- Joined
- Sep 14, 2012
- Messages
- 53
- Reaction score
- 4
I'm in agreement with the people who say the dialogue can appropriately detail a facial expression so authors don't have to.
"Well F you, too!" clearly shows anger, and it's something the reader can relate to - so the facial expression goes without saying.
"What? You're breaking up with me? But why? What have I done?" could be confusion, mild heart ache, etc. Again, the reader can relate, making description of a facial expression unnecessary.
Personally, I try not to use facial expressions unless I'm absolutely at the end of my rope and can't think of a better way to write what I want to say. Then I'll flag it and come back later to work on it with a fresh perspective. If you combine action with appropriate dialogue, telling the reader what the expression on someone's face is becomes unnecessary in many instances.
Then again, I'm new to all of this, so take my advice with a grain of salt. It's just that describing facial expressions is something I noticed was one of my own weaknesses. When I modified conversations and action in order to better convey facial expressions, I found my piece was a better, smoother read.
"Well F you, too!" clearly shows anger, and it's something the reader can relate to - so the facial expression goes without saying.
"What? You're breaking up with me? But why? What have I done?" could be confusion, mild heart ache, etc. Again, the reader can relate, making description of a facial expression unnecessary.
Personally, I try not to use facial expressions unless I'm absolutely at the end of my rope and can't think of a better way to write what I want to say. Then I'll flag it and come back later to work on it with a fresh perspective. If you combine action with appropriate dialogue, telling the reader what the expression on someone's face is becomes unnecessary in many instances.
Then again, I'm new to all of this, so take my advice with a grain of salt. It's just that describing facial expressions is something I noticed was one of my own weaknesses. When I modified conversations and action in order to better convey facial expressions, I found my piece was a better, smoother read.