The Dialogue Thesaurus: A Fiction Writer's Sourcebook of Dialogue Tags and Phrases (15 page)

she felt a draining weakness in her body

she felt as if an electric current had shot through her body

she felt as if something twisted in her body

she felt a sudden angry trembling through her body

she felt herself trembling all through her body

she felt the blood rise in a wave of heat through her body

she let her body sag against his

she said, her body brushing against his for a moment

she said, her body drenched in sweat

she said, her body growing (clammy/cold)

she said, her body inclining towards him

she said, her body pulsing with nervous energy

she tensed all through her body as he (...)

she twisted her body to look at him

she whispered, her body trembling uncontrollably in his arms

the (sentence/words) sent panic signals racing through her body

A cold tremor ran through her body
. "What do you want from me?"

"You repulse me!"
He felt hatred in every fiber of his body
.

"Pretty please,"
she said, her body inclining towards him
.

a hand of fear clutched at her heart

as she spoke she felt a strange lurch of her heart

her heart beat fast from a combination of fear and excitement

her heart beat fast with apprehension

her heartbeats quickened

her heart filled with emotion

her heart fluttered wildly

her heart gave a lurch

her heart gave a nervous jolt

her heart gave a twist in her chest

her heart leapt with joy

her heart pounded beneath her rib cage

her heart sank

her heart seemed as if it had come into her throat

her heart seemed to plummet into the pit of her stomach

her heart seemed to turn over

her heart shook at the word

her heart skipped a beat (as he spoke)

her heart was a hammer beating in her chest

her heart was beating so fast that she was breathless

her heart was pounding as she (...)

her heart was racing

he said, his heart beating fast

he said, his heart bounding with pleasure

he said, his heart bursting with joy

he said, his heart drumming against his ribs

his heart began to beat more rapidly

she asked, though in her heart she already knew the answer

she clutched a hand to her heart

she could feel her heart beating so fast it made her feel faint and breathless

she could feel her heart beating strangely fast as (...)

she could feel the thudding of her heart

she felt her heart beating with apprehension

she felt her heart give a leap

she said, and she was wishing with all her heart that (...)

she said, feeling her heart fill with (emotion)

she said, feeling her heart skip a beat

she said, her heart breaking

she said, her heart sinking as she realized (...)

she said, her heart so full of love she thought it would explode

she said, her heart swelling with emotion

she said with her heart in her throat

"Thank you."
Her heart fluttered wildly
.

"I want to marry you!"
he said, his heart bursting with joy
.

"May I sit down,"
she said with her heart in her throat
.

he caught hold of her shoulders and held her back

he frowned, then shrugged his shoulders

he gave a dismissive shrug of his shoulders

he gave her shoulder an encouraging squeeze

he gripped her by the shoulder

he laid a hand on her trembling shoulder

he patted her shoulder rather awkwardly

her fingers clenched his shoulder

her fingers gripped his shoulder

her head moved drowsily against his shoulder

he said, his shoulders slumping

he said over his shoulder

he shrugged his shoulders

he took her by the shoulders

his fingers deliberately caressed her shoulders

his hands caught at her shoulders

his hands closed on her shoulders

his hands slipped from her shoulders

his hands were warm upon her shoulders

his shoulders lifted in a shrug

she called back over her shoulder to him

she cast a frightened glance over her shoulder

she grinned and shrugged a shoulder at him

she punched his shoulder in anger

she said, clenching his shoulder

she said, resting her head against his shoulder

she said, with a shrug of her shoulders

she shrugged her shoulder away from his hand

she smiled against his warm shoulder

she took a hasty glance over her shoulder

He laid a hand on her trembling shoulder
. "Try to calm down."

"I'm sick of her lies,"
he said, his shoulders slumping
.

