writing about body language

Cheat Sheets For Writing Body Language

What is body language and how do you use it when you write? Use these cheat sheets to help you with your body language descriptions.

What Is Body Language?

People react to situations with micro-expressions, hand gestures, and posture. Most of us are not even aware of them. However, what we do with our body language has a huge impact on other people and how they interpret and perceive us.

‘Even when they don’t express their thoughts verbally, most people constantly throw off clues to what they’re thinking and feeling. Non-verbal messages communicated through the sender’s body movements, facial expressions, vocal tone and volume, and other clues are collectively known as body language.’ ( Psychology Today )

Body language happens when we are doing something. We could be sitting, standing, or walking. We could be talking or thinking . Body language is often an involuntary reaction to something perceived by one of the five senses .

How To Use It In Writing

Using body language is one of the best ways to show and not tell when we write.

This is why we are always told to use body language in our writing. Sometimes, it’s easier said than written. So, I created these cheat sheets to help you show a character’s state of mind through their body language.

When you are completing your character biographies , be sure to include how your main characters move and talk. This is especially important for your protagonist , antagonist , confidant , and love interest . They are the characters that hold the story together and they should be as well-rounded and believable as possible.

The Top Five Tips For Using Body Language

Use body language to add depth to dialogue .
Use it because more than 50% of human communication is non-verbal.
Use it to show how your character’s emotions affect their actions.
Use it to help you show rather than tell your reader everything.
Use it in moderation. If overused, it can slow your story down.

TIP: Use our Character Creation Kit to create great characters for your stories.

Use this list to help you with your body language descriptions. It will help you to translate emotions and thoughts into written body language.

Obviously, a character may exhibit a number of these behaviours. For example, they may be shocked and angry, or shocked and happy.

Use these combinations as needed.

Use our Character Creation Kit to create great characters for your stories.

If you enjoyed this, read:

The 17 Most Popular Genres In Fiction – And Why They Matter
How To Write A One-Page Synopsis
123 Ideas For Character Flaws – A Writer’s Resource
The 7 Critical Elements Of A Great Book
All About Parts Of Speech
Punctuation For Beginners
5 Incredibly Simple Ways to Help Writers Show and Not Tell
5 Instances When You Need To Tell (And Not Show)
The 4 Main Characters As Literary Devices
106 Ways To Describe Sounds

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Top Tip : Find out more about our workbooks and online courses in our shop .

Body Language , Creating Characters , Show Don't Tell , Writing Tips from Amanda Patterson

53 thoughts on “Cheat Sheets For Writing Body Language”

Wow….that’s probably one of the most useful lists I’ve ever seen…thanks!

Very useful…simply superb. Will be handy for me when I sit down to write next time.

A mullion trillion thanks for this incredibly useful page of “show” instead of telling. Thank you xx

I would have liked to pin this on pint rest 🙁

This is the best of the “show” lists I have either made or found. Superb.

Love, love, love these! Thanks for compiling them. I’m going to share them and put them in a file to resource. Michelle Random Writing Rants

This is very useful.

Its really helpful….

great post really!!! thanks for sharing

This is one of the most helpful writer’s guide posts I have ever seen. It is so hard not to write “He looked at her in awe”, but think about the specific body language in that situation. It also helps think about the traits a character can have… Every person is different so one can even put individuality into the writing by giving certain characters characteristic emotional expressions.

Thank you so much for sharing this!!

Thank you, Kimberley.

I know I’ll be referring back to this list often. Thank you so much for sharing.

Thank you, Melissa.

Perhaps this is the best way to hone up the writing skills of one’s own and I should be very thankful to you for helping the writers through this .

This is dangerous if astute advice. Anything that aids progress writing is useful, but anything that aids progress stops you thinking – and it is only by thinking that he universe opens a portal and pours out something original.

Great information not only for writing but observation of these behaviors in action. As a school counselor I am interested in non-verbal cues from others.

Great work! high degree of observation! really impressed.

This is great. There is one word that comes up SO OFTEN that it is distracting to me as a reader and that is “gaze.” People are gazing at things, at each other, they’re gazing all over the place. One time I counted the number of times “gaze” was used in a book and found an instance of 5 times in 4 consecutive pages. But another book used “gaze” 5 times in 4 consecutive PARAGRAPHS. Why the editors don’t catch this is beyond me. My favorite “gaze” quote from a book is, “Her brown gaze settled upon the distant mountains.” That didn’t make me think of her brown eyes. My first thought was that she was seeing smog! Is it strange to say a color with “gaze”? I’ve also seen something like, “His blue gaze swung up.” (the man was driving at the time) It sounds strange to me, but maybe that’s just me. The book with the distant mountains sentence used “gaze” heavily from the second page all the way to the second to the last paragraph! It was painful to read. I got rid of the book.

Very helpful to have this all in one place! Thanks!!!

Thank you! This is great! 🙂

Thank you for this post. It’s very helpful.

This is a good list. But I believe we can always be a little more creative in mixing them up to denote various degrees and subtleties in an emotion.

Yes, Ayan. As it says in the post: ‘Obviously, a character may exhibit a number of these behaviours. For example, he may be shocked and angry, or shocked and happy. Use these combinations as needed.’

These cheat sheets are worth their weight in gold! Thank you for taking the time to put them together.

AWESOME! I was just speaking with a friend who mentioned I needed to do this a little more. Thank you so much.

such an amazingly helpful post! Thank you!

Thank you. We’re glad you find this useful.

Melody, Would have ditched that book too. That’s just bad writing.

Please send me any further articles you put out. This one is very helpful. It makes us aware of the use of each movement as a symbol of inner thought. Thanks

This is the most helpful article I have read about telling vs. Showing. Thank you.

Thank you, Wendy.

Thanks for this really usefull I find that I use the same emotions over and over.

Thank you! This is an excellent reference for a desirable result.

“Excellent list,” she said, rubbing her hands together and grinning. ; ) Thank you!

Thank you, Melissa! I love it!!

Excellent!!

I read this very useful and generous article on stumbleupon.com Thank you for sharing your knowledge with me!

Thank you for the positive feedback. I’m pleased that this helps.

Thank you for this :))

Thanks for the helpful post! Great resource for the scripts I’m co-writing.

Simply superb compilation ! No more adjectives.

Thank you! We’re glad that you find these lists helpful.

Very useful! Thank you so much!

What a succinct and useful list!

“Unfortunately,” (pause, lips pursed indicating deliberation and thought) “these are almost” (stress on final word, downward tilt of the head with slight inclination to the left as the speaker maintains gaze on listener indicating mock-serious intent) “entirely” (extra stress on this word, head lifts and turns full-on indicating intent) “cliché” (jaw firms, slight downward shift of the brow, eyes narrow indicating mild annoyance.) “Sorry” (head lifts, jaw pushes out, eyebrows raised indicating belligerence and complete lack of genuine apology).

quite informative, and precise. thanks.

i’m highly grateful to you, thanks a lot n million, may god bless you a long and happy life

This is so useful! Thank you, thank you very much!

OMG! I impressed to read it. Really, you are doing good job.

Very informative thanks!

I need something different for pleading. and it’s not on the list. Why is the emotion I want not almost never on the lists? xP (Arg)

Comments are closed.

When You Write

How to Describe Body Language in Writing

The body can speak without uttering a word. In some real-life situations, body language is used to save lives or sign death penalties—i.e., a kidnapping victim can use facial expressions or hand gestures to signal to police or civilians that they’re in trouble.

In fiction writing, which is what we’ll be talking about in this post, body language has numerous uses, some of which the writer does not originally intend on when writing.

Body language is an effective non-verbal form of communication, and it adds depth and brings realism to a fictional story as the characters seem a little bit more alive when they use their bodies to communicate.

What Is Body Language?

Body language includes facial expressions, body posture, hand gestures, and other body cues that can be used to nonverbally communicate with other people.

These actions may be intentional or unplanned, but they have an impact on other people’s perceptions of us.

Body Language is Important, this is Why

So, why use body language?

We indeed talk a lot when trying to communicate with others but people mostly communicate using body language (like more than half of the time). When we are writing fiction, we use dialogue to insert breaks into the narration and body language is another great way of doing that. With body language, the characters aren’t just speaking, but they’re also revealing their personalities to the reader.

That adds a lot of depth to your fiction writing; the reader is shown—not told—how the characters show their emotions, and the body language reveals the characters’ distinct mannerisms.

Show, Don’t Tell!

The sacred rule of fiction writing—you’re allowed to be fluid, exercise some anarchy, or be divergent, but you CAN’T break this rule.

That’s a NO-NO. A cardinal sin!

Even with body language, you don’t have to tell the reader what’s happening; you have to show it! You have to get the reader into the story’s environment and give the precise feelings of the characters.

Almost impossible, right?

If you think that’s impossible, then you shouldn’t be a writer (at least not a fiction writer). You can only add depth using body language if you let the characters own those body cues, not the narrator.

I’ve written some words and phrases for you in a later section, jump to this section to see what words can be used to incorporate body language in your writing.

How to Use Body Language in Your Writing

1. facial expressions.

The face is the first body part when we think about communication. Even in real life, facial expressions are easier to read than other types of gestures and body cues (maybe that’s why “clowns at a kids’ party” is usually a good idea).

You can use facial expressions to show sadism, astonishment, anger, and a lot of other things.

2. Gestures

I know a lot of people that talk with their hands and sometimes they use their hands to do things without uttering a word. Characters are fashioned after real people so your readers would understand if your characters spoke using hand gestures.

One example would be when a villain uses a finger gun to tell a character that they were going to get killed.

The thing with hand gestures is that they can be interpreted differently in different cultural contexts. For example, you could use the middle finger in a certain cultural space and it wouldn’t have some vulgar implication.

Posture refers to the way our bodies are fixed when sitting or standing. Posture can also be used to show how a character behaves as himself as his bodily stances.

You can use posture to show the reader whether your character likes to sprawl or sit with legs crossed, assume a drooping posture, or stand tall.

Posture can be used to tell your readers a lot about your characters. For example, Straight posture indicates that you are interested in a conversation.

You can use implications like that to show one character’s reaction to another character’s speech or a group discussion.

A person might be saying something and the tone or pitch of their voice might be saying a completely different thing. That’s how important a person’s tone of voice is.

For instance, if a talkative person says “I’m happy” or “I’m okay” in a very slow, low pitch, they’re probably lying—they’re not okay and surely not happy.

You can change your characters’ tones to show the readers that the character’s mood has changed or that they’re hiding something.

5. Physical appearance

The way we look says a lot about us. Someone whose ‘house is in order’ is usually clean, clean-shaven, and looks smart. Bad times can be reflected in a character’s appearance.

Imagine seeing an ex-coworker, say an accountant, with a huge beard and in dirty clothes, would think that they are still employed?

So you can use physical appearances to show your readers what kind of characters are in your story. You can also use physical appearance to twist the narrative and unravel some truths at the end of the story—like a homeless person turning out to be an undercover rich guy.

You can use tattoos, pants sagging, hairstyles, facial hair to paint a picture of your character.

Touch can be used to show a lot of emotions and actions. You can use gestures that relate to touch to show aggression, tenderness, or other actions.

There’s so much information that a single touch can convey.

A soft continuous caressing of a lover’s hand or other body parts might indicate affection and set the mood for romance in some instances, and a punch in the face shows aggression and sets the mood for a fight.

Tips for Using Body Language

1. use it to strengthen dialogue/add depth.

I’ve already said that we speak more with our body than our mouth—more nonverbally than verbally. So if you hugely rely on dialogue to demonstrate how your characters communicate, you’re making your story less realistic (Not that it’s a must that a story should follow real-life patterns).

Body language helps you give your characters more depth and sets up a relatable, interactive feel for the readers.

In my other posts, I’ve also said using the simple ‘he said, she said’ dialogue tags is always effective . But… It’s also good to show who is speaking instead of telling your readers, and you can use body language to show how the character spoke.

You need to have a realistic balance between dialogue and description in your fiction writing.

2. Use It to Show Rather Than Tell

You may feel like I’m overstressing this point because I said it at the beginning of the post and in the first part of this section.

But it’s the sacred rule, and once you break it, you’re no longer a good writer. Simple!

So, always observe this rule.

3. Don’t Overexploit Body Language

If you use body language unconscionably, you will realize diminishing returns. Too much body language will slow your story down.

Everything has to advance your story, so you don’t need body language if it’s retarding the story’s development. Body language should be added to add something to the story, not take something from it, although it’s okay if you intentionally use body language to slow down your story.

4. Use Body Language to Connect Your Character’s Emotions with Their Actions

If you want your characters to be as realistic as possible, you have to show your reader that the characters’ emotions, thoughts, and actions are linked.

Body language has to correlate with the way your character acts or reacts to situations and set the reader for the impending actions.

Body Language Words and Phrases

Here are some of the phrases and words you can use to describe body language in your writing. These are just a few but a lot of them, and you can also make your own phrases.

