Writing: Characterization and Body Language

ETA: This is an evolving post. Things may be deleted or altered. I apologize for the inconvenience. I plan on adding in other people's comments and interpretations, clarifying my own thoughts, and adding in more sections as it occurs to me. If you would like me not to add in your interpretations or want me to add more, then please tell me and I will do so. Feel free to hijack my lj with your own comments and conversations, as long as it has some relevance to the topic at hand. Also, feel free to correct my grammar and spelling.



Writing: Characterization and Body Language

When I'm writing, I like to get across information about the characters' states of mind through body language, because it lets me write sentences like:

"I am not angry," she said through clenched teeth. The pen in her hand snapped, staining her fingers with ink.

I assumed that if I've got some type of writing skill, the reader should be able to figure out that the character's words don't match her actions, and that she really is angry, because mellow people generally don't clench their teeth and commit violent acts against writing utensils. Plus, sometimes I want a reaction shot, but I want the characters' state of mind to be ambiguous. Another reason I like body language is that at least one character is uncommunicative-- that's not their personality, they don't know how, or they're too uncomfortable with the situation. Body language is a shortcut to the character's reactions, and lets me move on with the story.

Then it occurred to me that body language isn't universal, and that this way of writing is heavily dependent on my powers of observation, and the ability to interpret what I see. That's a problem. I could be way off base, because I'm generalizing based on one set of data. I might think I wrote about anger, but the audience could read clumsiness into the example sentence. I try to have my characters react in an individual way, but even after all that, they tend to share some common body language. The other problem is that if I continue to post my writing on the internet, any English-reading person could come across it, but might not necessarily interpret body language in the same way that I do. Because that English-reading person has a whole different set of experiences than I do.

So I thought it would make an interesting intellectual exercise to post about how I write character body language, and what I think it means, and see if people interpret it similarly or differently. Then depending on that, I'll know to contextualize the body language more, or just figure out a way to write, "She was angry," in a graceful way.

Context is Everything: Where I'm Coming From

Abstract: I'm coming from a middle-class American standpoint. This section is here so you can get an idea of where I'm getting my interpretations. You can scroll down to the next part if you don't want details.

I'll try to be as detailed as possible without giving away too many identifying markers on a public post. I'm from the United States, specifically the west coast. I also grew up in the New England area. I grew up in a metropolitan area with a huge amount of diversity, and I now live in a cosmopolitan area. I've lived in the suburbs and in a major city. Another way to put this is that I'm more adept at deciphering broken English, while I get confused by the American South accent. When I'm meeting someone new, I can't assume that we'll share similar backgrounds, and should expect a certain amount of miscommunication to happen. This, now that I think about it, might explain why I like writing about characters miscommunicating, and having double-entendre conversations. I just thought I did it for my own perverse amusement.

I've never lived in any rural areas, and everything I learned about the American South and the Midwest has been pretty much through anecdotes from expatriates and online fen, and the media. For me, small town settings are as exotic as Britain. I have gotten the impression that people interact differently in small towns. What I've picked up about British culture has been through the media and the hp_britglish community. I know less about other English-speaking and writing areas of the world. So I don't know how body language would translate to people from other places.

My point is, I as an American could be thinking clenched teeth = anger, while a non-American, English-reading fan could be thinking clenched teeth = hunger. I should also know better than to universalize body language, because hey, we all come from different backgrounds, and it's so environment specific. Well, you know what they say about short-cuts.

Ignore this-->Placeholder: Body Language in Real Life vs. Fiction

Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't.
--Mark Twain




*Notes to Self: RL is ambiguous and complex, and has no known planning. In fiction everything has to make sense, even if it's only to the author. Either use eye contact, or blinking as an example. Consider including the use of symbolism, or not. Definitely include a caveat about using this post as a real life guide.

The breakdown between contested gestures and gestures with multiple and contradictory meanings is really interesting.




Ignore this-->Placeholder: Alternate Ways to Convey Character Reaction

*Notes to Self: The use of adverbs, description, and flat out telling. Others?

