Writers in the Storm

By Sharla Rae

Have you ever people-watched and tried to guess by facial expressions and body movements what people are feeling or thinking?

This non-verbal communication of emotion, state of mind or state of physical well-being is known as body language.

Body Language is one of the most artistic and useful tools in the writing craft.

The art:

Writers paint word visuals of a character’s movements in the reader’s mind and this art  is crucial in making our characters look and act like real people rather than stick characters moving around on the page.

The tools:

I demonstrated how to use body language as a tool to eliminate clunky saidisms in my blog, “Dialogue Tags: How To Kill Some Of The Little Buggers,– showing who’s speaking rather than telling.

Body language may also be used to set the tone or atmosphere in a scene. Example: A character tips his hat low, ducks his chin into his coat collar and cowers in the shadows. His body language suggests a tone/atmosphere of mystery.

Body language includes facial expressions. There are approximately 90 muscles in the face used to show emotion. The tilt of the head, eye contact or lack of it, the set of eyebrows, forehead lines and lips all tell a tale.

One of my fav TV series is Lie To Me. It’s a detective show based on the science of facial expression. It uses Paul Ekman’s research on micro-expressions and it’s fascinating. I’m told the series has been canceled but you can view episodes on Hulu.com/

The key to great body language is simple. Choose the “right” descriptive or action verbs. 

Joe walked/ran across the street. Shows a stick character moving from point A to point B

OR:  Joe’s eyes darted, paused then shifted again before he scurried across the street.

Scared spitless, she dropped her keys and tried several times before she finally unlocked the door. TELLING!

OR:  The keys jangled and she dropped them twice, before jiggling the right one into the lock.  SHOWS the woman's anxiety

The same verb may show two entirely different emotions depending on the context of the scene.

Example: The teacher hoverednearby . . .  Was the teacher hovering because she thought a student might cheat? Or was she perhaps worried the class bully would try to harm another child?

Example:  . . . snapped a sharp salute. This could mean the exact opposite of what it appears on the surface.  Does it mean respect or is it a sarcastic nonverbal comeback? Either meaning works depending on the content.

Example:  . . . crossed his arms over his chest . . . This could mean waiting impatiently, anger held at bay, putting up a personal barrier or the person is content and relaxed. Again it would depend on the context.

A word of caution: Too much body language is as bad, if not worse than none at all. If arms, legs and heads are moving all over the place, it’s distracting and just plain silly.

Below, is a list of body language phrases.

I’ve included a very comprehensive list, organized by the type of body movement, hand and arm movements, facial expressions etc. In some cases, a phrase fits more than one heading, so it may appear twice. Possible emotions are given after each BL phrase unless the emotion is indicated within the phrase. (They are underlined for emphasis, not due to a hyperlink.)

Note: I’ve included a few body postures and body conditions as they are non-verbal testimony to the character’s physical condition.

Have fun and generate your own ideas. :-)

Eyes, Brows and Forehead 

arched a sly brow:  sly, haughty
blinked owlishly:  just waking, focusing, needs glasses
brows bumped together in a scowl:  worried, disapproving, irritated
brows knitted in a frown: worried, disapproval, thoughtful
bug-eyed:  surprised, fear, horror
cocky wink and confident smile:  over confidence, arrogant, good humor, sexy humor
eyes burned with hatred: besides hatred this might suggest maniacal feelings
eyes flashed: fury, defiance, lust, promise, seduction
eyes rolled skyward: disbelief, distrust, humor
forehead puckered:  thoughtful, worried, irritation
frustration crinkled her eyes
gaze dipped to her décolletage: sexual interest, attraction, lust
gimlet-eyed/narrowed eyes: irritation, thoughtful, mean, angry
gleam of deviltry:  humor, conniving, cunning
kept eye contact but her gaze became glazed: pretending interest where there is none/bordom
narrowed to crinkled slits:  angry, distrust
nystagmic eyes missed nothing (constantly shifting eyes):  Shifty
pupils dilated:  interested, attraction to opposite sex, fear
raked her with freezing contempt
slammed his eyes shut:  stunned, furious, pain
squinted in a furtive manner:  fearful, sneaky
stared with cow eyes:  surprised, disbelief, hopeful, lovestruck
subtle wink:  sexy, humor/sharing a joke, sarcasm
unrelenting stare: distrust, demanding, high interest, unyielding

