I don't get the hate for "chuckle" either. I think of it as a quiet laugh too, not a full-blown belly laugh, but more of a "heh heh" like you said. It's more of a masculine word than "giggle," which sounds more feminine to me. I like the word "snicker" better, but I think "snicker" has a slightly different connotation - I tend to use it more when characters are reacting to a dirty joke or making fun of each other.
All I can guess is that people think that since the word looks weird, the laugh must sound weird? I don't know that I picture it as even just a "heh" or "heh heh," unless it's Nick, a quiet kind of throaty laugh is where it is in my head, like you want to conceal it, but not actively or it's a little funny, but not a lot funny. I don't tend to use giggle for males either, because it feels too high pitched.
I think "snicker" has some nasally aspects to it and mocking? "Half-suppressed, typically scornful" is the definition, so yeah, teasing each other is a good time to use that.
"Chortle," that's another weird synonym for laugh.
There was also a lot of hate for "smirk" on that thread, but that may just be because it's overused in fanfic. I remember that video we discussed a while back about things fanfic writers do that don't fly in published writing talking about characters who smirk too much. I'm guilty as charged with that one because my Nick smirks all the time... but that's because real Nick does that smirky half-smile all the time too!
I saw that too. I think there was one comment where someone was describing a character who smirks all the time, and I think that's where the line for these might come into play for me? Like if everybody's wandering around smirking at everything all the time, then that's just weird. If it's one character wandering around smirking at everything all the time, then that's just that character. Replace "smirk" with whatever in this case. But then there's always a worry that it starts to feel like "Is my character Bella Swan biting her lip?" and that's unpleasant too!
Aww, Nick's lopsided smile/grin! That's how I always describe it.
In my most recently posted chapter, he had a nice flirty lopsided smile and later a lopsided gape. Good times were had by all.
I figure y'all know what I mean, but that's another thing that I wrote this week and went, "ah, the first time I ever mention this, I have to explain exactly what it looks like in the OF version."
(Also, now "One Phone Call" is stuck in my head.)
Besides "orbs," the only one I really agreed with on that thread was the various awkward synonyms for "penis." I know we've already discussed that here. I don't read a lot of smut, so it probably bothers me more in my own stories when I'm trying to come up with a word that doesn't sound too vulgar or too technical/medical.
Agreed. Though no one mentioned "impaled," so... lol.
Back in the Broken/BMS era, the word "stump" used to make me cringe. Even when it was completely out of context, like on a sign for "tree stump removal, it would automatically make me think of poor Broken Nick, and I would feel this surge of guilt. I have gotten over that the further removed I've become from those stories, but it lasted for a few years.
LMAO! Sorry about your guilt, but I'm dying that
tree stumps made you think of Broken Nick, lol!