Snark, with a double eyebrow raise thrown in
But it’s not really thrown in, is it?
Fiction unlike life, is fully intentional on the part of its author. Even with pantsers as opposed to plotters, the end product is the result of two, three or maybe four hundred pages of pain-staking intention.
Sharla left a great comment on the post about dialogue (as did others). Her thoughts made me laugh out loud in a bonding-for-life-with-someone-you’ve-never-met kind of way. It’s not only fabulous that she realized her characters had a movement disorder (LOL) but just identifying the need for actions that convey emotions is key.
I close my eyes and type when I come across this issue – see what I need to see like a movie in my head and write down what I see. It’s not always the end product – it rarely is. But it’s the start.
Here’s another part of what Sharla said:
“It’s hard to write body language and facial expressions though, I’d love to find where someone put a dictionary together on that, of terminology! Wouldn’t that be awesome!”
Yes! It would be awesome.
I just deleted a scene where a character raised her eyebrows, twice. She said something with a bit of a double meaning to the other character — and then, the double-eyebrow raise. Everyone in that scene knew exactly what she meant. Now just because I deleted it doesn’t mean it won’t get placed elsewhere if need be. To me, that’s a fabulous, subtle action that says something without saying, “You know what I mean, heh, heh, heh.” When someone crosses his arms that says something too. I have a character who has long legs and can cross them easily, one hangs over the other. She does it when she is uncomfortable. One leg bounces against the other.
I think I wrote that tidbit because with short legs – at any weight – I could never just fling one leg over the other. I am much more comfortable seated like a pretzel — yes — like a four-year-old.
In real life I’m quite good at reading body language (I can also read lips, but that’s another story). Did you ever look at a photo of a group of people and just know what was going on with no one telling you? That’s how I try to look at a scene where I want to convey something very specific without jumping up and down all over the page and screaming it. The placement of people in the room, how they sit, stand, walk, talk, move their face and hands, their facial expressions. A tick, a twinge, a smile — even flailed nostrils (although I think that should be limited, like dreams, to one per novel) says much without saying anything.
Do you have a favorite – even overused – reaction or facial expression — in real life or in your literary life that says more than words ever could?
Share, and make it a good one. Heh heh heh.
Oh god, my characters look like grinning idiots. In fact, they are a bit frightening, they’re grinning so much. I can see why people are afraid of clowns.
My charcters often ‘Walk away from me, turn and [insert clause].’ There’s so much walking and turning that it’s difficult to keep up at times. Thankfully, the editing process is there to iron all this sort of stuff out.
The other option is to make those things a character trait: ‘She walks away from me, her arms folded, short steps, turns and [insert clause].’
Right now, in my WIP, I get so stressed and uptight about conveying movements and expressions wrong, I omit them too often. On one hand, I hope my dialog is full enough to convey the scene or feeling on its own (right, like that happens), and on the other, I just want to build the scene now, and go back to flesh it out later. I’m learning not to need it perfect now; that I can go back another time, almost like an outsider sitting beyond the scene, and better “see” what’s happening.
Tangent aside, my MC smiles, reaches out a hand, and hugs an awful lot.
I really like this post! I learn so much from you!
For me personally I guess I get a throaty noise when I am not happy. I have had many close friends and family members tell me about it – I never hear it and have to take their word for it.
By nature I am a people pleaser and HATE conflict so I often “pretend” that everything is great. My mom says when I am doing this I get a noise in my throat (a slight clearing of the throat) as if I am choking on something.
Gah! I’m reading of bit of the WIP, as I go looking for a certain detail, and it seems my characters snort a lot. Now, given I’m a snorter, you’d think I’d be flattered – it’s like they’re little me’s. But it’s kinda annoying. Uh-oh.
Stared daggers. My mc’s mother is hot tempered and it’s usually her look, not her dialogue that shows her anger. She does a lot of dagger stares. Maybe I overdo it. I don’t know.
I roll my eyes.
Often.
E
I love reading what everyone else makes their characters do. Lately mine seem to raise a single eyebrow a lot – something I can’t do but my husband can & he’s tried to teach me. My characters were doing it so much that I decided only the mother & son are allowed — not the people in another family.
I try to watch that I don’t repeat the word smile or eyes, that sort of thing, but I do use a lot of gestures.