Place To Place, Stationary Or Posture

ambled away:  relaxed, lazy
barged ahead:  rude, hurried
battled his way through the melee:  desperate, anger, alarm
cruised into the diner:  easy-going, feeling dapper, confident
dawdled alongside the road:  lazy, deliberate delay for motives, unhurried, relaxed
dragged his blanket in the dirt:   sadness/depressed, weary
edged closer to him:  sneaky, seeking comfort, seeking protection, seeking an audience
he stood straighter and straightened his tie:  sudden interest, sexual attraction
held his crotch and danced a frantic jig: demonstrates physical condition - he has to pee
hips rolled and undulated:  sexy walk, exaggerating for sex appeal
hovered over them with malice/like a threatening storm: here it’s malice, but one may hover for many reasons.
hunched over to look shorter:  appear inconspicuous, ashamed of actions, ashamed of height
leaped into action feet hammering the marbled floor:  eager, fear, joyous
long-legged strides:  hurried, impatient
lumbered across:  heavy steps of a big man in a hurry
minced her way up to him: timid, sneaky, insecure, dainty or pretense at dainty
paced/prowled the halls:  worried, worried impatience, impatient, diligently seeking pivoted on his heel and took off:  mistaken and changes direction, following orders, hurried, abrupt change of mind, angry retreat
plodded down the road:  unhurried, burdened, reluctant
practiced sensual stroll:  sexy, showing off
rammed her bare foot into her jeans: angry, rushed
rocked back and forth on his heels: thoughtful, impatiently waiting
sagged against the wall:  exhausted, disappointment
sallied forth:  confident, determined
sashayed her cute little fanny:  confident, determined, angered and determined
shrank into the angry crowd:  fear, insecure, seeking to elude
sketched a brief bow and assumed a regal pose: confident, mocking, snooty, arrogant skidded to an abrupt halt: change of heart, fear, surprise, shock
skulked on the edges of the crowd: sneaky, ashamed, timid
slithered through the door:  sneaky, evil, bad intentions
stormed toward her, pulling up short when: anger with a sudden surprise
swaggered into the class room:  over confident, proud, arrogant, conceited
tall erect posture:  confidence, military bearing
toe tapped a staccato rhythm:  impatience, irritation
tottered/staggered unsteadily then keeled over:  drunk, drugged, aged, ill
waltzed across the floor:  happy, blissful, exuberant, conceited, arrogant

Head Movement

cocked his head:  curiosity, smart-alecky, wondering, thoughtful
cocked his head left and rolled his eyes to right corner of the ceiling:  introspection
droop of his head: depressed, downcast, hiding true feelings
nodded vigorously: eager
tilted her head to one side while listening:  extreme interest, possibly sexual interest

Mouth And Jaw

a lackluster smile:  feigning cheerfulness
cigarette hung immobile in mouth: shock, lazy, uncaring, relaxed casualness
clinched his jaw at the sight:  angered, worried, surprised
curled her lips with icy contempt
expelled her breath in a whose:  relief, disappointment
gagged at the smell: disgust, distaste
gapped mouth stare:  surprised, shock, disbelief
gritted his teeth:  anger, irritation, holding back opinion
inhaled a sharp breath:  surprise, shock, fear, horror
licked her lips:  nervous, sexual attraction
lips primed: affronted, upset, insulted
lips pursed for a juicy kiss
lips pursed like she’d been chewing a lemon rind: dislike, angry, irritated, sarcasm
lips screwed into: irritation, anger, grimace, scorn
lips set in a grim line: sorrow, worried, fear of the worst
pursed her lips:  perturbed, waiting for a kiss
scarfed down the last biscuit:  physical hunger, greed
slack-mouthed:  total shock, disbelief
slow and sexy smile:  attraction, seductive, coy
smacked his lips: anticipation
smile congealed then melted into horror
smile dangled on the corner of his lips: cocky, sexy
smirked and tossed her hair over her shoulder:  conceit, sarcasm, over confident
sneered and flicked lint off his suit: sarcasm, conceit
spewed water and spit: shock
stuck out her tongue: humor, sarcasm, teasing, childish
toothy smile:  eagerness, hopeful
wary smile surfaced on her lips

Nose

nose wrinkled in distaste/at the aroma
nostrils flared:  anger, sexual attraction
nose in the air:  snooty, haughty

