tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post8572631581155683450..comments2023-11-03T03:30:26.920-07:00Comments on E.L. Wagner's Umbral Musings: Sighs, Nods, and Shrugs: Those annoying Little (Literary) TicsE.L. Wagnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-31025201156022188572014-09-30T14:47:17.573-07:002014-09-30T14:47:17.573-07:00Well, people probably should frown more often in G...Well, people probably should frown more often in Grimdark :) I'm still aware of the words I use more often and do try to think whether or not they're always needed, or the best words for the context.E.L. Wagnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-24350577871442667712014-09-30T08:44:26.699-07:002014-09-30T08:44:26.699-07:00It's so great that you put numbers to this fro...It's so great that you put numbers to this from actual books. Really puts thing in perspective and helps to overcome the arbitrariness of word use limits. I know that I use 'smile' too often, but apparently no more than Abercrombie uses frowns - I guess I'm just a happier writer :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02568940271252821814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-19353576412407298462014-09-26T15:17:27.307-07:002014-09-26T15:17:27.307-07:00I'm with you on the smirking thing. A smirk is...I'm with you on the smirking thing. A smirk is a very specific kind of grin, and not a terribly nice one. It definitely calls attention to itself, and is one that you don't need to use more than once or twice to get that aspect of a person's temperament across. And if someone treats it as a simple substitute for smile or grin, then ugh. I almost put this as an example of a description that becomes (even when used properly) annoyingly repetitive very quickly, in fact.<br /><br />Even more noticeable would be the term "fleer," which is an obscure word that overlaps in meaning with smirk. A great example of a synonym that an author probably shouldn't toss out there to keep things fresh either, since I suspect few people even know what it means.E.L. Wagnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05631080231126783838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-82925029706020003832014-09-26T11:57:50.619-07:002014-09-26T11:57:50.619-07:00The mannerism that makes me wince is when a charac...The mannerism that makes me wince is when a character smirks when the author clearly means they grinned. Smirking is such a loaded mannerism that to misuse it sends out the completely wrong message. I've noticed that the authors who use the word often do it because they misunderstand the meaning. Smirk at me just once in a story when you are really only grinning innocently, and I read no further.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6704985521814429917.post-22971624363720555152014-09-26T07:28:08.603-07:002014-09-26T07:28:08.603-07:00Very interesting post. I'd be interested in se...Very interesting post. I'd be interested in seeing how the use of mannerisms line up with the real life use of them. (Must search literature for information.)Beth Turnagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09919517939524763688noreply@blogger.com