Arms akimbo
A vicious yank
Arm curled around his waist
Bit her lip
Fast, shallow breathing
Clenched his dirty little fists
A deadpan expression
A lackluster smile
A toothy smile
Crossed his arms over his chest
Palm to palm handshake
Gritted his teeth
Fists shaking
Darting eyes
Blood rushing to head
Laid her chin in her palm
Fingers spread like claws
Tensed muscles
Eyes burned with hatred
Pursed her lips
Ambled away
He shivered
She cowered
Hunched over
Rubbing temples
She rubbed her forehead
Clenched jaw
Tall erect posture
Sketched a brief bow
He balled his fists
His body shook
She trembled
Swaggered into the hall
Blitzed into the room
Eyes flashed
He stroked his beard
He scratched his nose
He scratched his head
He tapped his fingers on the table

Books On Writing Body Language

I don’t think you can master the art of writing body language by reading a couple of blog posts or by using tips from other authors. There are books that can help you learn and become good at writing body language.

Here are some of them:

1. The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression

2. The Writer’s A-Z of Body Language Paperback

Final Words

Over the years, I have come to realize that to become a good writer, there are a lot of things that you have to learn and master. You don’t have to go to a special school, but you still have to learn aspects of writing that improve you as a writer.

Using body language to express emotions, reactions, and add depth is one such aspect that you have to master. If you separate yourself from the characters, it’s going to be harder to express or use body language. But if you put yourself into the character’s state of mind and try to behave like they would, figuring out how they’d use body language to react to things or communicate is going to be easy.

One thing you must do is let your characters speak, whether by acting out some scenes or using the personalities.

If you nail the body cues, your readers will instinctively understand the characters’ impressions and will be able to understand what’s going on without needing your narrations.

Easier shown than said.

Body language master list for writers

“Show, don’t tell” is the first lesson of Fiction Writing 101, and one of the easiest and quickest fixes is to replace the emotional adverbs and adjectives with some body language.

For example, instead of “He said, sadly,” you could write, “He said with tears welling in his eyes.” Or, for a deep point of view, skip the “he said” and just write “Tears welled in his eyes” instead of a dialogue tag.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes when writing I get stumped. What body language goes, with, say, exasperation? So I Google it and spend half an hour going down a research rabbit hole. So I started assembling a cheat sheet I could refer to quickly, without getting distracted.

This is that cheat sheet.

Shaking fist Pointing finger Stabbing with finger Slamming fist on table Face flushed Veins throbbing in neck Jutting chin Clenched fist Clenched jaw Eyebrows lowered Eyes squinted Teeth bared Wide stance Tight-lipped smile Invading personal space Touching or rattling someone’s belongings or drink Rapid breathing Sweating Unwanted touching or flicking Moving one leg back into a fighting stance Invading personal space Flared nostrils Puffed chest Lowered, gravelly voice Insulting gestures Mock attacks Sudden movements Wide, exaggerated gestures Pursed lips Red face Slamming or punching things

Anticipation

Rubbing hands together Licking lips Unable to sit still Grinning

Throwing head back Slapping thighs Clapping hands Shaking with laughter Shaking head with a grin

Lips pressed together Eyes narrowed Rolling eyes Exasperated sigh

Fidgeting Twisting a ring Chewing on a pencil Biting lip Swallowing Quickened breathing Holding breath Eyes darting Sweating Clammy hands High-pitched laughter Hunched posture Pacing Stuttering Playing with hair

Attentiveness

Furrowed brow Leaning forward Sitting up Taking notes Mimicking body language

Jaw dropped Frozen in place Fixed gaze

Yawning Avoiding eye contact Tapping feet Twirling pen Doodling Fidgeting Slouching

Clasping arms behind body Lifting head Chest pushed out Standing tall Making firm and precise movements

Head tilted Narrowed eyes Furrowed brow Shrugging

Lifted chin Pursed lips Sneering Stretching Turning away Waving hand dismissively

Lips twisted Half-smile Shaking head Lips pressed together into a slight frown Rolling eyes

One-sided shoulder shrug Looking down Scratching nose, ear, or neck Feet kicking out Shuffling feet Sudden change in demeanor Hesitation in speech Shifting eye contact Long blinks Shrugging Inappropriate smiling or laughter Shaking head “no” while saying “yes” Licking lips Covering or touching mouth

Defensiveness

Crossing arms or legs Placing something in front of body Hands in pockets Holding hands palms up

Winking Looking up through eyelashes Glancing over shoulder Making eye contact Touching hair Touching clothing Straight back Thumbs in belt loops or pockets Dilated pupils Arching Stretching Women crossing and uncrossing legs

Eyes open wide Eyes narrowed Twisted mouth Crinkling nose Creased brow

Crinkling nose Curled lip Flinching Turning away Covering nose Gagging Eyes squinted shut

Displeasure

Fake smile Pouting Frowning Crossing arms

Rubbing neck Wide eyes Rapid breathing Hitting a wall Huddling in a corner Clasping hands over head Rocking Wringing hands Running hands through hair Adjusting cuffs Men holding hands in front of crotch

Chin up Chest out Shoulder back Hard handshake Leaning back with hands behind head and feet up Steady eye contact Hands on hips Straddling chair

Leaning forward Nodding Wide eyes Steady eye contact with raised eyebrows Hand on heart Double-handed handshake Feet pointed inwards

Embarrassment

Blushing Stammering Covering face with hands Bowing head Looking away Looking down Blinking back tears

Rubbing eyes Staring into space Yawning Stretching Nodding off and jerking awake Gritting teeth Closing eyes Moving slowly Slouching

Delayed reactions

Sweating Shaking Eyebrows raised and pulled together Wide eyes Mouth slightly open

Curling into fetal position Contorting face Slumping Covering face or head with hands, arms, or pillow Staring Shaking Sobbing Trembling Turning away Difficulty swallowing Drooping eyelids

Smiling Laughing Humming Crinkling eyes and nose Swinging arms Spinning Dancing Jumping Hugging Giggling

Shaking fists, hands twisted into claws Bared teeth Throbbing vein in neck Sweating, red face, tightness in skin of face Flared nostrils Scathing tone Shouting or screaming Turning away or leaving when the other person arrives, changing plans to avoid them

Maintaining eye contact Smiling with whole face Looking up Palms up Open arms

Nodding quickly Tapping fingers Sighing Checking the time Tapping feet Increasing voice pitch Looking away

Tight lips Sour expression Narrow eyes Crossed arms

Physical closeness to someone, leaning against each other, sitting together so legs touch Obsessively checking for messages, constant texting Doodling love interest’s name with a heart Improving appearance, dying hair, exercising more Affectionate touches, playful shoving Smiling at nothing, beaming, silly grid Using pet names, terms of endearment Listening to love songs

Overwhelmed

Palms to forehead Splayed fingers over eyes Staring into space with wide eyes Gripping something

Playfulness

Winking Waggling eyebrows Nudging Smiling Tickling

Head tilted back Slightly parting lips Eyes wide Eyes closed Slow, languorous movements Stretching Arching back Flushing Rapid breathing Fast pulse

Possessiveness

Handshake with arm clasp Hands around shoulders, neck, or waist Placing hands on a wall around someone Standing in their personal space angled towards them Running a knuckle down someone’s cheek Staring at people if they get too close

Shaky laughter Letting out a huge breath Looking up in silent prayer Raising hand for a high five

More at Writers Helping Writers and even more here by Kathy Steinemann .

Arms crossed Hands in fists Dragging feet Pinching nose Hands over ears

Droopy body Bowed body Wrapping arms around yourself Hesitating movements Bottom lip jutting out Quivering lip Crying Sobbing Shaking Dragging feet

Secretiveness

Tight-lipped smile Hands in pockets Looking away Covering face Looking down

Slumped shoulders Looking down and away Burying face in hands Bowed head Straight mouth

Hands over mouth Mouth open Gasping Freezing Staring with wide eyes Raised eyebrows Smacking palm against forehead Stepping back

Blushing Avoiding eye contact Keeping distance from others Backing away if others come too close Arms folded Head bent Hugging the walls

Slight close-lipped smile One raised eyebrow Slightly tucked chin Enigmatic smile Raised eyebrows Steepled fingers

Wide eyes Wrinkled forehead Slack or open jaw

Narrow eyes Glancing sideways Raised eyebrow Rubbing eyes Shaking head Blowing out cheeks Frowning Tightening lips

Thoughtfulness

Steepled fingers Pinching nose Closed eyes Tugging on ear Stroking beard Stroking chin Furrowing brow Narrow eyes Tilted head Lips pressed together Chin resting on hand Leaning back and looking up

Threatening

Shaking fist Pointing finger Stabbing with finger Slamming fist on table Face flushed Veins throbbing in neck Jutting chin Clenched fist Clenched jaw Eyebrows lowered Eyes squinted Teeth bared Wide stance Tight-lipped smile Invading personal space Rapid breathing Sweating Unwanted touching or flicking Moving one leg back into a fighting stance Invading personal space Flared nostrils Puffed chest Touching or rattling someone’s belongings or drink

Holding hands together above head Tilting back head and yelling Pumping fist in air Jumping Roaring Whooping

Other Resources

A couple of years ago, I bought a copy of a book titled The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression , part of the Writers Helping Writers series.

I would still prefer a print version, though, to keep it on my physical bookshelf for easier and faster access.

Another book that covers some of the same ground is The Writer’s Lexicon: Descriptions, Overused Words, and Taboos by Kathy Steinemann.

Do you have any other suggestions for how to convey emotion through action or body language? Let me know in the comments and I’ll add it to the list!

And if you want more writing advice, I do a weekly round-up of the best writing advice articles from all around the web . Check it out!

Edited by Charles Hand

Maria Korolov

MetaStellar editor and publisher Maria Korolov is a science fiction novelist , writing stories set in a future virtual world. And, during the day, she is an award-winning freelance technology journalist who covers artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and enterprise virtual reality . See her Amazon author page here and follow her on Twitter , Facebook , or LinkedIn , and check out her latest videos on the Maria Korolov YouTube channel . Email her at [email protected] . She is also the editor and publisher of Hypergrid Business , one of the top global sites covering virtual reality.

4 thoughts on “Body language master list for writers”

This is a great list. Thank you for sharing this. I did notice one type of emotion that could be helpful to have.

What would be some good options for a serious character? It becomes a bit repetitive to say that the characters are serious, especially if readers would already know this from what is being discussed.

I have thought of locking eyes, a narrowing of the eyes, leaning forwards and taking a deeper breath. Would there be any others you would recommend?

Depends on what you mean by serious. If you mean thoughtful, then you’ve got all the actions that does someone is thinking — taking off their glasses, looking up, furrowed brow, frowning, adding things up on their fingers, making notes, etc.. If you mean serious as opposed to playful, there’s frowning again, tapping your foot, etc… But if you want to show that someone is a serious person, just have them do hard things effectively.

This is wonderful, thank you!

Thank you for sharing this!! There are so many facial gestures and/or expressions I don’t know how to describe…this is awesome! Thank you!

Writing Body Language: Bringing Your Characters to Life

Body language is an essential part of bringing your characters to life, and yet, many writers struggle to find a balance between drawing no attention to the characters’ body language and obsessing over the way their characters move. If you don’t describe how your characters move in a scene, you’re missing out on a lot of opportunities to showcase their personality, while forcing them to move through emotional scenes like robots. Too much focus on body language, however, can come across as redundant, pointless, and boring.

If you struggle to convey realistic body language in your stories, don’t feel bad! Many other writers are in the same boat. With a little bit of help and direction, you’ll be adding subtle movements and gestures into your writing without even thinking about it in no time!

Why Body Language is Important in Writing

Nonverbal cues make up a large part of communication, so if you aren’t drawing attention to how your characters move and emote, your readers will be missing elements of what they’re communicating.

Not only that, but body language has many important uses in stories, such as:

Keeping dialogue interesting
Setting the tone of the scene
Conveying emotion
Hinting at hidden emotions, deception, and true feelings
Hinting at relationships between characters, such as tension, romantic feelings, or distrust
Illustrating parts of a character’s personality

Finally, body language is a key element of utilizing the technique “Show, Don’t Tell.” By using body language to indicate certain emotions, relations, and personality traits, you are allowing readers to make inferences about these things themselves. This can help to further invest readers into your story by making them feel like they are playing a part in deciphering what is going on. It is also much more fun to read than statements like “he felt angry” or “he looked at her sadly.”

If you want some guidance on how else you can use this technique, check out my other article Show, Don’t Tell: What It Is and How to Use It .

Using Body Language to Enhance Dialogue

It’s no secret that long stretches of dialogue and lengthy conversations often feel like they’re dragging on. When characters are talking for more than a few pages, it can start to get really tiring.

One of the ways you can combat this is by describing what the characters are doing as they are conversing with one another. If the conversation is tense, are your characters behaving nervously? Are they fidgeting? If they’re arguing, what are they doing with their hands? Are they gesturing wildly, or standing stiffly in one place?

Not only does this narration give readers a refreshing break from the dialogue, but it also gives the characters’ words more meaning. You can add context to the conversation by showing how the characters are feeling, moving, and emoting.

One of the easiest ways to seamlessly integrate body language into a dialogue-heavy scene is with action beats. If you want to know more about that, check out the article Action Beats: What They Are and How to Use Them .