Ex:
--"..." he said, sadly.
--His sadness leached the life out of him, leaving nothing but a dry husk of the man he used to be . (too purple?)
--He was sad.

The potential disadvantages of body language.



LIST OF CHARACTERS' BODY LANGUAGE

Eyes

blinking-- 1. Surprise, disbelief, 'I can't believe my eyes.' I suspect this is a me-specific writing device, and in RL I think blinking is meaningless, 2. something in the eyes

raised eyebrow-- skepticism

narrowed eyes-- ambiguous reaction shot, which needs context to tease out any meaning. Could be skepticism, concentration, sun in the eyes, determination, focus, desire, anger, mild irritation, etc.

averted eyes-- 1. Discomfort with the topic ("I did not want to see that." Or, "Drop the subject. Now."), 2. lying, 3. submission, 4. respect

ETA newbia: ...a lot of people look down when they're avoiding eye contact or shy, or do their nails when they're bored.

shifty eyes-- ETA beethovenette87: I didn't notice shifty eyes up there - this often indicates lying/deception - I read it in a detective how-to book.

eye contact-- 1. connecting to the other person, trying to figure him/her out, paying attention, subtle signal to get the other person's attention, 2. American-specific bid to appear confident and trustworthy, 3. in a girl it's casual, in a guy it's serious. My RL position is more ambivalent.

ETA Anonymous: Would just like to add that depending on the people involved, looking someone in the eye could be an act of defiance (also straightforwardness) or intimidation as well. But usually you can glean that from the context - particularly from what the person is saying.

ETA evalangui: About eye-contact (I know I`m ranking, cannot seem to stop) I think it`s very personal(though I`ve been told Japanese find it offensive from strangers). ...some people seem to expect it as a sign that you are paying attention.

ETA : One I particularly remember is that liars make more direct eye contact than innocent people, because 'everyone knows that liars are shifty-eyed', including the liars!

gaze/direction they're looking in/head turn-- 1. indicator of what they're thinking about. This is a huge writing device for me. If they're looking at the door, they're thinking about making a run for it, no matter what they say. If they're looking at a weapon, there's going to be violence. If their eyes are flickering between the apple and the orange, they're debating about which to choose. If their eyes are everywhere, they're trying to find the bigger context. If they're gazing into the distance, they're lost in thought. 2. communicates their mood. I take a little poetic license with this one. This doesn't translate well into RL, but since this is fiction I think I'm allowed to tidy up the loose ends and messiness.

ETA baseballchica03: There is often evidence to show that if a person is looking down and to
the right, they are "creating" and down and to the left is "recalling." ie: If a person is looking down and to the right, he/she is probably lying.

looking at his/her own hands-- contemplating what s/he's capable of, trying to figure out if s/he can reach his/her goal, wanting to test his/her mettle, doubt in self. I know this is me-specific, and I'm trying to edit this out, but it keeps creeping back in. I don't know why, since I don't assign that meaning to the gesture in RL.

ETA Anonymous: If I read that some character is looking at their hands, I tend to think that they're uncomfortable with the subject at hand (hah), or, if they're speaking, they don't have complete faith in or aren't particularly sure of what they're saying.

ETA beethovenette87: For looking at one's own hands, this could also indicate some
internal emotion going on, ie. Lady Macbeth, "Will these hands n'er be clean..." Often, very emotionally pained people will cut their hands, ie. self-harm.

There's another circumstance. Myself, being a piano player, would look at my hands with a certain degree of protectiveness. The same would go for an artist, or another type of musician. Hands often suggest a nurturing quality, ie. the nurturing mother within us all. The lines across our palms may suggest fate, destiny, or unique qualities, etc.

holding one's head in one's hands-- ETA Anonymous: I think that holding one's head in one's hands is also a debatably universal gesture of hopelessness or grief.





Head

head tilt-- 1. trying to see from the other's POV, 2. they're listening; tends to be more of a guy gesture than a girl one, and doesn't indicate agreement or disagreement or that they understand

ETA clare_dragonfly: Head tilt is thinking, listening, slight confusion, waiting (for the other person to clear up what they've said).

