Dancing is a perpendicular expression of a horizontal desire.
As writers, we spend so much time on dialogue, setting, and characterization, but to give readers a true picture of our characters' emotions, they need to see how the character is communicating with the body.
First off, Writing Genre Fiction has a wonderful list of emotions--from anger to unhappiness--with suggested examples of body language for each. You'll find more in body language basics.
If you want to write realistic body language, it stand to reason you should be adept at interpreting body language. WikiHow has a great article to teach how it's done. MakeUseOf.com also has a tutorial on reading body language. Body Language Expert posts many articles on how to understand the signals of body language.
Did you know there are actual terms for different kinds of body language? On Routines for Writers, writing instructor Margie Lawson shares seven terms writers need to know.
Fiction Fix demonstrates how to slip body language into dialogue to make it far more interesting than "he said, she said". Soon, you'll be using body language to create believable characters.
Lastly, don't forget about the amazing Emotion Thesaurus available at The Bookshelf Muse. It's definitely something to bookmark.
Did you miss the post on facial expression?
Oh wow look at all these links! Thanks so much for including the Emotion Thesaurus as well. I look forward to checking out ther few on here that i haven't see yet. Great job bringing it all together!
ReplyDeleteAngela @ The Bookshelf Muse
Good post and great links. I always forget about body language in my writing!
ReplyDeleteI need to read through my manuscript so far and analyze if I've used enough body language.
ReplyDelete~Debbie
Body language is totally important, I'm trying to work more of it into my stories.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great list of links. I haven't really thought about it, but I do use body language a lot in my writing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Trisha and Samantha. I'm wondering if there is a difference in French body language?
ReplyDelete~Debbie
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how in some of my stories, it seems so much easier than in others to avoid cliche. I guess my stories tend to have their own tones/styles. Weirdness!
ReplyDeleteI have a French friend who isn't particularly expressive with her body language. But then, she's what I refer to as "French aristocracy" - maybe that kind is different to your average French person.
Maybe some of it depends on the character we're describing. One of my characters is a quirky peddler who sells a tonic he believes can cure anything. Somehow it's easier to come up with great body language for him.
ReplyDelete~Debbie