Creative writing nerves

You can’t be so direct as to simply state “he was nervous,” or stick in the adverb “nervously” at the end of anything your character does. It’s stale, and it’s not fun to read. Every sentence you write should be an opportunity to dazzle your readers and keep them immersed in the story.

Two sets of footsteps were coming toward them. One was heavy and slow, like an adult's; the other seemed quicker and lighter. In this short paragraph, only one sentence is devoted to actually describing nervousness: hearing one's own heartbeat and someone else's breath.

Writing Surprised Characters. After the “fight-or-flight” response is triggered, a character may experience: A pounding heartbeat, or the feeling that their heartbeat is in their head It is easy to rely too heavily on these cues as a writer since many of these symptoms have become almost cliché.

They need to avoid detection, and two mysterious figures are moving toward them. This heightens the tension in the scene and gives Elias and Jamie a reason to be nervous, which is much more effective than continuing to describe nervousness itself. Talk to people about what happens when they get nervous so you have a strong database of ideas.