ETA jetamors: Head tilts: I pretty much only associate those with that 'Oh!' or 'Huh, that's weird' moment when one finally understands something.

head shaking-- 1. disorientation, 2. disagreement

ETA clare_dragonfly: Head shaking is confusion sometimes.

ETA snowyheart: I've also seen people shake their heads when hearing about something bad that happened to someone else; it seems like a way of saying, "man, that's terrible, how awful." I think it's a gesture of sympathizing.

ETA : Oh, and head-shaking is another good tell that I see a lot in politicians and PR people, when they have to say something publicly that they personally disagree with or don't believe - they say it, but they shake their heads 'No' at the same time.

head lift-- 1. arrogance, or extreme security in self, 2. resolve. Is this just an American thing, or what?

ETA delurker: I'd see a head lift as a prelude to action, but I'd expect to see other body language with it - squaring of the shoulders, perhaps, or (more likely) a straightening up of the body. Basically getting ready to move.

head nodding-- ETA snowyheart: There's nodding too: to show agreement of course, or just to say yes. This might be just where I'm from, but I've seen men nod very slightly to show respect toward a lady--hearkens back to when a man bowed his head a little to take his hat off, and means the same thing.

ETA : There's a country or region somewhere in Europe where the 'head-nodding = yes, head-shaking = no' body language is reversed: 'head-nodding = NO, head-shaking = YES'. I think it might be Italy, or maybe Greece...

face touching-- 1. intimacy, either between lovers, family members, or best friend. Huge social breach if done by a stranger or casual acquaintance. 2. If a girl touches her own face, it's self-comfort gesture.

ETA baseballchica03: Nose scratching is often indicative of lying, as well.

hair tousle-- 1. platonic gesture of affection, usually done by someone older to someone younger, like parent to child, anyone to young child, older sibling to younger. It's affectionate, and the gesture emphasizes the size difference between one person and another, which I interpret as an older/younger dynamic, and unequal status, or just one friend needling another. And it's too undignified to do to an adult. IMO, tends to be more of a guy thing than a girl, although it happens to both when they're young children. You just don't mess with a girl's hair when she hits her teens.

hair stroking-- 1. intimate gesture, tenderness, 2. between lovers, parents and kids, and tends to be a girl thing (I can see female friends stroking each others' hair, but not male friends). If it's between two non-related people, then it's got romantic connotations.

ETA : Hair touching can be a flirtatious gesture: 'look at me, look at my healthy hair, don't you want your future children to have hair this healthy?' *g* It's also a reassuring self-grooming gesture when people feel anxious.

kissing-- 1. on the lips, it's romantic 9 out of 10 times. Any exceptions are character and situation specific and have to be explained, like a bet or a different culture. 2. on the cheek or forehead or other area, can be a romantic or platonic gesture. There are just too many contexts in which it can be taken: parent and child, filial oath in fantasy setting, lovers, siblings in some cases, other intimates, a culture specific gesture, etc.

ETA furiosity: Hungarians kiss each other on the cheek twice when they are greeting
friends or family but in general the personal space considerations are similar to the west...

ETA emirall: And in regard to kissing: Many of the French kiss each other on the cheek every time they meet. (As long as they're friends/family.) I've seen someone stop in the middle of a crowded shopping area just to kiss her friend who coincidentally passed her.

ETA Anonymous1: Careful with the French; they don't exactly kiss on the cheek, they put cheek to cheek and kiss thin air! And it can be with distant acquaintances, too; friends of friends and all. Kissing on the cheek is something reserved to very close friends (unless it's romantic); it can be between girls or between a guy and a girl.

ETA conuly: In Belgium, you kiss three times - left, right, left (or maybe it's right, left, right). Or you shake hands.

ETA evalangui: Kisses on the cheek? Just one time in Argentina, I keep getting confused since in Spain its one in each cheek (I see its like that in most of Europe), a lot of people do it when they are presented or meet someone new while in Argentina its usually for people you already know(or maybe is personal XD).

