You know for that one, Id just say He tsked and shot her a look of warning.. What you may want to try, is to give the reader a more personal experience. Turning away The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writers Guide to Character Expression, 2. ( She jerked her head in the direction of) Ahhh. For example, a particularly stoic character may not emote dramatically, while a nervous character could behave more exaggeratedly. Humming Memory hint: "As if being so mad you could rip your guts out." Characters could be scared of another person, a concept, a specific animal, a loud noise, and any number of other things. B) Body Language Physical signs of anger include: An increased heart rate. Essential Reference for Angry Expressions and Angry Body Language People have asked me for a list of angry expressions and angry body language ever since I put up my big, general List of Facial Expressions and List of Body Language and Gestures postsin other words, for years and years! Smiling is perhaps one of the greatest body language signals, but smiles can also be interpreted in many ways. However, disgust can also be triggered by another characters political ideas, hobbies, behaviors, or preferences. Eyes closed Fear occurs when basic needs are threatened. How Long Does It Take to Write 1000 Words from Start to Finish? There are many levels . If you want some guidance on how else you can use this technique, check out my other article Show, Dont Tell: What It Is and How to Use It. Posture can also be used to show how a character behaves as himself as his bodily stances. MASTER LIST of Gestures and Body Language. We use nonverbal cues to speak to others through our facial expressions, body movements, posture, eye contact, hand gestures, tone and volume of voice, and micro-expressions that hold meaning for us as well as for our audience. Click on the cover to check it out! These actions may be intentional or unplanned, but they have an impact on other peoples perceptions of us. Gripping something, Winking Hi there! Burying face in hands American Sign Language: "angry". MASTER LIST of Gestures and Body Language! Propping one's head in hands. LOL , I might just start printing out these addendums and paste them into my copy of MLfW These are super helpful, Bryn. I didnt know about many phrases about body expressions but it has helped me a lot. Upon stumbling on your website, i saw MANY good phrases! What Does Angry Body Language Look Like? | BetterHelp A character who is attracted to another character in the room is likely to: Theres a lot that goes into conveying good chemistry between characters. I am taking a writing class and this list of gestures and body language and also facial expressions help so much! Raised eyebrows Inappropriate smiling or laughter Being in a good mood can result in your character having more patience for situations they otherwise wouldnt, and their body language will reflect that. Hands around shoulders, neck, or waist Gagging If you overdo it, body language can really clutter up your scenes and add a lot of unnecessary length to your draft. Thanks. And for this reason, this "ultimate writing tool" is quite easy to screw up. Thanks so much for the kind words, and for getting the book! One example would be when a villain uses a finger gun to tell a character that they were going to get killed. So glad you find these useful! Puffed out chest, chin lifted, hands on hips, arms raised, feet spread apart, coming to full height, shoulders straightened. Avoiding eye contact As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thanks so much for reading, and happy writing! document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()). Eyes squinted She is also the editor and publisher of Hypergrid Business, one of the top global sites covering virtual reality. Waggling eyebrows. Thanks for stopping by! Unwanted touching or flicking Just wanted to say thanks trying to make my own book right now and I always struggle with expressing anger, wow. Slouching, Clasping arms behind body It is usually easy to tell when a character is nervous because they will have a lot of restless energy to deal withwhich often results in a lot of fidgeting. Theres so much information that a single touch can convey. These are just a few but a lot of them, and you can also make your own phrases. Even when youre just looking for a few words or a phrase, you can get bogged down. Nervousness is a precursor to fear, but it also has a lot in common with embarrassment. Bryn Donovan inexhaustiblemuse, Why Do Writers Hate Adverbs? Let's Write Anger - Yolandie Horak Looking down, Slumped shoulders Lips In extreme disgust, both the lips- upper and lower- are raised as high as possible with the lip corners turned down as in sadness. I think it can be really powerful when a character is angry and _not_ really showing it, or else showing it in more understated ways. Yawning Wringing hands Staring into space ever since I put up my big, general List of Facial Expressions and List of Body Language and Gestures postsin other words, for years and years! 