How to Show Body Language for Different Emotions

Body language is one of the easiest ways to convey how a character is feeling, since different emotions can influence the ways a character moves and the gestures they use. Drawing attention to a character’s body language can be a subtle way of hinting at how they’re feeling.

It’s important to keep in mind that not everyone experiences or expresses emotions in exactly the same way. Keep your characters consistent, and always take their personality into account when writing their body language. For example, a particularly stoic character may not emote dramatically, while a nervous character could behave more exaggeratedly.

Keep in mind that this article is focusing mostly on body language . If you want to know how to write about facial expression, you should check out How to Describe Facial Expressions in Writing next.

Excited Body Language

Excitement can be an overwhelming emotion. Excited characters are likely to have an abundance of energy, and without a way to talk about their excitement, they may feel as if they are about to explode.

Remember that energy is the most important element of portraying excitement, so bring a little extra energy into everything the character does—whether that’s stirring soup or stocking shelves.

To show that your characters are excited, you could have them:

Gesture wildly
Talk a lot
Take up a lot of extra space in a scene, by gesturing wildly, being loud, or drawing a lot of attention
Bounce around
Cry happy tears
Laugh loudly
Be completely unable to sit still
Grab onto others, and even shake them around
Cross their arms or tuck their hands under their arms to control them
Place a hand on their chest
Clap their hands together
Cover their face with their hands or peek through their fingers
Randomly burst out giggling or laughing

If the character cannot properly contain or vent out their excitement, they can become restless, which results in fidgeting, speaking quickly or loudly, pacing around, and having trouble focusing. This is especially the case with children, who are often not emotionally mature enough to contain intense excitement.

Excitement may also turn into anxiety as whatever the character is excited about draws near, since they may fear it won’t go as planned or meet their expectations.

Happy Body Language

When a character is feeling happy, then they will be at peace with their surroundings, comfortable, and relaxed. There can also be a lot of overlap between happiness and excitement, however, so make sure you take that into consideration when determining how your character would be moving.

Being in a good mood can result in your character having more patience for situations they otherwise wouldn’t, and their body language will reflect that. A happy character is likely going to be calm and receptive, and they may smile often, maintain eye contact longer, and gesture animatedly as they speak. They are also far more likely to touch others, especially those they are comfortable around or care about.

To show that your character is feeling happy, you could have them:

Prop their head up on one arm and stare lovingly at something or someone
Touch another character on the shoulder
Laugh often
Playfully shove or swat at another character
Lock their hands behind their head
Whistle or hum
Skip, or walk with more bounce than usual
Sit cross-legged or in a relaxed position
Twist, bounce, or wiggle
Clasp their hands together
Lean back or settle in a relaxed position
Angle their body (or even lean) towards another character
Speak with a bubbly tone

Each character is going to have different behaviors, and those behaviors may change depending on the context. A naturally playful character will likely express joy more bombastically, while a more reserved character may only show small signs, such as a small smile and a relaxed posture.

Angry Body Language

Anger is one of the easiest emotions to identify with body language. Anger is powerful , and it can be hard to conceal, so it typically results in many telltale signs.

An angry character may:

Clench their fists
Lean towards other characters or intrude on others’ personal space
Bare their teeth
Widen their stance and stand tensely
Bang on tables
Throw things, or pretend to do so
Gesture aggressively, such as waving fists, imitating striking something, or stomping
Cry, though maintain an aggressive stance
Spit while they speak
Point or jab at other characters
Get red in the face

Anger makes people want to lash out, so in addition to behaviors like those listed above, you can weave aggressive gestures into everything the character does. If you’ve ever seen anyone aggressively buckle a seatbelt or angrily organize a stack of mail, then you know what I mean.

However, not every character is going to be willing to give in to their anger, and they may be more conscious of their own body language. Characters who want to control their anger will behave differently, though it should still be equally obvious to readers how the character is feeling. If a character is at work or otherwise in public, then they are much more likely to try to keep a lid on their anger.

When a character is trying to control their anger, they may:

Force a deadpan expression
Breathe slowly and deliberately
Stand tensely, without moving much or walking around
Speak in a low tone or keep their voice down
Stand straight up with their shoulders squared
Cross their arms
Rub their face, temples, neck, hands, or arms
Cover their mouth
Pretend not to care about whatever is making them angry
Take a walk

Angry body language is also very similar to tense or frustrated body language. A tense character may be more likely to freeze up or shut down, while a frustrated character will gradually get more aggressive if they cannot escape from what is frustrating them.

Nervous Body Language

It is usually easy to tell when a character is nervous because they will have a lot of restless energy to deal with—which often results in a lot of fidgeting. Nervousness is a precursor to fear, but it also has a lot in common with embarrassment.

Nervous characters are likely to:

Pick at things, such as their nails and lips or objects around them
Play with their hair
Tap on objects or other parts of their body
Chew on their lips or nails
Glance around the room and behind themselves
Move stiffly
Sway slightly as they stand
Tremble, both with their body and their voice
Avoid eye contact with others

Depending on what is making a character nervous, they might try to conceal their nerves. At a job interview or date, for example, a character is likely to try controlling their nerves by using a variety of coping mechanisms, such as focusing on their breathing, keeping their hands in their pockets, or talking constantly to avoid awkward silence.

While we’re on the topic of controlling nerves, have your nervous character also engage in self-soothing behaviors when they are nervous, such as:

Running a hand through their own hair
Rubbing the back of their neck
Humming quietly
Sighing or clearing their throat
Pinching the bridge of their nose
Rubbing their hands together
Wrapping their arms around their upper body (or around their knees, if they are seated)

These motions are always going to be specific to the character, so pick a few per character and try to keep them consistent whenever the character in question is feeling nervous.

Nervousness is about more than just body language. Check out How to Write a Nervous Character for more tips on writing about your character’s nerves.

Scared Body Language

When a character gets scared, the first thing that will happen is the “ fight or flight ” response will be triggered, causing a release of adrenaline. This causes dilated pupils, trembling, quickened heartbeat, fast breathing, and flushed skin. Characters will suddenly experience a rush of energy, and they may react to stimuli (such as noise or touch) quickly—or even violently.

This adrenaline response is instinctive, and it allows a person to protect themself when they are in danger, by giving them the energy to flee or fight off the threat. However, your characters are likely to get spooked in situations where a threat isn’t easily identifiable—or even present at all. Characters could be scared of another person, a concept, a specific animal, a loud noise, and any number of other things. Regardless, that adrenaline response is still going to impact them the same.

A character who is scared may:

Grab onto other characters or objects suddenly
Recoil, lean away, or retreat several steps
Cover their face with their hands
Wrap their arms around their torso
Hold their arms up as if to strike at something
Drift away from whatever is frightening them
Angle their body away, as if prepared to run at any moment
Flinch at the slightest noise, feeling, movement, etc
Chew on something, such as their own lips, nails, clothing, hair, etc
Shake or flap their hands around to “shake off” the adrenaline
Shrink themself away, drawing their limbs close to their body
Hide behind another character or object
Stare at something intensely
Avoid eye contact
Sweat profusely
Hyperventilate
Go pale or flushed
Speak quickly and repeat words, or not speak at all
Speak in a hushed, shrill, or raspy voice
Clench their jaw
Force a smile
Clutch their hands together tightly
Stumble or act clumsily

Another unfortunate consequence of adrenaline is nausea. This nausea will be worse the longer a character is frightened, and if they aren’t able to use their adrenaline, they will be left feeling shaky, sick to their stomach, and with a throbbing headache. It is not uncommon for someone to throw up as a result of being frightened.

Sad Body Language

Unlike many of the other emotions described above, sadness results in a lack of energy. Everything your character attempts to do will consume much more of their energy, and they may simply give up on simple tasks such as showering or making dinner.

Sadness is not the same as depression (depression isn’t an emotion, but a medical condition), but there is a lot of overlap between the two states—especially in regard to body language.

A character who is sad may:

Move much slower than usual
Curl up in a ball when seated
Have bad posture
Act lethargic
Snap at others or show signs of anger or frustration
Drag their feet as they walk
Have a slow reaction time
Keep their head angled downward and look at the ground
Zone out (stare off at nothing, with little to no awareness of what is going on around them)
Swallow more audibly and frequently
Cover their head, face, ears, or neck with their hands
Lay their head on a surface, like a table or wall
Hide their face in the crook of their elbow
Speak in a low, monotone voice
Wipe or rub at their eyes and face
Press their palms against their eyes
Let their hair hang in front of their face
Blink rapidly or look to the sky to keep tears from slipping out of their eyes
Breath slowly and deeply

Sadness can make everything seem much harder to do, and if your character is truly sad, they may not have the energy to even try to do anything. They are also likely to be more apathetic about everything, and not see the point of putting in the energy to shower, eat, or get enough rest. Characters who are experiencing intense sadness, grief, or depression may also self-harm or turn to substances like alcohol to cope.

If your characters are using alcohol to cope with sadness, then that is going to completely change the body language they display and the way you should write it. If you want help with that, you should check out How to Write a Drunk Character next.

Disgusted Body Language

Disgust, like fear, is an emotion that is driven by instinct. Humans experience disgust to keep them away from things that could infect them or make them sick in some way. Anything that is considered offensive (or potentially harmful) to any of the five senses (sight, smell, touch, taste, and sound) can elicit a disgusted reaction—for example, the smell of rotten food or the sound of something gooey being squished.

However, disgust can also be triggered by another character’s political ideas, hobbies, behaviors, or preferences. That also means that disgust can be influenced by culture, since certain foods or behaviors might be considered normal in one culture, but gross and unacceptable in another. Disgust, when directed at another person’s traits or behaviors, is more often described as “contempt,” but that emotion also comes with an inherent sense of superiority.

When a character is disgusted, the most important thing to keep in mind is that they will be doing whatever they can to get away from the thing that is disgusting them. A character experiencing disgust may also:

Recoil, or take several steps back
Cover their mouth with their hand
Squint their eyes
Feel nauseous
Flinch or recoil at being touched, or at feeling certain objects
Swallow hard and often
Gag or choke
Shake their head side-to-side
Stick out their tongue
Avoid being touched
Close their eyes
Hold their arms up by their torso or chest
Cover their nose, ears, eyes, etc
Move away from other characters and maintain a large radius of personal space

The context for the character’s disgusted reaction matters tremendously. A character reacting to a nasty smell is not going to behave in the same way as a character who is learning about their aunt’s strange weekend plans.

The Body Language of Attraction

Every romance writer wants to know how to amp up the chemistry between their characters, and subtly weaving body language cues throughout the text is one of the best ways to do that. By having each character indicate that they are attracted to each other with their behaviors long before a real romance begins to bud, your readers will be more likely to accept the relationship between the two characters.

When a character experiences attraction for another character, they will experience a sense of awe (that “oh my gosh, they’re beautiful ” moment). This is commonly associated with a warm feeling in the chest, an increased heart rate, and dilated eyes.

A character who is attracted to another character in the room is likely to:

Point their feet at the person they are interested in, instead of pointing them away or in separate directions
Tilt their head to the side
Maintain eye contact with the person they are interested in
Blink faster than normal (but not like a Disney Princess fluttering her eyelashes)
Face their whole body towards the person they are interested in, instead of pivoting or turning their head to look at them
Run their hand through their hair in a big, sweeping motion, or twirling with the ends of long hair
Mirror the body language of the person they are attracted to
Stand up straight and puff out their chest
Speak with a lighter, softer tone to their voice
Steal glances at the person they are attracted to (especially when the other person isn’t looking)
Look at the lips of the person they are attracted to
Lick their lips
Smile often
Push the boundaries of personal space
Straighten out their clothes, fix their hair, or otherwise attempt to keep their appearance in-check
Maintain an open posture, such as with their hands behind their back, their arms at their sides, or their hands on their hips

There’s a lot that goes into conveying good chemistry between characters. If you want some more specific instruction for writing about chemistry, attraction, and love, head over to Romance 101: How to Write Characters Falling in Love .

Body Language and Personality in Character Creation

When you’re creating a new character, you should take the time to consider how they move, and the ways they cope with their emotions. In fact, the way a character moves is just as important as the ways they look or behave. Giving a character distinct body language can take a well-designed character and bring them to life in your readers’ imaginations.

Body language is a powerful tool for creating distinct characters. Every person in the world has their own specific ways of reacting to different emotions and situations, and everyone has different behavioral quirks. By taking the time to consider a character’s personal body language and the ways they gesture and move, you are adding in another layer of individuality that makes them unique.

When designing a character’s body language, it can be helpful to make a list of the most common emotions. (You can even take inspiration from the table of contents for this article!) Under each emotion, write out just a few distinct behaviors for the character to utilize in situations where they would feel that emotion. For example, maybe a character will always clear their throat when they get nervous, or they have a habit of tugging at their earlobe when they are happy.

Those aren’t the only behaviors the character can use, but they should always be present whenever the character is feeling the emotion in question. This keeps them consistent and allows readers to pick up on how that character is feeling as they get more familiar with them.

