: Re: In fiction, what is meant by phrases such as "his eyes flashed anger for a moment"? I've read a lot of such phrases, but that one in particular doesn't make sense to me. Physically, what

@Carla500

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“His eyes flashed with anger for a moment” simply means the character looked angry for a second. Perhaps he immediately realized an interruption was important or he regained his composure in a tense situation.

It is NOT bad writing and is certainly not telling rather than showing. “Show, don’t tell” is a reminder to avoid simply saying something exciting or interesting happened without describing it, like “John had a very difficult time making the dangerous crossing at the river and nearly drowned at one point.” Or “Mary spoke very persuasively at the meeting and convinced the town council not to demolish the historic library.”

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