Back when I was more shy, I wouldn't say that I necessarily experienced shyness as fear. I experienced it more as an excessive need for preparedness. A conversation would flow around me, and I would think of something to say, but I would examine it, and decide if my words were going to be right, and if they fit in the conversational gap where I would place them. And by the time I was done with that, that conversational gap had passed me by, so I wouldn't speak after all. So in a way, I could see the hesitation as coming from the same thing that makes a darts player or a pool player or a bowler pause, and center himself, and plan exactly how he's going to throw the dart, hit the ball, bowl the ball. Those pauses don't come from fear, they come from an impulse to gather one's knowledge and skill and observations before taking an action. Except that in speech, that pause and gathering is counterpoductive, because speech just rolls on by you. But the fact that it's counterproductive doesn't necessarily mean that it comes from fear. ChickenFreak
This made me think about showing how other characters react, or showing their thoughts. i.e. My mother in law is very quiet, (like your character) not shy just very quiet. I am extremely extraverted and grew up in an extraverted family so her behavior being the exact opposite of what I grew up with it caused me serious stress. I'd always be wondering what she was actually thinking because of her extreme quiet demeanor. Just tossing that out there.
Shy is a fear of being noticed, stress at having to speak. Timid withdrawn. so the actions of a shy person is stress and fear. Quiet is someone that does not feel preasured to speak, that does not feel as awkward as others when there is no conversation. The actions of a quiet person is comfortable and relaxed. I am quiet, and except for speaking to a large group that I do not know, I am not nervous. I watch people to find out about them, rather then engage them in conversation to find out about them. It is a world of difference, but I think if you keep the basis of why they act like they do in mind, your description should illustrate the difference. Someone speaks to a shy person they tremble, face turns red, anxiety Someone speaks to a quiet person, they tend to give quick short answers, rather then monolog.
Thats great. I always have trouble with emotional words So much more information then just emotion. Dungeon thesaurus offers sights, sounds, smells, touch descriptions. Very well thought out, looking forward to looking other stuff up.