Avoid Excessive Use of Characters’ Body Language

Although body language is important to include in your stories, you should be careful not to overdo it. Humans (and other humanoids, of course) move constantly , but that doesn’t mean you should draw attention to every micro-expression and subtle gesture they make. Only point out the behaviors that are relevant to the situation, or those that illustrate something about the character in question. If you overdo it, body language can really clutter up your scenes and add a lot of unnecessary length to your draft. Remember writers, there is such a thing as “too much of a good thing.”

BRYN DONOVAN

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MASTER LIST of Gestures and Body Language!

Gestures and body language

matter a lot in fiction because nonverbal communication is so important. Gestures can help readers visualize a scene and get a feel for the characters. They can also set up lines of dialogue so you don’t have a string of he said, she said, he asked, etc., running down the page.

How to describe body language and gestures in writing may seem simple, but I find that when I’m in the middle of writing a scene, sometimes I draw a blank! It’s easy to wind up with characters who are nodding and shrugging all the time. Hopefully this list will help make writing body language easier.

Master List of Gestures and Body Language #master lists for writers free ebook #master lists for writers bryn donovan pdf #describing body language in writing #how to describe body language in writing #words to describe body language #NaNoWriMo #words to describe body language #words to describe gestures #writing body language

You might want to consider which gestures or what body language is typical for each of your characters. For instance, one of my characters in the novel I just finished tends to hug herself when she’s nervous, while another has a habit of rubbing at his shoulder when he’s uncomfortable. They only do it a few times each throughout the book, but I think details like that make characters feel more solid.

For a great guide to what body language means, I recommend What Every BODY Is Saying , by former FBI counterintelligence offer Joe Navarro and body language expert Marvin Karlins.

Some of the things in my list are not exactly body language or gestures, but are useful for dialogue tags. As with my list of facial expressions , I’ve included some different ways to say the same thing. There are some longer phrases and sentences, which you can obviously rewrite and adjust as you like, although you don’t have to.

Let me know if you have gestures or body language to add to this list!

Master List of Gestures and Body Language

he lowered his head she hung her head he ducked she bowed her head he covered his eyes with a hand she pressed her hands to her cheeks

she raised her chin he lifted his chin

her hands squeezed into fists his hands tightened into fists she clenched her fists she balled her fists he unclenched his fists her arms remained at her sides

he shrugged she gave a half shrug he lifted his shoulder in a half shrug she gave a dismissive wave of her hand

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she raised a hand in greeting he waved

she held up her hands he lifted his hands she held up her palms he threw his hands in the air she brushed her palms together he rubbed his hands together she made a steeple of her fingers he spread his hands they gesticulated he waved his hands she clapped her hands he snapped his fingers she held up a finger he pointed she gestured with a thumb he jerked his thumb toward… she extended her middle finger toward him he gave her the finger she gave him the thumbs up

she put her hands on her hips she shoved her hands in her pockets he jammed his hands in his front pockets she rested a hand on her hip she jutted out her hip

she folded her arms he crossed his arms over his chest she hugged herself he wrapped his arms around himself she rocked back and forth

she spread her arms wide he held out his arms she held out her hand they extended a hand

he shook his head she nodded he bobbed his head she tilted her head he cocked his head she inclined her head he jerked her head in the direction of… she turned her face away he looked away

his breaths quickened she panted she was breathing hard his chest rose and fell with rapid breaths she took in a deep breath he drew in a long breath she took in a sharp breath he gasped she held her breath he let out a harsh breath she exhaled he blew out his cheeks she huffed he sighed she snorted

she laughed he giggled she guffawed he chuckled she gave a bitter laugh he gave mirthless laugh she tittered he cackled

she rubbed her shoulder he kneaded his shoulder he rolled his shoulders she tensed her shoulders he massaged the back of his neck she rubbed her temples she rubbed her hands on her thighs

she ran her hand through her hair he threaded a hand through his hair he raked his fingers through his hair he shoved his hair back away from his face she toyed with a lock of hair she played with her hair she twirled her hair she wrapped a curl around her finger she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear she undid her ponytail and shook out her hair she tossed her hair he buried his hands in his hair he stroked his beard he scratched his beard

she tugged at her earlobe he bit a nail she chewed on a cuticle she picked at her nails she inspected her fingernails he plucked at the cuff of his shirt she picked a piece of lint from her sleeve he adjusted the lapels of his jacket she fiddled with her earring / bracelet he twisted the wedding ring on his finger she played with her cell phone he tugged at his shirt collar he adjusted his tie she smoothed down her skirt

she scratched her nose he scratched his head he rubbed his forehead she rubbed her eyes she pinched the bridge of her nose he held his nose

she slapped her forehead he smacked his forehead he facepalmed he slapped a hand over her mouth she covered her mouth with her hand she pressed her fingers to her lips he held his finger up to his lips he rubbed his chin

she pressed a hand to her throat he clutched his chest he leaned against the wall she bounced on her toes she jumped up and down he tapped his foot she stomped her foot

she folded her hands in her lap she drummed her fingers on the table he tapped his fingers on the table he slammed his hand on the table she pounded her fist on the table she set her palms down flat on the table he rested his hands on the table she set her hands on the table, palms up he leaned back in his chair she hooked her feet around the chair legs he gripped the arm of the chair she put her hands behind her head he put his feet on the desk they fidgeted she jiggled her foot he swung his leg she crossed her legs he uncrossed his legs she crossed her ankles in front of her she stretched out her legs in front of her he sprawled out he put his feet on the desk

she cringed he shuddered she flinched he shivered she trembled his body shook she cowered he shrank from… she huddled in the corner

she gestured with her coffee cup

they gesture with their pen

he pulled away she jerked away he turned away she jolted upright he stiffened she straightened he tensed he jumped she jumped to her feet he stood up she rose from her seat

she relaxed he hunched she slouched her shoulders sagged his shoulders slumped she wilted he went limp he rolled his shoulders she squared her shoulders

she clasped her hands behind her back he puffed out his chest she thrust out her chest

he propped his chin on his hand she rested her chin on her palm he yawned she stretched

he turned around she whirled around he pivoted she reeled

she stepped away she drew nearer he leaned closer she inched forward he loomed closer he paced she shifted from one foot to the other he swayed on his feet she dragged her feet

she pumped a fist he thrust his fists in the air she punched the air

A slightly expanded version of this list of body language and gestures appears in my book Master Lists for Writers: Thesauruses, Plots, Character Traits, Names, and More. Click on the cover to check it out!

Master Lists for Writers by Bryn Donovan #master lists for writers free pdf #master lists for writers free ebook #master lists for writers free kindle

Do you have thoughts or advice about how to use gestures or describe body language in writing? Let us know in the comments! Thanks so much for reading, and happy writing!

Dialogue Techniques: 50 Things Your Characters Can Do WHILE They Talk #how to write dialogue #writing dialogue #what are action tags #how to use action tags

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Writers in the Storm

A blog about writing.

A Look at Body Language in Writing

by Ellen Buikema

More than half of human communication consists of body language, which we use to communicate feelings, thought, and ideas without speech. Body language impacts other people’s perception and conveys our emotions far more than we think it does. Physical descriptions of what our characters are doing allows us to show-not-tell what is happening to them internally. It is one of the simplest ways to give the reader a feel for characters’ depth of mood and attitude.

Can you communicate well with others if you sit on your hands? I tried to and discovered that I don’t express myself as well. I’m a hand-gesturer. Plus, with COVID-19 upon us, I’ve realized how often I touch my face!

I also move around a lot, especially if I’m nervous. The first time I taught a classroom full of adults, I paced the entire time. Thinking back, I wonder if I made anyone dizzy.

Simple tasks require a surprising amount of movement.

Here’s a quick exercise that will give you a feel for how many movements you actually make. It will help you determine the balance needed between dialogue and description in your writing.

Choose an activity you commonly do at home or at work. It can be as small a task as sitting in a chair, working on the laptop, or other computer keyboard. Here are a few possible questions to get you started.

Where are your hands when not on the keyboard?
Are you leaning in, or away?
Do you cross your legs?
Crane your neck?
Arch your back?
Tap your finger on the mouse?
Use the dog as a footrest?
Lift the cat off the keyboard?
Roll your eyes?

Write out what you are physically doing, making a conscious effort to write all the steps you take. The first time I tried this I was shocked at how many little steps are involved in doing even simple tasks. Weave these descriptions into your manuscripts to help your characters come alive.

Other Body Language Recommendations

Showing Emotion

Make a list of the emotions your main characters exhibit along with the accompanying body language. Think about how your main characters move and react. How does your antagonist look when she is amused? What body language does your protagonist use when angered?

Avoid repetitive gestures.

Repeating gestures can be annoying. Certainly, it feels forced. Not every character should clench their fists or waggle their eyebrows. One character can habitually use the same gesture now and then, but not everyone. (Although thinking about a town full of people waggling their eyebrows makes me chuckle.)

Use vivid action verbs.

Choosing the right verb helps express the emotion you want to convey. For example, there are many ways to walk and each alternative verb implies an emotion. We can:

stride into a room
sashay down the boardwalk
lumber across the floor.

Each of the three verbs is a form of walking, all with different nuances. Each paints a distinct picture.

For dialogue tags, said is never wrong. Unfortunately, I find myself using smile, laugh, and nod. My current Work In Progress had a whole lot of nodding going on. After someone brought this to my attention, I did a "nod search" on my Word document and was appalled by the many cheerful yellow highlights.

Wise words from my editor about empty words and gestures. (Those are pauses between lines of dialogue that don’t advance a scene or characterize.) She said, “If you point something out by putting it down on the page, it needs a reason to be there. Your job during your editing phase is to second guess every image you put down on the page and make sure it’s clearly what you mean.”

Don’t overdo.

Too many descriptors make readers focus on the details instead of the feelings you want them to experience. Or worse, it gives readers a chance to trip on the details and get pulled out of the story. Meaningless details interrupt the flow.

As with all else in writing, put just enough body language in your prose to get your point across.

About Ellen

Author, speaker, and former teacher, Ellen L. Buikema has written non-fiction for parents and a series of chapter books for children with stories encouraging the development of empathy—sprinkling humor wherever possible. Her Work In Progress, The Hobo Code , is YA historical fiction.

Find her at http://ellenbuikema.com or on Amazon .

Image by Ri Butov from Pixabay

18 comments on “A Look at Body Language in Writing”

Such a great topic! I often find myself getting up and acting out a scene when I'm writing so I can know what the movements and sensations are! I also struggle with finding ways to convey body language that are concise and accessible, but not over-used. My characters always seem to shrug, nod, and raise their eyebrows LOL. Thank goodness for that "search" box that shows me how often they do that! On the other hand, sometimes those "standard" words are just fine because they get the job done without drawing attention to themselves. Being too creative can break the flow of the scene. Another aspect of our craft that requires a balancing act!

Being too "flowery" can definitely pull me out of the story I'm reading.

Acting out the scenes makes a big difference!

Smiling, shrugging, and nodding are on my hit list for my first editing pass.

Our eldest daughter's Freshman year English teacher gave her class a list of forbidden words. This made writing more difficult, but seriously improved her writing.

Hit list! The perfect term.

My characters smile all over the place as well. That find feature is humbling.

Excellent post. I find that my cozy characters roll their eyes and shrug, whereas my Gothic characters glance nervously and have racing hearts. And even nonverbal cues that might look the same--I'm thinking smiling and grinning--have different connotations depending on which word we use.

I love The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. It really gets me thinking about all the different ways we express our emotions and it's a treasure trove for writers who need new words to describe how a character is thinking or feeling.

Thanks for the great post!

And you have the second edition, right? They added 30÷ things!

The Emotion Thesaurus is a go to resource for me as well. It helps me get unstuck when I discover a repeated descriptions in my writing: batting eyelashes and hand on hip moments overplayed!

When we say, "show not tell" body language is definitely a HUGE part of that.

Absolutely. The show is all about body language.

Amy, thank you for your recommendation. I'll check out The Emotional Thesaurus.

It's interesting to note the different uses of body language in various genres. I'm glad you brought that up.

Sometimes, if I'm trying to vary action tags, I'll give characters an object, like a pencil, to tap, throw, or doodle with, depending on emotion. Or, they might be doing a task in a location but they'll be stomping around the room and talking or slamming drawers if angry. If sad or reflective, maybe they're sitting and twisting their coffee cup rather than drinking, etc. It's interesting to see how other authors do this.

I enjoy seeing how other writers use body language to express emotions. Reading other's work shows us different directions to go. Currently I'm reading a SciFi novel. The author did extensive research and wove that into her book. One of the characters has significant bodily damage and uses an exoskeleton, making for unusual body language.

Thanks, Ellen, great post. It made me think of my WIP and without even looking back at the ms I am sure I have overused "shrug." Something to look out for. Oh, well. I'll keep my eyes open on the next pass. All kidding aside, thanks again.

I'm glad the post is helpful, James! I think we all have our pet words. Thank goodness for word search, however ghastly cheerful.

Thank you for the examples of showing the emotions through body language. We convey emotion and thoughts subconsciously in real life and it makes sense for our readers to experience this in our writing. It makes me want to people watch for research!

People watching is ALWAYS fun.

I'm sure I do, I can't think of one off hand. I try to search for overuse words.