ETA bolboretas and evalangui, Link to discussion about Argentinian vs. Spanish kissing

ETA daegaer: And on types of kiss - kisses on the top of the head seem particularly
parent & child to me, or if done between people of the same age, platonically affectionate (to me the kisser is putting the kissee in a temporary child/to be protected role - not a sexual kiss at all).

ETA alixtii: I always thought it was incredibly patronizing for a guy to kiss a woman on the forehead. Then I got a girlfriend and realized that when one is taller than the other person, sometimes its the only way the angles line up--otherwise the kissee needs to be straining hir neck to look up at you.

voice cracking-- Is it just me, or does it always indicate emotional stress? Doesn't necessarily lead to crying, though. Just, emotional stress.

head thwap-- light to medium tap on someone's head; a rough gesture of exasperation. If the characters are close, then it's just a familiar gesture, and sometimes there's this affectionate undertone. If they're not, then it's annoying and rude. Opinion seems to be split on this, whether it's abusive or acceptable rough-play.

ETA jetamors: The head thwap is also a long and hallowed disciplinary technique. :)

lip biting-- ETA nike_victory: Lip biting can be a nervous habit, a sign of thought, or a physical sign of the person holding something back (like the - verbal - truth, their true strength, or a scream).

Universals-- smiles, frowns, glares, laughs, etc. Though it's so much fun to attempt to subvert the standard meanings behind the gestures.




Hands


clenched fists-- 1. restrained anger, hanging on to his/her temper by a thread, 2. threat of violence. This is a major writing shortcut for me.

tight grip-- 1. about to lose it, mental discomposure, sort of metaphysically dangling off a cliff and hanging on to your sanity

holding someone's wrists-- 1. restraint 2. possessiveness, ownership out of a desire for dominance or neediness, or a combination of both, 3. huge trust issue (If the one being restrained has no problem, then s/he wants to be there, otherwise it's a huge cause for alarm and s/he has grounds for the use of force. On the restrainer's part, it can either be, "I need you. Don't go, don't go," or "I'm getting what I want, whether you like it or not.") I like the ambiguity. Please tell me this isn't me-specific.

drumming fingers-- 1. character specific trait of energy, and impatience, 2. nervous tic, 3. just thinking

nail biting-- character specific trait, shows nervousness

ETA jetamors: Nail biting can occasionally mean deep thought.

brushing fingertips-- ephemeralness, the need for connection and contact, longing, tenderness. Think doomed fairytale romance where the protag falls in love with a human-shaped alien entity like the sun, the stars, the wind, a bird, etc. Or chivalric romance. I think this one is definitely me-specific.

hovering hand over ___-- uncertainty, indecisiveness

ETA clare_dragonfly: Hand hovering over something might, in addition to what you've said, indicate that they're about to reach for the thing but someone has started speaking to them, or they're in some way distracted and have paused before picking up the thing. I think that one would be pretty obvious in context though, heh.

trailing fingers-- 1. sensuality, simple physical pleasure in interacting with the world, 2. tenderness, care

intertwined fingers-- deep connection between the characters. Personally, it represents intertwined lives, or just a mutual desire to be together. I don't expect people to pick up the latter part, but do hope that it's a good indicator of characters connecting

hand on shoulder-- 1. tends to be a male gesture of affection, can be platonic or romantic, amongst adults, 2. male gesture of platonic affection if there's an age gap between the two (e.g. one's an adolescent or younger). And I'm probably one of the few that associates this gesture with paternal, mentorish feeling. 3. sometimes women do this to indicate affection, though usually they put their hands on people's arms, not the shoulder. I think it's because of the height difference between men and women. 4. getting someone's attention, can also be a light form of restraint

ETA jetamors: Hand on shoulder can also be a "Look here" motion. Goes hand-in-hand with the restraint thing, to me.

hand on arm-- 1. tends to be a female gesture of affection. Sometimes light, glancing touches, or resting the hand on someone's arm. Tactile males do this, too, but in my experience it's a gesture that more women do. 2. getting someone's attention, can also be a light form of restraint

ETA clare_dragonfly: Hand on arm is more comfort than affection to me.