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, 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, 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, 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. Thank you for your flash fiction submission, Thank you for your reprint or excerpt submission, The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writers Guide to Character Expression, The Writers Lexicon: Descriptions, Overused Words, and Taboos, weekly round-up of the best writing advice articles from all around the web, she is an award-winning freelance technology journalist who covers artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and enterprise virtual reality. (Writing About Magical Curses), Hinting at hidden emotions, deception, and true feelings, Hinting at relationships between characters, such as tension, romantic feelings, or distrust, Illustrating parts of a characters personality, Take up a lot of extra space in a scene, by gesturing wildly, being loud, or drawing a lot of attention, Grab onto others, and even shake them around, Cross their arms or tuck their hands under their arms to control them, Cover their face with their hands or peek through their fingers, Prop their head up on one arm and stare lovingly at something or someone, Playfully shove or swat at another character, Skip, or walk with more bounce than usual, Sit cross-legged or in a relaxed position, Lean back or settle in a relaxed position, Angle their body (or even lean) towards another character, Lean towards other characters or intrude on others personal space, Gesture aggressively, such as waving fists, imitating striking something, or stomping, Cry, though maintain an aggressive stance, 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, Rub their face, temples, neck, hands, or arms, Pretend not to care about whatever is making them angry, Pick at things, such as their nails and lips or objects around them, Tap on objects or other parts of their body, Glance around the room and behind themselves, Tremble, both with their body and their voice, Wrapping their arms around their upper body (or around their knees, if they are seated), Grab onto other characters or objects suddenly, Recoil, lean away, or retreat several steps, 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, Speak quickly and repeat words, or not speak at all, Speak in a hushed, shrill, or raspy voice, Snap at others or show signs of anger or frustration, 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), 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, 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, Flinch or recoil at being touched, or at feeling certain objects, Hold their arms up by their torso or chest, Move away from other characters and maintain a large radius of personal space, Point their feet at the person they are interested in, instead of pointing them away or in separate directions, 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 isnt looking), Look at the lips of the person they are attracted to, 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. Hopefully this list will help make writing body language easier. What is the body language of violence? Hand on heart Sweating Making eye contact haha, thank you! If my main character, Cassie, got angry enough, wild animals attacked whoever pissed her off, so she became very aware of how her anger feels. Donna, thanks so much for getting the book and for the kind words. Not only does this narration give readers a refreshing break from the dialogue, but it also gives the characters words more meaning. Flushing Writing Links Round Up 5/3 B. Shaun Smith. Our computer's algorithm thinks you would like one of these short stories. Covering face with hands 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. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Im going to make a few more for other emotions. The Ultimate Guide to Writing Anger - TheMindMyth Copyright 2023 MetaStellar | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme, Subscribe to our weekly reader newsletter, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window). Arms crossed Bared teeth Rubbing eyes Playing with hair, Furrowed brow Making firm and precise movements, Head tilted Closing eyes Thanks for the kind words, too Hope that sequel is going well! Effective Body Language in Writing | Writers In The Storm However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. Turning away Raising hand for a high five. Obviously, this isnt a comprehensive list. Do people ever spell yours Donavon? Because there are different levels of anger, heres what Im going to cover: An annoyed or irritated facial expression might include any of the following! Everything has to advance your story, so you dont need body language if its retarding the storys development. If you separate yourself from the characters, its going to be harder to express or use body language. Read more to find out By Vanessa Van Edwards This article is part of our body language guide. Listening to love songs, Palms to forehead . I hope you have a great year of writing in 2018! She now shares what she has learned (the good and the not so good) here at When You Write, hoping she can inspire more up and coming wordsmiths to take the leap and share their own stories with the world. It is not uncommon for someone to throw up as a result of being frightened. Pointing finger Licking lips Rapid breathing If you use body language too much, it will become annoying and obvious and lose its subtle qualities. When a character is trying to control their anger, they may: Angry body language is also very similar to tense or frustrated body language. 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