: Re: Is stating the feeling in the action that describes it a sign of bad writing? This is a bit hard to explain so here's are are two examples: She let out a sigh of relief. He

@Jessie137

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In the words of a teacher of mine, it depends.

Generally speaking, the actions should convey the emotions, but let's be honest: an action can signify different emotions. Sometimes even opposite ones. Therefore, it's often important to refer them.

What one should avoid is to state emotions flatly or repeatedly.

One technique is to use scenarios that evoke the emotion you want (eg. dark rooms to evoke depression).

Also, you can use figures of speech to transmit them. In Portuguese, a famous example is 'smoking a thoughtful cigar' (from a novel studied in high school literature classes). Of course it isn't the cigar that is thoughtful, but the person smoking it; yet using such figures will help you to introduce the emotions more subtly.

Again, one mustn't overdo it. Once it has been stated that a character is 'thoughtful', the ensuing actions (or lack thereof) should be more than enough to keep the sense of thoughtfulness.

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