ETA jetamors: Hand on arm, in my experience, can be used in conjunction with some passive-aggressive objective. To me, it goes along with 'You're such a great friend. Therefore I know you'll be totally understanding and go along with X' where X is something that probably shouldn't be gone along with.

grabbing someone's hands and jumping up and down-- female gesture of shared excitement, usually young females, and even then, not often. I've never seen any male do this.

ETA : Also, the holding hands and jumping up and down bit; I immediately thought of Will on Fresh Prince of Bel Air. He'd do that a lot with Carlton or Ashley. So I think that if the male is acting silly, he'd do the jumping up and down (possibly screaming/laughing hysterically) bit. I have seen guys do it to mock girls who are jumping up and down screaming. But never in serious excitement, just being silly/making fun of someone.

ETA emirall: The grabbing of someone's hands and jumping up and down is something I've honestly only seen very young children do. Both boys and girls actually. But we're talking about age 3 - 6 then.

flexing hands-- ETA devenustate: Could be warming them up, flexing them with glee, or just wiggling them (often accompanied with an "oooh"), which I would use sarcastically between friends as a joke... Oh, and I sometimes do this - for anger. At the sides of your body, with your arms rigid, and your fingers just flexed out solidly. I do this when I'm angry but don't have an opportunity to express it.



Body

Hugging-- So complex, it deserves its own essay, and a fortnight of intense debate, some threads of which will end up on fandom_wank. ;) I'm including this because some people don't believe me when I say that there should be a manual on hugging. Nevertheless, in no particular order:
1. Gesture of affection and closeness. Sometimes.
2. Intimacy. Only between close friends, family, and lovers. If you qualify, it's an all access pass.
3. Another way to say hello and good-bye, like a handshake. Unisex; male and female hugging style tailored to upbringing, social climate, age, personality, social relationship, etc.
4. Only on formal occasions. Amongst the physically undemonstrative crowd. Little to no touching amongst family, close friends, and lovers. Hugging happens around life events like birthdays, graduations, weddings, funerals, etc. Kind of like a social obligation.
5. "I. Do. Not. Like. To. Be. Touched. I don't care if you're my parent/friend/lover/acquaintance. WTFBBQ, why are you touching me?" When this type ends up getting hugged, it's usually because they didn't duck fast enough. And were backed into a corner. And tied up. Some people just aren't tactile.
6. Comfort. "Your car broke down, you got caught in a downpour, and attacked by rabid wolves? Have a hug! Hope you feel better."
7. Clinginess, sometimes insecurity. Think of someone hanging on to his/her lover when someone's checking the lover out. Or if there's a vague suspicion of someone checking him/her out. Or even just because today's a day that ended with a Y. I've seen this in men and women.
8. As part of a way of interacting with the world. The uber-tactile person, who has to practically sit on their hands when they can't touch.
9. Close bonds forged by desperation. Think of two people clinging together against a storm, needing each other to stay alive, holding onto the last bit of warmth in the world. Or, "I'm not leaving you for anything in the world. We're going to face the apocalypse together. And we're going to survive! ...or die together. Did you remember to pack the extra ammo?"
10. "So glad you're alive." When the status quo is a hands-off, respect the personal bubble at all times, approach. Kind of like socially obligated hugging, except not. The difference is that this type of person ducks out on social hugs, but when they do hug, it's more heartfelt.
11. "Okay, no one's looking. We can hug now." Some people don't like demonstrating affection in public, but turn into cuddle monkeys in private.
12. False affection. Pretending to be close. Sometimes, manipulation. "You love me, right? If you loved me, you'd ___ for me."
13. Sexual come-on. Testing the waters, seeing if there's going to be sex involved somewhere down the road.

ETA beethovenette87: About hugging I read in a book once that when people who really trust each other hug, they hug by leaning into one another - leaning in some of the body weight. People who don't trust each other might give 'surface hugs', really light ones. I don't know if this is necessarily true or not, I read it in The Spirit Window, by Joyce Sweeney.

