Great Fiction Writers Know Body Language

"Show, don't tell"....It's the age-old chant. Most of us understand the need to write action, as opposed to telling emotion. But how do we make it so?

Fiction writers, the answer is simple: Learn body language.

Body language speaks louder than words. And if, as a novel writer, you want your characters' actions to speak, then you must know what the body is saying.

For instance...Yes or no....?

A flick of the wrist: Is it a gesture of impatience or of anger?

A cocked head: Is it suspicion or flirting?

A dropped head: Is it shame or avoidance?

Dilated pupils: Did your character have one too many drinks or is he flirting?

Scratching his ear: Was your character bitten by a mosquito or does he not like what he's hearing?

The answer is yes (to every answer). Depending on the other "physical cues" that you write into your character's action, he may be feeling any of the above. You can probably see now that if you know body language, you can use that knowledge to your writing advantage.

"Tell me again...How do I use body language while writing my book?" If you know what a gesture means (how the body movement is interpreted), then you can write that movement into your character's movement. Many of us "catch" body movement "intuitively." Reading body movement in the character in your book has the same affect on our feelings toward a character as if the character were standing in front of us. Whether it's a character who seems right--but we want the reader to know that something is wrong--or a character who we want the reader to strongly empathize with, the desired outcome can be created by writing in body movements--movements that the reader can interpret.

To say that there is a huge body of information "out there" on body language is an understatement. Really. Quite a few books and web sites tout body language interpretation. The best part about it: This isn't "boring stuff" at all. Check out Kevin Hogan's web site. It's a fun read -- and full of tidbits that you can put into your writing.

Speaking of reading....Of the four or five books on body language that I own, I like The Definitive Book of Body Language by Barbara Pease and Alan Pease. I can assure you--the book is full of totally applicable info. You'll use what you read. (And I'm not getting a penny to say that.)

So brush up on your body language know-how. Then start writing movement into your character -- as she speaks, as she walks, and as she goes about her business. Your reader will catch some wonderful cues...and your characters will come alive.

Simply writing to simplify writing,

Erin