Face in General

crimson with fury
handed it over shame-faced
jutted his chin: confident, anger, forceful
managed a deadpan expression:  expressionless
muscles in her face tightened:  unsmiling, concealing emotions, anger, worried
rested his chin in his palm and looked thoughtful
rubbed a hand over his dark stubble:  thoughtful, ashamed of his appearance
screwed up her face:  anger, smiling, ready to cry, could almost be any emotion
sneered and flicked lint off his suit: conceit, derision, scorn

Arm and Hand

a vicious yank
arm curled around her waist, tugging her next to him:  possessive, pride, protective
bit her lip and glanced away:  shy, ashamed, insecure
brandished his fist:  anger, threatening, ready to fight, confident, show of pride
clamped his fingers into tender flesh:  anger, protective, wants to inflict pain
clenched his dirty little fists: stubborn, angry
clapped her hands on her hips, arms crooked like sugar bowel handles:  anger, demanding, disbelief
constantly twirled her hair and tucked it behind her ear:  attracted to the opposite sex, shy crossed his arms over his chest: waiting, impatient, putting a barrier
crushed the paper in his fist:  anger, surrender, discard
dived into the food: hunger, eager, greedy
doffed his hat:  polite gesture, mocking, teasing
doodled on the phone pad and tapped the air with her foot:  bored, inattention, introspection
drummed her fingers on the desk:  impatient, frustrated, bored
fanned her heated face with her hands: physically hot, embarrassed, indicating attraction
fiddled with his keys: nervous, bored
firm, palm to palm hand shake:  confident, honest
flipped him the bird: sarcastic discard
forked his fingers through his hair for the third time:  disquiet/consternation, worry, thoughtful
handed it over shame-faced:  guilt, shame
held his crotch and danced a frantic jig:  physical need to relieve himself
limp hand shake:  lack of confidence, lack of enthusiasm
propped his elbow on his knee: relaxed, thoughtful
punched her pillow:  restless, can’t sleep, angry
rested his chin in his palm:  thoughful, worried
scratched his hairy belly and yawned:  indolent, bored, lazy, relaxed, just waking
shoulders lifted in a shrug:  doubtful, careless discard
slapped his face in front of God and country:  enraged, affronted/insulted
snapped a sharp salute:  respect, sarcastic gesture meaning the opposite of respect
snapped his fingers, expecting service:  arrogant, lack of respect, self-centered
sneered and flicked lint off his suit
spread her arms wide: welcoming,  joy, love
stabbed at the food: anger, hunger, determined
stood straighter and smoothed his tie:  sudden interest, possible sexual interest
stuffed his hands in his pockets: self-conscious, throwing up a barrier
sweaty handshake:  nervous, fearful
touched his arm several times while explaining:  sign of attraction, flattery, possessive
wide sweep of his arms:  welcoming, all inclusive gesture, horror

Sitting or Rising

collapsed in a stupor:  exhausted, drunk, drugged, disbelief
enthroned himself at the desk:  conceit, pronouncing or taking ownership
exploded out of the chair:  shock, eager, anger, supreme joy
roosted on the porch rail like a cock on a hen house roof:  claiming ownership, conceit, content
sat, squaring an ankle over one knee:  relaxed and open
slouched/wilted in a chair and paid languid attention to:  drowsy, lazy, depressed, disinterest, sad, totally relaxed, disrespectful
squirmed in his chair: ill at ease, nervous, needs the bathroom

Recline

flung himself into the bed: sad, depressed, exhausted, happy
prostrated himself: surrender, desperate, miserable, powerless, obsequious, fawning, flattering
punched her pillow:  can’t sleep, anger, frustrated
threw himself on the floor kicking and screaming: tantrum

Entire body and General

body stiffened at the remark:  offended, anger, alerted
body swayed to music:  dreamy, fond memories, enjoys the music
bounced in the car seat, pointing:  excitement, fear, eager
cowered behind his brother:  fear, shyness, coward, desperate
curled into a ball:  sorrow, fear, sleepy, defensive
heart galloping:  anxiety, joy, eager
held his crotch and danced a frantic jig
humped over his cane, each step shaking and careful: pain, aged
inhaled a deep breath and blew out slowly: buying time to find words/thoughtful, reconciled
quick and jerky like rusty cogs on a wheel:  unsure of actions, self-conscious, tense, edgy
rocked back and forth on his heels:  impatient, cocky, gleeful
manhandled the woman into a corner:  bully, anger
slumped shoulders: defeat, depressed, sad, surrender
stiff-backed:  priggish, haughty, affronted
stood straighter and straightened his tie:  sexual interest, wants to make an impression
stooped and bent: aged, arthritic, in pain
stretched extravagantly and yawned:  tired, bored, unconcerned
sweating uncontrollably: nervous, fear, guilt
tall erect posture:  confidence, military bearing
was panting now at:  afraid, exhausted, out of breath, sexual excitement

Helpful web links and books:

I didn’t have much luck with web sites on Body Language as most dwelled on the body language between men & women instead of the  entire spectrum of emotions. The books are more detailed and interesting.