I did notice a friend using "shimmied her shoulders" in a book several times recently. It didn't fit the character. I don't think she was using the right word for the action she wanted. denise

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9 Simple and Powerful Ways to Write Body Language

Dialogue is a great tool to establish relationships between your characters and deepen emotional connection to your readers. But if you rely on dialogue alone to show how your characters interact, you’re missing a big opportunity. In real life, nonverbal cues—body language—account for more than 90% of our communication. Including body language in your writing gives your characters more depth and provides a relatable, interactive experience for your readers.

That’s easy enough to see in real-world interactions or on the stage or screen, but how can you write it into your story?

How to use body language effectively in your writing

There are so many components to body language, and many writers only ever use a few. To create believable and engaging characters, it’s important to look at all the ways to communicate body language in your writing.

1. Gestures

Most of my clients don’t know this because we primarily work over email and telephone, but I talk with my hands. Big time. Some of your characters probably do too. Sure, not everyone uses finger guns (even though they should). But virtually everyone shakes hands, points, or waves.

worAd of caution: be aware that your book will likely be read around the world, and some gestures have different cultural connotations. One common example is the two-fingered V. Other than being super popular now in selfies, it has also meant victory, peace, or an insult. If you use it, make it clear how it’s being used.

2. Facial expression

Again, some of us have very expressive faces, and others are harder to read. But facial expressions are an important part of body language because they are pretty much universal. Even people who curb their reactions still have tiny involuntary changes called microexpressions . Our brains pick up on these and decipher them, even when we aren’t aware that they’re happening. How cool is that?!

3. Tone of voice and cadence

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “It’s not what you say; it’s how you say it.” For example, my kids know I’m close to losing my patience when I slow my speech and lower the pitch of my voice. That’s their cue to get in line or risk Mom’s wrath. Your characters’ speech will sound different to each other, depending on what emotion they are feeling. How does your protagonist sound when she’s excited? Guilty? Apathetic?

Some gestures relate to touch, but I included it as a separate category because it’s all about how the characters interact. Touch conveys so much in just a fleeting moment. Think about all the emotions expressed by physical contact—running a hand through a child’s hair, laying a head on a friend’s shoulder, punching someone in the face!

Posture is how we hold our bodies while we stand and sit, but it’s more than just being able to balance a book on your head. The way a character carries himself as he goes about his life says a lot about him. Does he stand tall or slouch? Sit back with his legs crossed or lean forward? How does your character hold his head, shoulders, arms, and legs—and what does that tell your readers about him?

6. Proxemics (personal space)

This aspect of body language makes me think of that old Seinfeld episode about the close talker, a man who doesn’t understand the idea of personal space. Most people respect that people want 18 inches or so between themselves and others. To be inside that space usually means either intimacy (if wanted) or threat (if unwanted). Again, there are cultural differences here, so be aware of that when you write.

7. Physical appearance

Our cleanliness, hairstyles, clothes, accessories, and other decisions about personal appearance tell others plenty about us. In fact, our first impressions of people often come from these choices. Show more about your characters by showing these aspects of them as well. Maybe she only likes to wear skirts or always wears a cross necklace. Perhaps she has giant, unruly curly hair. Maybe she was just born that way, and it doesn’t mean anything about her, OK???

Sometimes a character’s actions are a kind of body language. How and when he acts in certain ways can be meaningful (it isn’t always). Running instead of walking, slamming doors, taking a drink to fill a loaded silence, jumping in a car and driving away…these are all actions that carry emotion.

9. Physical sensations

Especially effective when writing in deep POV, these are the involuntary responses a character’s body will have to a certain stimulus. It might mean prickling skin, sweating, blushing, fast pulse, dry mouth…you get the idea. These are physiological responses we all share, so it engages readers’ senses and memories. It’s easy, though, to end up with a bunch of sweaty people with goosebumps who are practically having heart attacks. So be careful not to overdo it or go into clichés or purple prose.

A few other tips

Use it to strengthen dialogue

Body language reinforces the emotional connotation of the words, breaks up large amounts of dialogue, and provides a better alternative to dialogue tags.

Make the connection

Make sure you’re clearly connecting the chain of emotions, thoughts, motivations, actions, and reactions. Don’t hit your reader over the head with it, but don’t leave it ambiguous either.

Use multiple kinds of body language

Don’t rely on one nonverbal cue to communicate everything. Write them in little groupings and sprinkle them throughout the story.

Sometimes it’s about what they don’t do

Some characters are carefully blank, schooling their expressions and controlling their actions. What a person doesn’t do can say as much about them as what they do.

Make sure you include intentional actions as well as unconscious reactions to go even deeper.

Body language habits = personality quirks

Use your characters favorite body language as a personality quirk. Be careful not to repeat it too much, though, or you may bore your readers.

How do you use body language to create engaging characters? Leave a comment here or on Instagram or tweet me @jenichappelle .

Writing Visual Emotions ( Body Language) In Your Story

Body Language plays a huge part in Showing vs. Telling.

The unspoken elements of body language are one of the elements that can truly make the character feel well rounded and believable. So we’re going to take the next few minutes to show examples of these elements, how they are described, and what meanings they hold, both for the character acting them out on the page, and the reader inferring their meaning.

Let’s look at the key parts of the body and how their movement equates to meaning. Then we’ll go into how they work together to become the unspoken but very much understood language of emotion.

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About the perils and beauty of writing

Writing Body Language: Joy

Telling the reader a character feels happy is simple. And rather flat and boring. But showing signs of joy can give your story a strong punch that will make even your readers reflect the emotions while reading.

Writing Body Language: Attraction

Voice and facial expression

A burst of joy usually makes the character’s voice a bit high-pitched, possibly singing-like. You can use these 10 Happy “Said” Alternatives in dialogues to create a joyful impression. The characters can speak clearly, but some stutter and laughter pauses are also a good sign of sudden extreme happiness. The speech can be also a bit quicker, longer, and the character can repeat some words.

The face should brighten, the character usually cannot avoid a smile, even a grin. Wrinkles can soften the character’s eyes and their cheeks can turn pink.

Body language

Apart from the upper mentioned, the whole body usually reacts to joy. The character can burst with energy, jump, dance… or look very comfortable and relaxed. Happy people also often deal easily with tasks. A happy character can clean the whole household in half an hour, or bring relief to the whole office by quickly finding a solution for a complicated problem.

Joy can make physical troubles easier and thus injured or disabled characters may show their emotional state by slight posture or movement changes. A happy moment can also push a character to an unexpected performance, like winning a dance competition or succeeding in an exam.

Effect on other characters and atmosphere

A joyous character can brighten the whole scene. Or cause grim vibes and make the readers and other characters sense trouble in a case of an antagonist. A happily whistling dark lord playing with a dagger or scepter means nothing good, right? Or do you recall dear Dolores Umbridge and her giggle?

Make sure the surrounding of the character responds to their current mood. Arrival of a happy character (or in any other significant state) can work also as a changer for the atmosphere in a scene, foreshadow something, cause a twist…

Happy characters can participate in dialogues to bring optimism or advice. Or they can be too optimistic, misjudge the situation, and cause trouble. They can help others be happy as well, or ignite envy in other characters that can lead to negative actions. A character’s happy or bad ending and their resulting emotions will significantly influence the whole book ending atmosphere and the reader’s opinion. Thus, you can use a happy character to make the final book feeling burst with rainbow and sunshine, or dilute the many negative outcomes that would make your horror or drama too hard to digest. Apart from the ending, significant happy moments in the whole plot inhabit the reader’s memory just like the outstanding negative or tragic moments. You can accumulate happiness in a character to create such strong memorable points in your writing.

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Writing Body Language: Describing Eyes

How many times have you seen authors writing body language or describing eyes in writing? Think about all the glances being shot on the pages of most novels: sarcastic ones, annoyed ones, angry ones…characters always seem to have meaningful looks and glances for each other.

Writing Body Language: Check Your Writing Tics

A go-to way of describing eyes in writing is often a tic for writers. What do I mean by “tic”? Something you do in your writing that you’re not aware of. Something you usually do a lot . Some writers have favorite words, other writers have pet descriptions, and yet others have go-to actions and gestures for their characters.

Cinematic Constructs In Prose

Why do I think so many writers rely on “She shot him a glance” or “He gave her a look” when they’re writing body language? Because it’s a cinematic construct that we’re used to in movies and on TV. When a real life person or a movie character shoots a glance, we can read their body language, see the expression on their face, and interpret meaning from their eyes.

Right away, we can get the flavor of the look or glance and what it is meant to communicate to the target character and to us, the viewer. Loaded looks are pretty much the staple of soap operas and sitcoms. A lot goes without being said in words in these visual mediums.

But that’s just the problem. Writing body language is a different ballgame. In prose, we don’t have the added benefits of seeing the character’s facial expressions or reading their looks as they give another character a meaningful glance. And if we can’t see the look…it loses a lot of its meaning. The glance becomes vague instead of specific, as it can be on the screen. And vague writing is the death of good prose.

Reach For Fresher Imagery When Describing Eyes in Writing

What’s the solution? Try to wean yourself off of glances when you’re dealing with body language in writing . Sure, you can use a well-placed glance or look if you have enough context to make it count. And you can always qualify the glance, ie: “She shot him a murderous glance” or “He fired daggers at her with his eyes,” but these are so overused that they’ve verged into cliche territory (more on how to avoid cliches here). It may be easier to just face it — a loaded look in prose will never carry the same weight as it does in visual mediums — and more on to finding a fresher way for writing body language, something that reads better on the page.

When you hire my novel editing services, I’ll help you improve all aspects of your work — including freshening up stale imagery and descriptions.

31 replies to “writing body language: describing eyes”.

Guilty!!!!! This is a great post. I so need to work on the glance thing!

I just did a fast search through my ms for the word glanced. Only 3 but I know I have other words I use far too much. What a great reminder.

“And vagueness is the death of good prose.”

Thanks for this post! Very helpful.

Nice post:) My characters glance at each other all the time. But you know, I actually like coming across glances in other writers’ work. As the reader, I get to fill that glance with whatever I want. I agree that a too vague glance will leave me frustrated with what to do with it, but when and author has done a good job of setting up the relationship previous to the glance, I think it works. You’re right, it’s probably because I do watch TV and movies that I can get a clear image of a glance when it appears in prose. And yes, the rest of the context has to be clear. I guess I’m saying that I’m all for the occasional shooting look as long as the rest of the pieces are in place:)

The words “look” and “felt” are overused in general.

As for me, I’m tired of “said brightly” and “said flatly.”

Any examples of ways to be fresh in our characters’ nonverbal communication?

You’re right, you’re right *shoots a guilty look away from Mary* =)

As a translator (English into French), I stare at a lot of prose and I’ve noticed all those glances. You don’t necessarily feel them as you read, but when you’re working on the book/manuscript, they jump out. They’re not all meaningful either. A lot of them are just there to break up dialogue, remind readers of which characters are in the scene and where they are situated in relation to each other. Pretty much like on screen indeed. The funny thing is, you lose an awful lot of those in French, because FRench isn’t very tolerant of repetitions and words like ‘regarder’ are not as discreet as ‘look’.

Hmmmm…I think this has a lot to do with a lack of INTERIORITY.

See, grasshopper has learned well…right?

Huh, I don’t think I’ve ever done this much in my writing. I think my problem is more describing facial expressions/body movements way too much, actually…

My characters definitely “gaze” way too much. She gazed into the distance. He gazed at her. Definitely one of my tics as a writer!

Yeah. My characters do that. A lot.

This is me shooting you a murderous glance for moving to New York. And a sheepish glance cuz you know I do this tic. And a wistful glance because I wish you were going to SCBWI-LA this weekend.

Guilty. Although my characters tend to glare.

Thanks Mary. I’ve found myself doing this early on… Great post

I used to do this allllllll the time. My characters would look at each other 2-3 times per page. When I finally discovered I was doing it I was aghast. How could I have not noticed?

I agree that it is an effort to get the emotion of the scene across that leads to all these shooting looks. I’ve found beefing up the character’s (their tics, backstory, quirks, peeves, etc) I can round out what’s going on and how they are feeling with other clues and cues. And of course, dialogue helps too.

Eek. Guilty. Running to purge my pages right now. Thanks, Mary.

Not much gazing, but I do have a “Their glares could light an ant on fire.” Hmmm…..

Ooh, guilty. Add that to my list of things to check for while revising…

I was at the German Film Museum yesterday, and the first thing they had was an entire room devoted to EYES and glances. In film, that’s where half of the story is. Books play like movies in my head, so I will have to be very careful on this.

Thanks, Mary!

What a great post! I am completely guilty of having everyone in my novel “looking” at each other. In revision, I will definitely have to go through and find more creative ways to convey feeling. This is a tough one, and my friend/reader flagged it for me. So thank you for confirming my suspicion that it just doesn’t work!

Mine glance, gaze, eye, stare, glare and roll their eyes. A lot. It’s the first thing I mercilessly beat down on when I edit.

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I find the easiest way to handle a glance or a saw is to get rid of the words and let the writing speak for itself. If you ‘glance over to the tub and see the water running all over the floor’ you can change that to ‘the water ran all over the floor’ and let the reader intuitively deduce that you were glancing over that way.