ETA daegaer: American culture seems very much more huggy than Irish to me - I have
friends I've never hugged, and others I've hugged only at certain cultural landmark events (like funerals, their weddings, certain birthdays, etc) - this is perfectly normal. ...

feet shuffling-- nervousness, uncertainty, unsteady ground. This is probably too specific, and I should edit this out more.

ETA evalangui: Not too specific but probably a bit exaggerated; I don’t think I have seen people do this in real life (just anime) and I think of it as a childish gesture as adults don’t usually are so obvious with their discomfort.

ETA beethovenette87: Feet shuffling may suggest discomfort. Little kids do this when
the need to go to the bathroom. Or a girl might do it because her heels are too high, or nylons are too itchy.

straightened shoulders-- resolve, determination

slumped shoulders-- 1. tiredness, 2. defeat, 3. in some specific characters, a general pessimistic attitude towards the world

crossed arms-- 1. aloofness, and reserve 2. skepticism and disbelief, 3. defensiveness and vulnerability, form of self-comfort

ETA evalangui: I think 3 is the most usual, the aloofness transmitted by crossed arms is not so much in the crossed arms, IMO, as in the rest of the pose(head high, shoulders back). 2 is not an interpretation I would have ever thought about; again, I think this is just part of a position that trasmits those feelings.

hugging his/her knees-- vulnerable like whoa. Think of a kid curled up in a corner, trying to make him/herself smaller so the monsters in the dark won't get him/her.

ETA evalangui: ...hugging oneself would be IMO pretty universally interpreted as insecurity as is a reasonable movement to protect one’s body.

ETA alya1989262: ...hugging one's knees could be also just trying to make oneself comfortable

ETA beethovenette87: ...you might want to add there "a form of regression". Trying to be a little kid again.

looming/crowding another character's personal space-- intimidation tactic. The character's trying to make him/herself bigger and cow the other character. Males have an easier time pulling this one off, because of the body size advantage. Can be a bluff covering the loomer's insecurity. I think females can crowd another character's personal space, but it'd take some extra effort write this.

sparring-- fighting as a form of bonding between two or more people who have martial arts training/superhero strength/etc. Sometimes it gets serious enough that it would land a normal person in the hospital, but the characters can shrug it off. Sometimes it even ends with a trip to the infirmary, but it's still not a fight to the death. I just added this in gratuitously, because I tend to be drawn to story genres that include it (fantasy, adventure, horror, superheroes, etc.)

backslap/back pounding-- Tends to show up in forms of male bonding. Usually platonic. I've never seen a female use this gesture.

ETA beethovenette87: ...I've gotten a backslap/pounding from a female.

how characters sit-- ETA nellie_darlin: Something you could maybe add - the way people sit. For me, Sirius would never sit properly in a chair, either tipping it back on two legs in class, or slouching down with his legs sprawled, or sitting in an armchair with his legs over the arm, or sitting on the back of a bench with his feet on the seat. All of these show him being supremely self-confident, a hint of arrogance, and in class, defiance and insolence. McGonagall, by contrast, would always have a straight back and sit properly in chairs, but she wouldn't sit on the edge of her seat like someone nervy or nervous would - Petunia, for example, or maybe even Trelawney. (Ed. Note: In reference to Harry Potter characters.

feet-- ETA devenustate: When two people are talking (I imagine this is the same in a group as well), their feet will face to the person they're talking to if it is someone they want to talk to... Basically, if one person is disinterested in the conversation, their feet will be facing away, almost like they're trying to run away. Your feet are so far away from your brain that they're often forgotten about...



Addendum: General Resources and Comments on Body Language

Desmond Morris' books:
Intimate Behavior: A Zoologist's Classic Study of Human Intimacy

Bodywatching: A Field Guide to the Human Species

Peter Collett's Book of Tells

svilleficrecs talks about the progression of sexual contact


Pretty much everything on the list is debatable. The whole premise is debatable. ;) Thoughts? Comments? Questions? I'd really appreciate hearing from a wide variety of viewpoints. I also advise the curious to check out the thoughtful comments below