• Data Face: wonderful and very interesting site that explains facial expressions and how to read them.
• Reading Facial Expressions: This site is mostly about the science and psychology of reading faces.
• List of facial Expressions: Shows the facial expression and explains them
• How to Read A Person Like A Book: This is a great book that explains body language better than most of the web sites I found.
• The Naked Face: by Sydney Sheldon: Again this book is better than anything I found on the Internet.
• Paul Ekman’s books (mentioned above) look extremely interesting. Check out his website and his books listed below.

What The Face Reveals
Emotions Revealed, Second Edition
Unmasking The Face: A Guide To Recognizing Emotions From Facial Expressions

If you know of a great web site on body language, please share! What body language gives you the most trouble in your writing?

by Fae Rowen

Long, long ago Laura Drake wrote about the ten (or so) books she would want for "entertainment purposes" on a deserted island. You can read it here. I loved the idea of trying to narrow my selection to only ten books, but it's taken me this long to make the final cuts, since I'm not going with Laura's "anything by" an author spot on the list.  Come on now, that adds lots of books in there, even though I have some favorite authors and every book they write is a keeper.

I'm not a re-reader of my favorite books, although in the last few years I have revisited some of the favored books of my youth.  They are still favorite books, however they were much different than I remembered them.  Since the books hadn't changed--well, maybe a bit of dust (I'm not Suzy Homemaker)--I must have changed.

Anyway, here are the books in my steamer trunk that would keep me entertained and thinking if I were marooned alone and had free time to enjoy a good read:

• Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon  (This is the only book Laura and I would both want.)
• Chapterhouse Dune, by Frank Herbert ( A stunning capstone for the Dune series)
• Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein (The first science fiction book I ever read.)
• Digital Fortress, by Dan Brown (Computers, mathematics, treachery--need I say more?)
• Mistress, by Amanda Quick (Jayne Ann Krentz) (Actually, this would be my "anything she writes" author. This book was my introduction to regency romance.)
• Warrior's Woman, by Johanna Lindsey (This is the book that got me to transition from sci fi to romance.)
• Dorsai!, by Gordon Dickson (If I were allowed a second "anything written by" author, it would be Gordon Dickson.  His books really helped me deal with the- shall we be kind and say 'troublesome'-people in my life.)
• Foundation, by Isaac Asimov (One of the few books I've read more than twice)
• Downbelow Station, by C.J. Cherryh (The most-often-read book on my shelves)
• River God, by Wilbur Smith (You-are-there action and a slice of history of Ancient Egypt)

I'm really sorry that my Templar books didn't make the cut, but if I'm lucky enough to be on the island with Laura and she'll let me borrow Outlander, then I would bring Make the Most of Your Time on Earth, A Rough Guide to the World with 1000 Ultimate Travel Experiences so I could plan my next trip!

My list includes a little past and present--and a lot of future,  like my life and my writing.  I just had an interesting thought--What if I used my time to re-read my favorite craft books and wrote? Oh, I already gave you that list a few months back. I guess I need a larger trunk!

Are any of my books on your list?  What would entertain you and fire your imagination as you wait for that rescue helicopter--or luxury cruise ship?

By D. A. WATT

This is the second installment of a three part series. The first post focused on attitude.

"Prior and proper preparation makes for peak performance. Like creating a novel that takes readers somewhere, amazing."

There are only three places to go: somewhere, nowhere or somewhere else. Whether riding, writing, or reading, I wouldn’t want to go nowhere, would you? On horseback it’s my job to decide where my horse and I are going, and to focus on the task of taking us somewhere. How’s that?

First, I ASK, . . . then, I SHOW/TELL, . . . and finally, I PROMISE.

 "We are going somewhere."    

Let’s say, I want to canter the sandy trail along the creek. I focus on the trail ahead. My body energy and expectations ask, “Canter?”

Now if my horse doesn’t respond, I show/tell her. Showing/Telling is a little louder than asking, like squeezing my legs, and adding more pressure along her side.