Just checked my WIP and I only have a couple of “glares” in 19,000 words, so I think I’m safe. Thanks Mary!

I wonder if you’re not taking it a bit too far. Eyes are our most expressive nonverbal communicators. And eyes are very confrontational. That’s why it’s so much easier to look down at the ground during an unpleasant confrontation.

Perhaps we just need some fresh ways of describing eye-to-eye interaction.

Ha, ha. Last week my critique group found about a dozen (maybe not quit that much, but it felt like it while under the gun) “swirled” in one chapter. I also have a problem with laughed, roared and yes, glanced. Yet, another thing to look for during my next revision.

Thank you so much for this post. I know I rely too heavily on eyes, and it’s something I’m working on. After I read your comments, I searched my current MS for “shot”. I’m happy to report I only found one, and she was shooting arrows, not a glance. =)

Ah, one more thing to check for during edits! I did a check and I have several glances and gazes and looks. I’ll have to poke my character’s eyes out so they’ll stop doing those things! 😉

Good thing I’m sitting here with my WIP editing it right now. Thanks Mary.

Great timing– my crit buddy and I were just talking about action beats vs interiority. It’s kinda hard to get it right!

I have to add to Anonymouse’s question– I’d like to see some authors that you think do a good job of “finding a fresher way for characters to communicate”–because you’re right, action beats and shooting glances seem to be the norm in lots of books I’ve read lately.

Thanks, as always, for your awesome insight.

So guilty of this one! I’m going to do a quick search later for all my glances/eye movement and see if I can change things up.

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Body Language in Writing

Everyone uses body language in one way or another. Talking with a friend, in a business meeting, or at a ball game, the gestures, postures, and movements of our bodies and facial expressions are telltale signs of who we are, our mood, how we feel healthwise or about an issue, and what we think.

We form tightened lips, narrowed eyes, make fists, throw hands in the air, and shuffle our feet. We talk with our hands, cover our face, rake fingers through our hair, etc. We are human, and we are constantly expressive.

In real life, if more than fifty percent of non-verbal communication is through body language, then it goes to reason that when we write our protagonists and antagonists should do the same. How dull would a book be without noticing shifty eyes, crossed arms, or flared nostrils?

By using body language in writing, we are more likely to show and not tell, thus giving readers a more accurate picture of the character’s state of mind and the tension taking place. We draw the reader in when we use realistic and believable behaviors, just be sure to use them in moderation. Too many will slow your story down.

Example of overuse: Roy’s face reddened, lips tightened, his knuckles whitened in clenched fists, and he gritted his teeth when his boss gave the promotion to his partner. He stormed from the room and slammed the door, remembering the pistol in his brief case.

Better: Heat rushed into Roy’s face when his boss gave the promotion to his partner. He clenched his jaw to keep from saying too much and left the room. The door slammed behind him as his focus lands on the briefcase under his desk, housing a Glock.

Roy’s body language describes his attitude and mood. The tension thickened, and the stakes rose the moment a weapon was mentioned. Most readers can tell something bad is about to happen; thus, the suspense intensifies. Let them bask in the non-verbal clues the character reveals and keep them turning the page.

Using body language sounds simple, but it’s not as easily written. Here are a few more examples of suspicious, angry, or aggitated body language. We must avoid repetition of the same gestures in our writing to avoid losing the readers interest.

Crossed the arms Tightened lips Straddled a chair

Narrowed eyes Twisted lips Looked away

Jutted chin Clenched fists Lowered eyebrows

Crouched down Confrontational Rolled eyes

Darting glance Grimacing Shaking fist

Twitching trigger finger Lying Sneering or Smirk

Remember, use body language where it will pack a punch in the story and add depth to the character’s dialogue. Most importantly, keep the reader turning the page, or their body language will toss the book aside.

Loretta Eidson writes romantic suspense. She has won and been a finalist in several writing contests, including first place in romantic suspense in the Foundations Awards at the 2018 Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference, a finalist in ACFW’s 2018 Genesis, was a finalist in the 2018 Fabulous Five, and a double finalist in the 2017 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence.

Loretta lives in North Mississippi with her husband Kenneth, a retired Memphis Police Captain. She loves salted caramel lava cake, dark chocolate, and caramel Frappuccinos.

Website: lorettaeidson.com

Facebok: loretta.eidson.7

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From 101 Creative Writing Exercises: Body Language

by Melissa Donovan | Aug 19, 2021 | Creative Writing Exercises | 0 comments

Take a peek at “Body Language” from 101 Creative Writing Exercises.

101 Creative Writing Exercises is a collection of creative writing exercises that takes writers on a journey through different forms and genres while providing writing techniques, practice, and inspiration.

Each exercise teaches a specific concept, and each chapter focuses on a different subject or form of writing: journaling, storytelling, fiction, poetry, article writing, and more. Every exercise is designed to be practical. In other words, you can use these exercises to launch projects that are destined for publication.

Today, I’d like to share one of my favorite exercises from the book. This is from “Chapter 4: Speak Up,” which focuses on dialogue and scripts. The exercise is called “Body Language.” Enjoy!

Body Language

Sometimes what people say without actually speaking tells us a whole lot more than what comes out of their mouths. Using body language to communicate is natural. We all understand it intuitively—some better than others.

The Exercise

Write a scene between two (or more) characters in which there is no dialogue but the characters are communicating with each other through body language. You can also write a nonfiction piece. Surely you have experienced nonverbal communication. Take that experience and describe it on the page.

Your scene can be a lead-in to two characters meeting or conversing. The scene should comprise at least two pages of non-dialogue interaction with two or more characters. Here are a few scene starters:

A cop, detective, or private investigator is tailing a suspect through a small town, a big city, a mall, amusement park, or other public area.
Strangers are always good for body language exercises. Think about where strangers are brought together: public transportation, classes, elevators, and formal meetings.
Kids in a classroom aren’t supposed to be speaking while a teacher is giving a lecture, but they always find ways to communicate.

Tips: What if one character misinterprets another character’s body language? That could lead to humor or disaster. Maybe the characters are supposed to be doing something else (like in a classroom where they’re supposed to be listening to the teacher) but instead, they’re making faces and gestures at each other. One helpful technique might be to go inside the characters’ heads, but don’t get too carried away with he thought and she wondered as these constructs are basically inner dialogue.

Variations: As an alternative, write a scene in which one character speaks and one doesn’t: an adult and a baby, a human and an animal.

Applications: There are depictions of nonverbal communication in almost all types of storytelling from journalism and biography to memoir and fiction.

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Kelley Lindberg

Writing Body Language – Are Your Characters Fluent in Body Language?

March 17, 2021 by Kelley Lindberg 1 Comment

In the improv comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway ? , the comedians often perform a particular sketch, called “Moving People,” where they pull two audience members on stage. Two of the comedians act out a scene while the two audience members frantically try to pose them to match the dialogue. The comedians are as helpful and as flexible as thrift-shop mannequins. It’s always hilarious.

Some days, that’s exactly what it feels like I’m doing with my characters. “No, curse you, protagonist, you can’t take a sip of your coffee now ! The love of your life just said she loves you! And you, antagonist, can’t you do something sinister with your body language in this scene? Snap the eraser off a pencil, or draw a mustache on the sleeping hero, or… I don’t know, crack your knuckles and loudly crunch your popcorn during a movie? Don’t just stand there and glower. That’s much too predictable.”

Other days, my characters are more willing to cooperate. They let me bend their knees just so, fold their arms in exactly the right defensive posture, nail their entrances with aplomb, or roll their eyes with the barest hint of apology.

Body language can be just as important as dialogue—and sometimes more so. The way a character reacts to an event with their movements, their expressions, their breath, their eyes – all of that can tell us more about the character than their words. It’s especially effective when the body language says the opposite of the words.

And if we expand “body language” to include actions, it gets even more interesting. A character can reveal a lot about their emotional state by the household chore they choose to do when they’re anxious, for example.

This is true in real life, as well as in writing, because studies tell us that body language can convey more than half of our communication with other people.

Here’s a wonderful little bit from Christopher Moore’s A Dirty Job . In this scene, Charlie has just discovered that he may be Death. It’s lunchtime and he’s in the kitchen with his infant daughter, trying to wrap his head around this news:

“So I am Death,” Charlie said as he tried to construct a tuna-fish sandwich. “Daddy is Death, sweetie.” He checked the toast, not trusting the pop-up mechanism because the toaster people sometimes just like to fuck with you.

Seeing Charlie attempt to focus on a mundane task (sandwich-making) and blame his struggles on those vague, nameless, unreachable “toaster people” is a brilliant way to show that Charlie is, in fact, having a speck of trouble accepting his new role in a world he doesn’t fathom with mysterious enemies he can’t fight.

Sure, Moore could have just told us that Charlie was stunned by his new reality. But letting Charlie’s actions illustrate his inability to mesh his normal life with this revelation is so much more delicious, isn’t it? It’s that old “show, don’t tell” thing again.

There are plenty of resources for learning more about body language and communication, such as these: “Cheat Sheets for Writing Body Language” from Writers Write , “How to Avoid Overused Body Language in Your Writing” by Sandra Gerth , and “Body Language: An Artistic Writing Tool” on the Writers in the Storm blog .

Even when our characters sometimes seem as malleable as jointless fiberglass mannequins—but less cooperative—it’s worth the effort. Show us a character’s emotional conflict through their body language and actions, rather than telling us about it, and we’ll follow you anywhere, through any scene, hanging on every word.

Reader Interactions

March 18, 2021 at 12:48 pm

What a great reminder. Now I’m heading to my WIP to check for body language. H the Hanks, Kelley.

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Understanding Body Language and Facial Expressions

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Body language refers to the nonverbal signals that we use to communicate. These nonverbal signals make up a huge part of daily communication. In fact, body language may account for between 60% to 65% of all communication.

Examples of body language include facial expressions, eye gaze, gestures, posture, and body movements. In many cases, the things we don't say can convey volumes of information.

So, why is body language important? Body language can help us understand others and ourselves. It provides us with information about how people may be feeling in a given situation. We can also use body language to express emotions or intentions.

Facial expressions, gestures, and eye gaze are often identified as the three major types of body language, but other aspects such as posture and personal distance can also be used to convey information. Understanding body language is important, but it is also essential to pay attention to other cues such as context. In many cases, you should look at signals as a group rather than focus on a single action.

This article discusses the roles played by body language in communication, as well as body language examples and the meaning behind them—so you know what to look for when you're trying to interpret nonverbal actions.

Click Play to Learn How To Read Body Language

This video has been medically reviewed by David Susman, PhD .

Facial Expressions

Think for a moment about how much a person is able to convey with just a facial expression. A smile can indicate approval or happiness . A frown can signal disapproval or unhappiness.

In some cases, our facial expressions may reveal our true feelings about a particular situation. While you say that you are feeling fine, the look on your face may tell people otherwise.

Just a few examples of emotions that can be expressed via facial expressions include:

The expression on a person's face can even help determine if we trust or believe what the individual is saying.

There are many interesting findings about body language in psychology research. One study found that the most trustworthy facial expression involved a slight raise of the eyebrows and a slight smile. This expression, the researchers suggested, conveys both friendliness and confidence .

Facial expressions are also among the most universal forms of body language. The expressions used to convey fear, anger, sadness, and happiness are similar throughout the world.

Researcher Paul Ekman has found support for the universality of a variety of facial expressions tied to particular emotions including joy, anger, fear, surprise, and sadness.

Research even suggests that we make judgments about people's intelligence based upon their faces and expressions.

One study found that individuals who had narrower faces and more prominent noses were more likely to be perceived as intelligent. People with smiling, joyful expression were also judged as being more intelligent than those with angry expressions.

The eyes are frequently referred to as the "windows to the soul" since they are capable of revealing a great deal about what a person is feeling or thinking.

As you engage in conversation with another person, taking note of eye movements is a natural and important part of the communication process.

Some common things you may notice include whether people are making direct eye contact or averting their gaze, how much they are blinking, or if their pupils are dilated.

The best way to read someone's body language is to pay attention. Look out for any of the following eye signals.

When a person looks directly into your eyes while having a conversation, it indicates that they are interested and paying attention . However, prolonged eye contact can feel threatening.

On the other hand, breaking eye contact and frequently looking away might indicate that the person is distracted, uncomfortable, or trying to conceal his or her real feelings.

Blinking is natural, but you should also pay attention to whether a person is blinking too much or too little.

People often blink more rapidly when they are feeling distressed or uncomfortable. Infrequent blinking may indicate that a person is intentionally trying to control his or her eye movements.

For example, a poker player might blink less frequently because he is purposely trying to appear unexcited about the hand he was dealt.

Pupil size can be a very subtle nonverbal communication signal. While light levels in the environment control pupil dilation, sometimes emotions can also cause small changes in pupil size.

For example, you may have heard the phrase "bedroom eyes" used to describe the look someone gives when they are attracted to another person. Highly dilated eyes, for example, can indicate that a person is interested or even aroused.

Mouth expressions and movements can also be essential in reading body language. For example, chewing on the bottom lip may indicate that the individual is experiencing feelings of worry, fear, or insecurity.