"I hate you!"
She punched his shoulder in anger
.

a shiver ran like a ghostly touch over her skin

a shiver ran over her skin

a tiny tremor ran all over her skin

her flesh crawled with sparks of electricity

her skin glowed with a pink hue

her skin grew hot

her skin prickled with alarm

her skin quivered from his touch

her skin tautened as his words fell upon her ears

her skin tightened with goosebumps

her skin tingled at his touch

he said, his breath fanning her skin

he said, his warm breath fanning her skin

he said, nearly jumping out of his skin

he said, touching her warm skin

he spoke the words against her skin

his flesh crawled

she almost jumped out of her skin

she could feel her skin growing paler as he (...)

she could feel her skin warming as he (...)

she felt a flush prickle her skin

she felt a tightening of her skin as he spoke the words

she felt goosebumps rising on her skin

she felt her skin blush with embarrassment

she replied, feeling his warm skin against hers

she said, her flesh crawling with dread

she said, her flesh rippling

she whispered, her skin prickling with fear

the look in his eyes made her skin quiver

the warmth of his mouth moved against her skin

"Is anyone there?"
Her skin prickled with alarm
.

"You smell wonderful,"
he said, his breath fanning her skin
.

She felt a flush prickle her skin.
"I–I need to be going, sorry."

a cold shiver ran all the way down her spine

a cold thrill went up and down her spine

a shiver ran the length of her spine

her spine stiffened at the words

her spine tensing when he spoke the words

his voice made her spine stiffen with (emotion)

ice trickled down her spine

nervous prickles ran up her spine

she could feel a stiffening of her spine as he spoke the words

she felt a chill crawl down her spine

she felt a chill that seemed to reach to the very bottom of her spine

she felt a shiver run down her spine

she felt as if drops of ice were running down her spine

she replied, her spine involuntarily stiffening at the prospect

she said, feeling a shiver run up and down her spine

she said, her spine stiffening with indignation

she shivered as cold drops of dread ran down her spine

she snapped, her spine stiffening in outrage

she whispered, her spine stiffening

suddenly her spine stiffened as he spoke behind her

the tone of his voice made her spine stiffen

the words sent nervous chills up and down her spine

"You get no say in the matter."
His voice made her spine stiffen with fear
.

She felt a shiver run down her spine
. "I can't believe you would do such a thing!"

"Is anyone there?"
she whispered, her spine stiffening
.

a feeling of excitement stirred in the pit of her stomach

a sense of dread rolled through the pit of her stomach

excitement fluttered deep in the pit of her stomach

he felt a clutch of panic in the pit of his stomach

her stomach muscles contracted at his look

her stomach muscles fluttered

he said, guilt blooming in his stomach

he said, uneasiness beginning to stir his stomach

nausea gripped the muscles of her stomach

nerves fluttered in the pit of her stomach

nerves rippled low down in her stomach as she spoke the words

she asked, her stomach giving a curious twist as she said the words

she could feel a swirl of nervous knots in her stomach

she felt a (hollow feeling/weakness) in the pit of her stomach

she felt a fluttering of nerves in the pit of her stomach

she felt a knot of nerves in the pit of her stomach

she felt her stomach sink

she murmured, her stomach churning at the thought

she pressed a hand to her stomach

she replied, a fluttery feeling in her stomach

she said, (patting/touching) her stomach

she said, with a hollow feeling at the pit of her stomach

"Is he really coming over this evening?"
Her stomach muscles fluttered
.

"I'm sorry,"
he said, guilt blooming in his stomach
. "I can't lie to you any longer."

She felt her stomach sink
. "When did you find out?"

a bubble of laughter rose in her throat (and escaped)

all the rest of the words stuck in her throat

a lump came into her throat

a lump seemed to rise in her throat as she spoke the words

a nerve quickened in her throat

a pulse (hammered/jarred/quickened) in her throat

a sigh caught in her throat

a sob arose in her throat

a sob caught in her throat

a stammer leapt nervously to her throat

a sudden unspeakable pain gripped her by the throat

a wedge of anger mixed with tears filled her throat

he gave a brief laugh, which he seemed to hold in his throat

he laughed low down in his throat

he laughed low in his throat

her breath caught (sharply) in her throat

her throat contracted with emotion

her throat had suddenly gone dry

her throat muscles tightened

her throat pulsed

her throat suddenly ached

her throat tightened (with tears)

her throat was parched

her throat was so dry that it hurt to speak

her throat went dry

her voice scraped her throat

he said, speaking deep in his throat

he was laughing deep in his throat

she asked, a frightened catch in her throat

she buried her face against his warm throat