If she still isn’t responding to my focus, then I respectfully promise her we’ll canter by rhythmically tapping (not whacking) her butt with my hand, reins or crop. I promise not to stop until she does what I ask, or I’ll lose her respect.

Yes you are!

And in horse sense that means I’m the jackass.

 First, I ASK, . . . then, I SHOW/TELL,
. . . and finally, I PROMISE 

ASK                         SHOW/TELL                    PROMISE

 As storytellers we also focus on where we going. We ask our readers to willingly suspend disbelief. “Trust me to tell you a story,” we ask and our readers will go along for the ride as long as we don’t break our promise. Not breaking our promise means we do not take our readers somewhere else--or worse--nowhere at all.

One of my favorite books, A Story is a Promise, by Bill Johnson, shows us how best to tell a story through the elements of effective storytelling. The knowledge of craft is in the telling. By seamlessly stringing sentences together, authors dream of creating a bestseller tweeted, blogged, and bought. Telling the story takes work, and it’s the little things that add the resplendent polish to make a story shine, for instance:

• Knowing when to show most important scenes, and when to tell other scenes as narrative or exposition, as explained by Dr. Vicki Hinze.

“Narrative and exposition (in contrast to scenes with action and dialogue) are essentially stagnant blocks of information inserted into scenes.  These blocks create psychic distance between the reader and character; remind readers they're reading.  Sometimes you, the writer, want that and sometimes you don't.”

• Tweaking scenes and sequels: Turning it ↑up and turning it↓down; tension, pacing, and emotion for both scene and sequel is broken down in  Randy Ingermanson’s (The Snowflake guy) great blog on Dwight Swain’s “must have” book, Techniques of the Selling Writer.
• Don’t forget the piece de resistance. It’s that all inclusive telling detail describing something utterly unique about a main character as demonstrated in James Scott Bell’s blog post (another favorite author on craft), The Geyser 5-Step Approach to Revision. You’ll cut your teeth on that one, I promise.
• Contrived deus ex machine, characters too stupid to live, gratuitous scenes and shock gimmicks can’t hide a lazy ending or a sagging middle. Fiction Editor Beth Hill  offers some great tips on fighting the bulge.

I’ve barely chipped the tip of the iceberg of story knowledge. If you’ve found that special book or blog that brings to fruition How to Write a Damn Good Novel, by James Frey, then please share your chips with us (not the buffalo kind).

As you can see, gaining knowledge is easy, but application of new material creates growing pains on the brain, because it's life changing. Most of us are expert at the “Do as I say, not as I do,” way of life, at least, I am.

Why is that? Because we learn in layers, from “ignorance is bliss” to the semi-enlightened block head who begins to see the light until finally--we get it. The newly wired pathways in our brain switch on, and . . . let there be light!

But it ain't always pretty.

Don't feel bad. Hindsight tells us the many mistakes were necessary to get somewhere.

Mistakes are mind manure, fertilizing the ground of knowledge. But watch for stinking thinking, and don't let rejection and self-doubt ruin you. To come out smelling like a rose, do battle. For instance, I might exercise to sweat out the negativity, rant to a trusted friend (as a last resort, no one needs more negative vibes), or repeat affirmations.

My newest affirmation comes from the bestseller, and movie, The Help.  I've memorized the maid, Aibileen's (played by Viola Davis) kind words to the chubby toddler, Mae Mobley,  in her care. Hoping to negate the hurtful remarks made by Mae's foolish Momma, Aibileen sits the little one on her lap and says,

 “You is smart, you is kind, you is important.”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZimx1wHYcs]

It's as if she's talking to me. So when I’m feeling like a moldy buffalo chip, I sit myself down, look in my mind’s eye and say, “You is smart, you is kind, you is important.”

Who knows? Maybe I'll have a fighting chance for my novel to be tweeted, blogged and bought by my readers. Maybe even make the NY Times bestseller list?

So, if stinking thinking’s been getting you down, remember, “You is smart, you is kind, you is important.”

By the way, Kathryn Stockett, was rejected by 60 literary agents before her novel, The Help, was picked up by Susan Ramer (Bravo, Ms. Ramer, bravo!)

Join me next time for the last installment of 6 Key Lessons I’ve Learned From Horses.  I’ll cover Imagination and the three T’s; Tools, Techniques, and Time.

I leave you with Lorenzo, the flying horseman, and perhaps my next action hero:

(video not available)

Do you ever suffer from "stinking thinking?" How do you combat it?