I posted a long list of descriptors for actions that can be used in any era here. This is a list that must fit the time frame of your novel, so be careful. For example, don’t use the second one about ‘inhaler’s, if they weren’t invented during your character’s life:
- Struggling with his gloves
- Sucking on an inhaler
- Ran his fingers over the map like a Braille penthouse
- Could have charmed the British out of Northern Ireland
- More energy than a nuclear power plant
- One leg over the corner of the table
- Long legs cramped in the narrow front seat
- Took the stairs two at a time
- One haunch on the wood, one boot swinging freely
- Sitting, shoulders hunched, feet point inward, duck-toed
- Eased himself onto
- Boosting herself onto the desk
- Took another step forward, crowding him
- Sits on his heels
- She hesitated a beat before answering
- Separated by the cut and quality of their suits
- Shot a look over the top of his glasses
- Squinted at the sun
- Looked at me with a strangled expression
- pulled his shirt down over a gold Rolex
- Nodding like a bobble-head doll
- Apprehension rose like the mercury in a thermometer
- A man whose keen vision could snap the twine off Gordian knots
- The car behind him honked once more, he would go take the driver out, but then his wallet was back…
- Dipped a finger into the gravy
- Uncurled from the sofa
- Drew a bead on the car
- Unfurled from her car like a boxer entering the ring
- Walking rapidly, hands jammed into his pockets, mumbling to himself
- Bustled her way to the stove and put a pot on to boil
- It had been a number of years since he’d last experienced the vibrant undertones of a living ship at sea
- Sitting in a red vinyl booth at Sid’s Diner, picking at her tuna salad and listening to Frank and Doug gossip
- The room erupted in cheers and high-fives
- Expanded like a party balloon
Remember: These are all taken from books I’ve read. Use their ideas, but not their exact phrasing.
For more descriptors for characters and settings, click here.
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