Spice Up Your Writing: How to Show Emotions, Physicality, and Sensory Detail
Ever write a line like “She was sad” or “He felt nervous” and think: yep, nailed it? The problem is, readers don’t feel anything when you just name emotions, physicality, or sensory detail.
That’s telling, not showing. And it leaves your prose flat.
The fix is simple: show what the body does, how the senses fire, and how emotion leaks into action. Let’s break it down with examples.
Showing Emotions Instead of Naming Them
Telling: “She was angry.”
Showing: “She slammed the mug onto the counter, coffee sloshing over the rim.”
Telling: “He felt nervous.”
Showing: “Sweat slicked his palms, and he couldn’t stop bouncing his leg.”
Emotions aren’t concepts to name—they’re physical states to describe.
Showing Physicality Instead of Labeling
Telling: “She was tired.”
Showing: “Her eyelids drooped, and her shoulders sagged under invisible weight.”
Telling: “He was strong.”
Showing: “He lifted the box in one smooth motion, barely straining.”
Readers don’t connect to “labels.” They connect to what the body does in the moment.
Showing Sensory Detail Instead of Stating
Telling: “The room smelled bad.”
Showing: “The stench of sour milk clung to the air, sharp enough to sting his nose.”
Telling: “The music was loud.”
Showing: “Bass rattled the windows and pounded in her chest.”
Don’t say what the sense is—recreate the experience.
Quick Fixes to Spice Up Your Writing
Watch for “felt” or “was.” They often signal telling.
Anchor emotion in the body. What does fear, joy, or grief do to your character?
Use sensory verbs. Swap “smelled bad” for “reeked,” “tasted sweet” for “sugared the air.”
Pick one strong image. Don’t drown the reader in five metaphors when one will hit harder.
Takeaway
Readers don’t remember the words *“angry,” “sad,” or “afraid.” They remember the slammed mug, the twitching hands, the sting of sour milk in the air.
That’s the difference between telling and showing: naming emotion vs. letting us feel it.
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