gamy, malodorous, noisome, odorous, rancid, scented, smelly, stinking, sweet, tangy
Object that can be smelled: aroma, breath, incense, perfume, smell, stink, whiff
Odor: cologne, fumes, perfume, smell, stink, tang
Olfactory perception: breathe, nose, smell, whiff
Smelling: scent, sniff, whiff
TACTILE
Attribute of dryness: absorbent, balmy, damp, dry, fluid, juicy, misty, moldy, musty, parched, soaked soggy, thirsty, watery, wizened
Attribute of hardness: adamant, downy, firm, flaccid, hard, impermeable, inflexible, limp, mushy, permeable, plastic, solid, supple, tender, unbending
Attribute of temperature: ablaze, balmy, biting, boiling, brisk, burning, chilly, cold, cozy, febrile, fiery, frigid, frozen, heated, icy, polar, sweltering, thermal, tropical, wintry
Attribute of texture: abrasive, beaten, breakable, bumpy, coarse, cozy, creamy, crumbly, crusty, delicate, diluted/dilute, elastic, fibrous, fine, fleecy, fluff, fuzzy, gelatinous, glossy, gossamer, gritty, irregular, knurled, leathery, lucid, mottled, mushy, oily, paper, permeable, porous, rough, sheer, sleek, slippery, soft, springy, tenacious, thick, threadbare, uneven, yielding
Dryness: drought, humidity, wet
Tactile perception: feeling, touch
Tactile quality: excruciating, numb
Temperature: cold, frost, heat, temperature
Texture: consistency, feel, finish, grain, nap, texture
Touching: brush, dab, finger, graze, handle, lick, meet, nestle, nuzzle, paw, reach, tickle, toothsome, yummy
TASTING
Attribute of taste: acerbic, acid, acrid, astringent, bitter, corrupt, delicious, done, edible, full-bodied, insipid, mouth-watering, peppery, poignant, racy, rich, salty, scrumptious, sour, succulent, tart, tasty, yummy
Taste: acidity, bitterness, savor, tang, zest
Taste perception: taste
Tasting: bite, sample, taste
VISUAL
Attribute of brightness: ablaze, bold, brilliant, colorful, dark, dim, drab, dusky, faded, glaring, glossy, incandescent, light, luminescent, lustrous, murky, obscure, radiant, scintillating, shady, sunny, washed out
Attribute of color: amber, ashen, black, blond/blonde, blue, bright, brown, brunette/brunet, cadaverous, clear, colorful, crystal, dark, deep, dusky, fair, flushed, gay, glowing, gold/golden, gray/grey, hoary, jet, livid, milky, mottled, muddy, murky, opaque, pale, pallor, pasty, pearly, red, rosy, sable, sanguine, smoky, speckled, swarthy, translucent, variegated, vibrant, wan, white, yellow
Attribute of vision: appreciable, clear, conspicuous, disguised, fuzzy, glassy, impalpable, lucid, nearsighted, pronounced, visual
Brightness: dark, gleam, gloom, glow, lamp, light, murk, overshadow, polish, radiate, shadow, shimmer, splendor
Clean: grimy, hygienic, impeccable, mangy, neat, pure, sanitary, slimy, slovenly, spick-and-span, stagnant, straight, trim, unblemished, unkempt, untidy, untouched
Color: auburn, blush, color, decor, flush, glow, orange, pink, red, shadow, stripe, tinge, tone, yellow
Looking: attend, bear in mind, contemplate, dip into, face, fixate, gape, gaze, glare, glower, inspect, leer, lookout, mind, ogle, peek/peep, point, regard, scan, scrutinize, skim, spy, stare, vigil, watch
Occurrence of light: beam, bolt, eclipse, flicker, glare, glimmer, glisten, glow, illuminate, lamp, light, ray, shimmer, spark, spotlight, wink
Picture: arms, caricature, chart, diagram, emblem, facsimile, flowchart, graphics, impression, layout, model, pattern, plaid, portrait, reproduction, scheme, sketch, tableau
Seeing: behold, eye, make out, meet, notice, perceive, remark, sight, view, witness
Visibility change: blur, dim, fog
Visible object: acknowledgment, aspect, beam, buoy, footprint, glare, halo, light, model, panorama, ray, scene, sparkle, track, vista
Visual perception: blindness, perspective, vision
NOTE
Excerpted from Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Updated and Expanded 3rd Edition, in Dictionary Form, edited by The Princeton Language Institute.
The above are concepts classified according to subject and usage. It not only helps writers and thinkers to organize their ideas but leads them from those very ideas to the words that can best express them.
It was, in part, created to turn an idea into a specific word. By linking together the main entries that share similar concepts, the index makes possible creative semantic connections between words in our language, stimulating thought and broadening vocabulary. Writing Resources PDFs
Source ⚜ Writing Basics & Refreshers ⚜ On Vocabulary ⚜ Sensory Language
Furrowing brows deeply.
Tilting head to one side.
Eyes squinting as if trying to see something clearly.
Biting the inner cheek in thought.
Scratching or rubbing the back of the head.
Asking, “What do you mean?” repeatedly.
Frowning and pursing lips.
Looking around as if searching for clues.
Running fingers through hair in frustration.
Sighing and shaking head slowly.
Muttering under breath, trying to make sense of things.
Rubbing temples as if to ward off a headache.
Staring blankly into space.
Crossing and uncrossing arms, unsure of what to do.
Shuffling feet awkwardly.
Pulling at their collar or fidgeting with clothing.
Glancing at others for confirmation or help.
Blinking rapidly, trying to process information.
Clenching and unclenching fists.
Taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling.
Eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Bouncing on the balls of their feet.
Clapping hands together in delight.
Speaking in a high-pitched, rapid tone.
Grinning from ear to ear.
Jumping up and down with joy.
Hugging others spontaneously.
Cheeks flushed with enthusiasm.
Widening eyes and raised eyebrows.
Waving hands animatedly while talking.
Giggling or laughing uncontrollably.
Unable to sit still, shifting in their seat.
Heart racing with exhilaration.
Feet tapping or legs jiggling.
Practically vibrating with energy.
Exclaiming, "I can't believe it!" repeatedly.
Reaching out to touch or grab someone’s hand.
Dancing or spinning around.
Clutching their chest as if to contain the excitement.
Practicing or rehearsing what they’ll say or do.