Unlike most of these tips, the following are not made-up examples. These are all actual examples. I feel justified in using them because I’ve seen most more than once (hundreds of times, in fact), so I’m not singling out any individual writer. I’m eying all of us… including myself.
She rolled her eyes. — We all know what this phrase means. But do you ever read this and imagine her tossing her eyes across the table like a pair of dice? No? Just me then.
She dropped her eyes. — Are you with me on this one? Did she drop them on the floor? What if someone steps on them? Or did the writer mean she dropped her gaze? Or looked down?
He caressed her face with his eyes. — Um, what? Pairs well with…
His eyes traveled over her body. — I picture her swatting them away like spiders, and then they probably rolled across the floor.
And now my all-time (least) favorite. The story needs a little set-up. A man entered a large banquet room for a cocktail party, looking for a …
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