This post first published here on December 14, 2008. ~~~~~~~~~   A novel crammed with empty fillers turns me off, especially when I’m editing it and am forced to watch characters endlessly smile, grin, and nod. Here are five sentences filled with examples of what I mean. See how many you can spot: 1. When Rachel stared at her, Lina blinked and cocked her head, then groaned. 2. Lara smirked at Betty, then shook her head and grinned. 3. Sarah swallowed hard and stretched her lips into a huge smile. 4. Sandy squared her shoulders, narrowed her eyes, and raised her eyebrows. 5. As Maureen approached, Connie nodded her head, blushed, and smiled. The author usually has a good motive. She seems to know that she needs to break the dialogue with some type of action or gesture, but she chooses a tired word or phrase and inserts it without much thought. I’m always thrilled to read passages such as the following: “Then, like a dog hearing a sound on some inaudible...