Covering the mouth may be an effort to be polite if the person is yawning or coughing, but it may also be an attempt to cover up a frown of disapproval.

Smiling is perhaps one of the greatest body language signals, but smiles can also be interpreted in many ways.

A smile may be genuine, or it may be used to express false happiness, sarcasm, or even cynicism.

When evaluating body language, pay attention to the following mouth and lip signals:

Pursed lips. Tightening the lips might be an indicator of distaste, disapproval, or distrust.
Lip biting. People sometimes bite their lips when they are worried, anxious, or stressed.
Covering the mouth. When people want to hide an emotional reaction, they might cover their mouths in order to avoid displaying smiles or smirks.
Turned up or down. Slight changes in the mouth can also be subtle indicators of what a person is feeling. When the mouth is slightly turned up, it might mean that the person is feeling happy or optimistic . On the other hand, a slightly down-turned mouth can be an indicator of sadness, disapproval, or even an outright grimace.

Gestures can be some of the most direct and obvious body language signals. Waving, pointing, and using the fingers to indicate numerical amounts are all very common and easy to understand gestures.

Some gestures may be cultural , however, so giving a thumbs-up or a peace sign in another country might have a completely different meaning than it does in the United States.

The following examples are just a few common gestures and their possible meanings:

A clenched fist can indicate anger in some situations or solidarity in others.
A thumbs up and thumbs down are often used as gestures of approval and disapproval.
The "okay" gesture , made by touching together the thumb and index finger in a circle while extending the other three fingers can be used to mean "okay" or "all right." In some parts of Europe, however, the same signal is used to imply you are nothing. In some South American countries, the symbol is actually a vulgar gesture.
The V sign , created by lifting the index and middle finger and separating them to create a V-shape, means peace or victory in some countries. In the United Kingdom and Australia, the symbol takes on an offensive meaning when the back of the hand is facing outward.

The Arms and Legs

The arms and legs can also be useful in conveying nonverbal information. Crossing the arms can indicate defensiveness. Crossing legs away from another person may indicate dislike or discomfort with that individual.

Other subtle signals such as expanding the arms widely may be an attempt to seem larger or more commanding, while keeping the arms close to the body may be an effort to minimize oneself or withdraw from attention.

When you are evaluating body language, pay attention to some of the following signals that the arms and legs may convey:

Crossed arms might indicate that a person feels defensive, self-protective, or closed-off.
Standing with hands placed on the hips can be an indication that a person is ready and in control, or it can also possibly be a sign of aggressiveness .
Clasping the hands behind the back might indicate that a person is feeling bored, anxious, or even angry.
Rapidly tapping fingers or fidgeting can be a sign that a person is bored, impatient, or frustrated.
Crossed legs can indicate that a person is feeling closed-off or in need of privacy.

How we hold our bodies can also serve as an important part of body language.

The term posture refers to how we hold our bodies as well as the overall physical form of an individual.

Posture can convey a wealth of information about how a person is feeling as well as hints about personality characteristics, such as whether a person is confident, open, or submissive.

Sitting up straight, for example, may indicate that a person is focused and paying attention to what's going on. Sitting with the body hunched forward, on the other hand, can imply that the person is bored or indifferent.

When you are trying to read body language, try to notice some of the signals that a person's posture can send.

Open posture involves keeping the trunk of the body open and exposed. This type of posture indicates friendliness, openness, and willingness.
Closed posture involves hiding the trunk of the body often by hunching forward and keeping the arms and legs crossed. This type of posture can be an indicator of hostility, unfriendliness, and anxiety .

Personal Space

Have you ever heard someone refer to their need for personal space? Have you ever started to feel uncomfortable when someone stands just a little too close to you?

The term proxemics , coined by anthropologist Edward T. Hall, refers to the distance between people as they interact. Just as body movements and facial expressions can communicate a great deal of nonverbal information, so can the physical space between individuals.

Hall described four levels of social distance that occur in different situations.

Intimate Distance: 6 to 18 inches

This level of physical distance often indicates a closer relationship or greater comfort between individuals. It usually occurs during intimate contact such as hugging, whispering, or touching.

Personal Distance: 1.5 to 4 feet

Physical distance at this level usually occurs between people who are family members or close friends. The closer the people can comfortably stand while interacting can be an indicator of the level of intimacy in their relationship.

Social Distance: 4 to 12 feet.

This level of physical distance is often used with individuals who are acquaintances.

With someone you know fairly well, such as a co-worker you see several times a week, you might feel more comfortable interacting at a closer distance.

In cases where you do not know the other person well, such as a postal delivery driver you only see once a month, a distance of 10 to 12 feet may feel more comfortable.

Public Distance: 12 to 25 feet

Physical distance at this level is often used in public speaking situations. Talking in front of a class full of students or giving a presentation at work are good examples of such situations.

It is also important to note that the level of personal distance that individuals need to feel comfortable can vary from culture to culture.

One oft-cited example is the difference between people from Latin cultures and those from North America. People from Latin countries tend to feel more comfortable standing closer to one another as they interact, while those from North America need more personal distance.

Roles of Nonverbal Communication

Body language plays many roles in social interactions. It can help facilitate the following:

Earning trust : Engaging in eye contact, nodding your head while listening, and even unconsciously mirroring another person's body language are all signals that you and someone else are bonding.
Emphasizing a point : The tone of voice you use and the way you engage listeners with your hand and arm gestures, or by how you take up space, are all ways that affect how your message comes across.
Revealing truths : When someone's body language doesn't match what they're saying, we might intuitively pick up on the fact that they are withholding information, or perhaps not being honest about how they feel.
Tuning in to your own needs : Our own body language can reveal a lot about how we're feeling. For instance, are you in a slumped posture, clenching your jaw and/or pursing your lips? This may be a signal that the environment you're currently in is triggering you in some way. Your body might be telling you that you're feeling unsafe, stressed, or any number of emotions.

Remember, though, that your assumptions about what someone else's body language means may not always be accurate.

What does body language tell you about a person?

Body language can tell you when someone feels anxious, angry, excited, or any emotion. It may also suggest personality traits (i.e., whether someone is shy or outgoing). But, body language can be misleading. It is subject to a person's mood, energy level, and circumstances.

While in some cases, a lack of eye contact indicates untrustworthiness, for instance, it doesn't mean you automatically can't trust someone who isn't looking at you in the eyes. It could be they are distracted and thinking about something else. Or, again, it could be a cultural difference at play.

How to Improve Your Nonverbal Communication

The first step in improving your nonverbal communication is to pay attention. Try to see if you can pick up on other people's physical cues as well as your own.

Maybe when someone is telling you a story, you tend to look at the floor. In order to show them you're paying attention, you might try making eye contact instead, and even showing a slight smile, to show you're open and engaged.

What is good body language?

Good body language, also known as positive body language, should convey interest and enthusiasm. Some ways to do this include maintaining an upright and open posture, keeping good eye contact, smiling, and nodding while listening.

Using body language with intention is all about finding balance. For instance, when shaking someone's hand before a job interview, holding it somewhat firmly can signal professionalism. But, gripping it too aggressively might cause the other person pain or discomfort. Be sure to consider how other people might feel.

In addition, continue to develop emotional intelligence . The more in touch you are with how you feel, the easier it often is to sense how others are receiving you. You'll be able to tell when someone is open and receptive, or, on the other hand, if they are closed-off and need some space.

If we want to feel a certain way, we can use our body language to our advantage. For example, research found that people who maintained an upright seated posture while dealing with stress had higher levels of self-esteem and more positive moods compared to people who had slumped posture.

Of course, it's verbal and nonverbal communication—as well as the context of a situation—that often paints a full picture.

There isn't always a one-size-fits-all solution for what nonverbal cues are appropriate. However, by staying present and being respectful, you'll be well on your way to understanding how to use body language effectively.

A Word From Verywell

Understanding body language can go a long way toward helping you better communicate with others and interpreting what others might be trying to convey. While it may be tempting to pick apart signals one by one, it's important to look at these nonverbal signals in relation to verbal communication, other nonverbal signals, and the situation.

You can also learn more about how to improve your nonverbal communication to become better at letting people know what you are feeling—without even saying a word.

Foley GN, Gentile JP. Nonverbal communication in psychotherapy . Psychiatry (Edgmont) . 2010;7(6):38-44.

Tipper CM, Signorini G, Grafton ST. Body language in the brain: constructing meaning from expressive movement . Front Hum Neurosci . 2015;9:450. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2015.00450

Todorov A, Baron SG, Oosterhof NN. Evaluating face trustworthiness: a model based approach. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2008;3(2):119-27. doi:10.1093/scan/nsn009

Ekman P. Darwin's contributions to our understanding of emotional expressions. Philos Trans R Soc Lond, B, Biol Sci. 2009;364(1535):3449-51. doi:10.1098/rstb.2009.0189

Kleisner K, Chvátalová V, Flegr J. Perceived intelligence is associated with measured intelligence in men but not women. PLoS ONE. 2014;9(3):e81237. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0081237

D'agostino TA, Bylund CL. Nonverbal accommodation in health care communication. Health Commun . 2014;29(6):563-73. doi:10.1080/10410236.2013.783773

Marchak FM. Detecting false intent using eye blink measures. Front Psychol. 2013;4:736. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00736

Jiang J, Borowiak K, Tudge L, Otto C, Von kriegstein K. Neural mechanisms of eye contact when listening to another person talking. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2017;12(2):319-328. doi:10.1093/scan/nsw127

Roter DL, Frankel RM, Hall JA, Sluyter D. The expression of emotion through nonverbal behavior in medical visits. Mechanisms and outcomes . J Gen Intern Med. 2006;21 Suppl 1:S28-34. doi:10.1111/j.1525-1497.2006.00306.x

Montgomery KJ, Isenberg N, Haxby JV. Communicative hand gestures and object-directed hand movements activated the mirror neuron system. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2007;2(2):114-22. doi:10.1093/scan/nsm004

Vacharkulksemsuk T, Reit E, Khambatta P, Eastwick PW, Finkel EJ, Carney DR. Dominant, open nonverbal displays are attractive at zero-acquaintance . Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2016;113(15):4009-14. doi:10.1073/pnas.1508932113

Hall ET. A system for the notation of proxemic behavior . American Anthropologist. October 1963;65(5):1003-1026. doi:10.1525/aa.1963.65.5.02a00020.

Hughes H, Hockey J, Berry G. Power play: the use of space to control and signify power in the workplace . Culture and Organization. 2019;26(4):298-314. doi:10.1080/14759551.2019.1601722

Chemelo VDS, Né YGS, Frazão DR, et al. Is there association between stress and bruxism? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Neurol . 2020;11:590779. doi:10.3389/fneur.2020.590779

Jarick M, Bencic R. Eye contact is a two-way street: arousal is elicited by the sending and receiving of eye gaze information. Front Psychol . 2019;10:1262. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01262

Fred HL. Banning the handshake from healthcare settings is not the solution to poor hand hygiene . Tex Heart Inst J . 2015;42(6):510-511. doi:10.14503/THIJ-15-5254

Nair S, Sagar M, Sollers J 3rd, Consedine N, Broadbent E. Do slumped and upright postures affect stress responses? A randomized trial . Health Psychol . 2015;34(6):632-641. doi:10.1037/hea0000146

Hehman, E, Flake, JK and Freeman, JB. Static and dynamic facial cues differentially affect the consistency of social evaluations . Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin . 2015; 41(8): 1123-34. doi:10.1177/0146167215591495.

Pillai D, Sheppard E, Mitchell P. Can people guess what happened to others from their reactions? Gilbert S, ed. PLoS ONE . 2012;7(11):e49859. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0049859.

Ekman P. Emotions Revealed: Recognizing Faces and Feelings to Improve Communication and Emotional Life. 2nd ed. New York: Holt; 2007.
Pease A, Pease B. The Definitive Book of Body Language. Orion Publishing Group; 2017.

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

More From Forbes

How to be captivating in a video job interview.

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When you master your video job interview, you’ll be sure to be top of mind when it’s time for the hiring committee to discuss the candidates they’re considering. Of course, before you focus on mesmerizing your interviewer, you need to do some up-front prep and kick off your interview with a sizzling start. In this article, we’ll focus on being mesmerizing and magnetic during the interview.

Be Doubly Human

The computer screen, which should be a laptop rather than a phone, acts as a scrim that dilutes the humanity. It strips away some of the emotional connection that would be conveyed if your interview was taking place in person. “Staring at someone’s face on a computer screen results in lower levels of brain activity and social arousal than meeting them in person,” according to a new study by researchers at Yale and University College London. To counteract that, amp up the humanity.

Demonstrate Empathy

Talk about how you like to work with others, express acknowledgement, and appreciation for those who helped you get where you are. Convey enthusiasm. Show your excitement for the role with positive body language, such as nodding and smiling.

Tell Stories

You’re likely one of at least a few people who made the short list and secured a video interview. You need to make sure you stand out so you’ll be remembered when it’s time to make it to the next round (or get chosen for the role). Stories are memorable. When the interviewer asks, “What’s your biggest weakness?” rather than say, “I’m a perfectionist,” tell the story about how you discovered that you’re a perfectionist and how you have learned to manage your perfectionism. Come prepared with stories for all the standard job interview questions .

Bring a Prop

Interviewers have a tough job. They are interviewing multiple different candidates over time. Once it comes time to decide who makes it to the shorter list or gets the offer, you want to be the person who made an indelible impression. Consider ways you can stand out (in a good way, of course!). Where appropriate, have a prop on hand that allows you to demonstrate what makes you unique and valuable, and right for the job. For example, one interview candidate had a coffee mug with “good morning” in many languages on it to showcase her global experience and interest in other cultures.

Best High-Yield Savings Accounts Of 2024

Best 5% interest savings accounts of 2024, demonstrate your tech skills.

Tech is part of every job these days and being an innovator is a personal brand attribute that’s always welcome. To really wow your interviewer, consider tech enhancements that will make your interview different from all the others. Tools like mmhmm and Prezi , used along with a green screen, allow you to put yourself into any background image you create. You can show up in a square or circle and can change your background. At the end of the interview, you can have a slide behind you with a QR code to something you want the interviewer to check out, like a link to a whitepaper you wrote, a YouTube video showcasing your thought leadership, or an article you found online that reflects your views on the role you're pursuing. Even if they don’t go to the link you provide, they’ll be impressed.

Follow the Interviewer's Lead

Pay close attention to the interviewer's cues. If there’s a lag, allow for pauses before responding to ensure you do not talk over the interviewer.

Express Positive Body Language

Your posture and gestures help you deliver a complete communication. Sit up straight, use hand movements when appropriate, and maintain a pleasant demeanor to project confidence and approachability. Remember to nod to signal that you’re actively listening to the interviewer.

The Follow-Through

As the interview progresses, maintain the momentum you've built. Stay engaged, listen actively, and respond thoughtfully. The impression you leave should not only be of a candidate who started strong but one who consistently displayed professionalism, energy, and competence throughout the conversation.

Of course, above all, be yourself. You’ll exude confidence when you show the true you. The goal of the video interview should not be to get shortlisted or hired at all costs. It should be to show who you really are and why you’d be a valuable addition to the team.

William Arruda is a keynote speaker , co-founder of CareerBlast.TV and creator of the 360Reach Personal Brand Survey that helps you get candid, meaningful feedback from people who know you.

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Stellar Blade demo arrives March 29

Get a taste of Shift Up’s sleek action adventure ahead of its April 26 PS5 release.

Greetings. This is Hyung Tae Kim, director of Stellar Blade . We are pleased to officially announce the upcoming free playable demo for Stellar Blade, coming March 29 to PlayStation 5.

The demo takes place from the very beginning of the game when Eve, a member of the 7 th Airborne Squad is sent to Earth on a mission to reclaim the planet from the Naytiba, up to the first boss fight. This first stage will include the tutorial phase to help you familiarize yourself with basic combat features as you explore post-war Eidos 7, a human city now infested by the Naytiba, giving you an early grasp of gameplay mechanics that will serve you throughout the game’s story.

We also have a little surprise included for players who complete the first stage.

From the smooth 60fps combat to the haptics, you’ll feel through the DualSense wireless controller, there are various charms of the game that you can only confidently appreciate through hands-on experience.

For those who complete the demo stage, you can carry over your save data when the full game releases on April 26, starting from the last checkpoint. Please note that save data must be stored on your PS5 system.

The Stellar Blade demo will be available starting Friday, March 29 from 7am PDT / 2pm GMT.

Alongside the demo, the full game will feature the following language options:

Voice Over: Korean, English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Latin Spanish.

Text: Korean, English (US), French, Italian, German, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Arabic, Turkish, Thai, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese.

We greatly appreciate your anticipation! Mark your calendar for April 26, and make sure not to miss the preorder bonuses. The time for humankind to reclaim Earth has nearly arrived.

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Cheat Sheets For Writing Body Language
Cheat Sheets For Writing Body Language. Use this list to help you with your body language descriptions. It will help you to translate emotions and thoughts into written body language. Obviously, a character may exhibit a number of these behaviours. For example, they may be shocked and angry, or shocked and happy. Use these combinations as needed.
How to Describe Body Language in Writing
How to Use Body Language in Your Writing. 1. Facial expressions. The face is the first body part when we think about communication. Even in real life, facial expressions are easier to read than other types of gestures and body cues (maybe that's why "clowns at a kids' party" is usually a good idea). You can use facial expressions to ...
Body language master list for writers
Body language master list for writers. "Show, don't tell" is the first lesson of Fiction Writing 101, and one of the easiest and quickest fixes is to replace the emotional adverbs and adjectives with some body language. For example, instead of "He said, sadly," you could write, "He said with tears welling in his eyes.".
Writing Body Language: Bringing Your Characters to Life
Mirror the body language of the person they are attracted to. Stand up straight and puff out their chest. Speak with a lighter, softer tone to their voice. Steal glances at the person they are attracted to (especially when the other person isn't looking) Look at the lips of the person they are attracted to.
MASTER LIST of Gestures and Body Language!
he jerked his thumb toward…. he jerked her head in the direction of…. he shrank from…. she gestured with her coffee cup. they gesture with their pen. A slightly expanded version of this list of body language and gestures appears in my book Master Lists for Writers: Thesauruses, Plots, Character Traits, Names, and More.
Effective Body Language in Writing
A Look at Body Language in Writing. by Ellen Buikema. More than half of human communication consists of body language, which we use to communicate feelings, thought, and ideas without speech. Body language impacts other people's perception and conveys our emotions far more than we think it does. Physical descriptions of what our characters ...
Body Language for Writers: Your Ultimate Guide
1. Use Body Language Only From Time to Time. If you use body language too much, it will become annoying and obvious and lose its subtle qualities. Instead, only describe characters' facial expressions and postures from time to time. Make them smoothly blend in with the dialogue and the other scenic description!
How To Describe Body Language in Fiction
Body language can denote relationships between characters. Consider two characters who mirror each other's movements, implying a close bond, or a character who avoids another's gaze, suggesting conflict or discomfort. By weaving body language into your scene descriptions, you can make them more vivid and dynamic.
9 Simple and Powerful Ways to Write Body Language
8. Actions. Sometimes a character's actions are a kind of body language. How and when he acts in certain ways can be meaningful (it isn't always). Running instead of walking, slamming doors, taking a drink to fill a loaded silence, jumping in a car and driving away…these are all actions that carry emotion. 9.
12 Examples of Body Language Descriptions by Great Authors
The Writer's Treasure Chest - everything in one place, curated, organized, this is a great reference for all things writing craft, with tons of prompts, plot/character generators and other tools to inspire you to write a great story with complex, believable and memorable character, animated by descriptive body language.
Body language cheat sheets for writers
☑️ 4,000+ body language and nonverbal prompts that span 21 categories and numerous subcategories, all packaged inside a 100-page downloadable PDF, to guide you as you're writing and editing ☑️ A walk-through video and detailed written instructions outlining how the toolkit works and tips to maximize its usefulness
Writing Visual Emotions ( Body Language) In Your Story
Body Language plays a huge part in Showing vs. Telling. The unspoken elements of body language are one of the elements that can truly make the character feel well rounded and believable. So we're going to take the next few minutes to show examples of these elements, how they are described, and what meanings they hold, both for the character ...
Discover The Ultimate Resource On Body Language For Writers
Overview of nonverbal communication and body language. Detailed written instructions and examples on how to use the cheat sheets. A walk-through video. More than 4,000 nonverbal prompts that span 21 categories and numerous subcategories. See It In Action nonverbal snippets from published books.
Powerful Writing: Use Body Language for Your Entire Novel
Employing body language is only one element of world-building — engaging all the senses is another element that helps create a three-dimensional character that feels real and relatable to the ...
Writing Body Language: Joy
Writing Body Language: Attraction. Voice and facial expression. A burst of joy usually makes the character's voice a bit high-pitched, possibly singing-like. You can use these 10 Happy "Said" Alternatives in dialogues to create a joyful impression. The characters can speak clearly, but some stutter and laughter pauses are also a good sign ...
Writing Body Language: Describing Eyes
When a real life person or a movie character shoots a glance, we can read their body language, see the expression on their face, and interpret meaning from their eyes. Right away, we can get the flavor of the look or glance and what it is meant to communicate to the target character and to us, the viewer. Loaded looks are pretty much the staple ...
I found Cheat Sheets For Writing Body Language : r/writing
I found Cheat Sheets For Writing Body Language. Thanks for sharing! That looks like a useful sheet to have on hand. I recommend The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi to help with body language. It lists 75 emotions and the physical signs, internal sensations, mental responses they produce.
Writing Body Language and Dialogue Cues
Learn how to write body language and dialogue cues from a kinesics specialist. Writers will learn how to write fresh: Body Language Basics: facial messages, lips, eyes, chin, full facial expression, flicker-face, gestures, posture, hierarchical zones . . . Body Language Clusters Avoidance and deception cues Vibes - beyond spidey senses and hair-raising Turning Points
Body Language in Writing
Using body language sounds simple, but it's not as easily written. Here are a few more examples of suspicious, angry, or aggitated body language. We must avoid repetition of the same gestures in our writing to avoid losing the readers interest. Crossed the arms Tightened lips Straddled a chair. Narrowed eyes Twisted lips Looked away.
From 101 Creative Writing Exercises: Body Language
Take a peek at "Body Language" from 101 Creative Writing Exercises. 101 Creative Writing Exercises is a collection of creative writing exercises that takes writers on a journey through different forms and genres while providing writing techniques, practice, and inspiration. Each exercise teaches a specific concept, and each chapter focuses ...
Writing Body Language
Body language can be just as important as dialogue—and sometimes more so. The way a character reacts to an event with their movements, their expressions, their breath, their eyes - all of that can tell us more about the character than their words. It's especially effective when the body language says the opposite of the words.
How to Understand Body Language and Facial Expressions
Steven Gans, MD. Body language refers to the nonverbal signals that we use to communicate. These nonverbal signals make up a huge part of daily communication. In fact, body language may account for between 60% to 65% of all communication. Examples of body language include facial expressions, eye gaze, gestures, posture, and body movements.
23 Essential Body Language Examples and Their Meanings
Body language is the science of nonverbal signals such as gestures, facial expressions, and eye gaze that communicate a person's emotions and intentions. In total, there are 11 types of body language that we use to communicate. Unlike words, body language is often done subconsciously and constitutes a large part of our communication. ...
More than words: decoding America's body language
Methodology. Preply surveyed 1,007 Americans about their daily body language and their interpretations of different facial expressions and gestures. Among our respondents, 50% were women, 49% were men, and 1% were nonbinary or nonconforming. Additionally, 11% were baby boomers, 23% were Gen X, 47% were millennials, and 19% were Gen Z.
Body Language
A master of movement training, Rodrigue has now shared his knowledge in Back to the Body: Infusing Physical Life Into Characters in Theatre and Film, a manual based on his years of experience.The book, published last spring, guides readers to use their bodies and energy as a basic point of departure for performance and expression and promises to teach actors how to "create a unique, honest ...
How To Be Captivating In A Video Job Interview
Express Positive Body Language. Your posture and gestures help you deliver a complete communication. Sit up straight, use hand movements when appropriate, and maintain a pleasant demeanor to ...
Stellar Blade demo arrives March 29
Please note that save data must be stored on your PS5 system. The Stellar Blade demo will be available starting Friday, March 29 from 7am PDT / 2pm GMT. Alongside the demo, the full game will feature the following language options: Voice Over: Korean, English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Latin Spanish.

Cheat Sheets For Writing Body Language

What Is Body Language?

How To Use It In Writing

The Top Five Tips For Using Body Language

53 thoughts on “Cheat Sheets For Writing Body Language”

How to Describe Body Language in Writing

What Is Body Language?

Body Language is Important, this is Why

Show, Don’t Tell!

How to Use Body Language in Your Writing

2. Gestures

5. Physical appearance

Tips for Using Body Language

2. Use It to Show Rather Than Tell

3. Don’t Overexploit Body Language

4. Use Body Language to Connect Your Character’s Emotions with Their Actions

Body Language Words and Phrases

Books On Writing Body Language

Final Words

Recommended Reading...

Body language master list for writers

Anticipation

Attentiveness

Defensiveness

Displeasure

Embarrassment

Overwhelmed

Playfulness

Possessiveness

Secretiveness

Thoughtfulness

Threatening

Other Resources

Edited by Charles Hand

Maria Korolov

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Writing Body Language: Bringing Your Characters to Life

Why Body Language is Important in Writing

Using Body Language to Enhance Dialogue

How to Show Body Language for Different Emotions

Excited Body Language

Happy Body Language

Angry Body Language

Nervous Body Language

Scared Body Language

Sad Body Language

Disgusted Body Language

The Body Language of Attraction

Body Language and Personality in Character Creation

Avoid Excessive Use of Characters’ Body Language

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9 Simple and Powerful Ways to Write Body Language

How to use body language effectively in your writing

1. Gestures

2. Facial expression

3. Tone of voice and cadence

6. Proxemics (personal space)

7. Physical appearance

9. Physical sensations

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Writing Visual Emotions ( Body Language) In Your Story

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