Writing Tip, Tools & Advice

[maggie030]

Siberian Husky shot New Year’s Day

Click here to support Save Husky! Shot on New Years Day! organized by Jennifer Hanson

Jennifer Hanson Save Husky! Shot on New Years Day! Last night my dog got out of his fence. It didn’t take us long to check the ring and find

[thewritershandbook]

Scottish myths, folklore and legends

[thewritershandbook]

[chosenbytheplanet-blog]

16 Villain Archetypes

The TYRANT: the bullying despot, he wants power at any price. He ruthlessly conquers all he surveys, crushing his enemies beneath his feet. People are but pawns to him, and he holds all the power pieces. Hesitate before getting in this man’s way – he’ll think nothing of destroying you. The BASTARD: the dispossessed son, he burns with resentment. He can’t have what he wants, so he lashes out to hurt those around him. His deeds are often for effect – he wants to provoke action in others. He proudly announces his rebellious dealings. Don’t be fooled by his boyish demeanor – he’s a bundle of hate. The DEVIL: the charming fiend, he gives people what he thinks they deserve. Charisma allows him to lure his victims to their own destruction. His ability to discover the moral weaknesses in others serves him well. Close your ears to his cajolery – he’ll tempt you to disaster. The TRAITOR: the double agent, he betrays those who trust him most. No one suspects the evil that lurks in his heart. Despite supportive smiles and sympathetic ears, he plots the destruction of his friends. Never turn your back on him — he means you harm. The OUTCAST: the lonely outsider, he wants desperately to belong. Tortured and unforgiving, he has been set off from others, and usually for good cause. He craves redemption, but is willing to gain it by sacrificing others. Waste no sympathy on him - he’ll have none for you. The EVIL GENIUS: the malevolent mastermind, he loves to show off his superior intelligence. Intellectual inferiors are contemptible to him and that includes just about everyone. Elaborate puzzles and experiments are his trademark. Don’t let him pull your strings – the game is always rigged in his favor. The SADIST: the savage predator, he enjoys cruelty for its own sake. Violence and psychological brutality are games to this man; and he plays those games with daring and skill. Run, don’t walk, away from this man – he’ll tear out your heart, and laugh while doing it. The TERRORIST: the dark knight, he serves a warped code of honor. Self-righteous, he believes in his own virtue, and judges all around him by a strict set of laws. The end will always justify his nefarious means, and no conventional morality will give him pause. Don’t try to appeal to his sense of justice – his does not resemble yours. The BITCH: the abusive autocrat, she lies, cheats, and steals her way to the top. Her climb to success has left many a heel mark on the backs of others. She doesn’t care about the peons around her – only the achievement of her dreams matters. Forget expecting a helping hand from her – she doesn’t help anyone but herself. The BLACK WIDOW: the beguiling siren, she lures victims into her web. She goes after anyone who has something she wants, and she wants a lot. But she does her best to make the victim want to be deceived. An expert at seduction of every variety, she uses her charms to get her way. Don’t be fooled by her claims of love – it’s all a lie. The BACKSTABBER: the two-faced friend, she delights in duping the unsuspecting. Her sympathetic smiles enable her to learn her victims’ secrets, which she then uses to feather her nest. Her seemingly helpful advice is just the thing to hinder. Put no faith in her – she’ll betray you every time. The LUNATIC: the unbalanced madwoman, she draws others into her crazy environment. The drum to which she marches misses many a beat, but to her, it is the rest of the world that is out of step. Don’t even try to understand her logic – she is unfathomable. The PARASITE: the poisonous vine, she collaborates for her own comfort. She goes along with any atrocity, so long as her own security is assured. She sees herself as a victim who had no choice, and blames others for her crimes. Expect no mercy from her – she won’t lift a finger to save anyone but herself. The SCHEMER: the lethal plotter, she devises the ruin of others. Like a cat with a mouse, she plays with lives. Elaborate plans, intricate schemes; nothing pleases her more than to trap the unwary. Watch out for her complex designs – she means you no good. The FANATIC: the uncompromising extremist, she does wrong in the name of good. She justifies hers action by her intent, and merely shrugs her shoulders at collateral damage. Anyone not an ally is an enemy, and therefore, fair game. Give up any hope of showing her the error of her ways – she firmly believes you are wrong, wrong, wrong. The MATRIARCH: the motherly oppressor, she smothers her loved ones. She knows what’s best and will do all in her power to controls the lives of those who surround her – all for their own good. A classic enabler, she sees no fault with her darlings, unless they don’t follow her dictates. Don’t be lured into her family nest – you’ll never get out alive.

[patientno7]

the suffering never ends

[sinksanksockie2]

This is the real process

[thewritingbeast-blog]

Resources for you!

Character Ideas:

Character creation masterpost

Character Alignment Chart

More character alignment descriptions

Muslim Character questions

Characters with magical powers

Building a new character advice

How to create a character for an online or tabletop RPG (also a good guide on creating characters in general)

Royalty/nobility TV Tropes page

Basic character profile

OC masterpost

Random character generators - (1), (2), (3), (4)

D&D Character Building Tool

Character Design Ideas:

How clothing affects a character’s personality

Character Design Inspiration blog

Concept art, fan art, cool art to be inspired by

Character design references and inspiration

Sources for POC character design ideas and models

Create your own character model using HeroForge

For horned characters

Body and hair types guide

Random outfit generator

Naming Help:

Amazing site with an endless amount of naming resources

General advice on avoiding naming appropriation

Hispanic Surnames

Gothic Victorian names

Huge master list for character things in general

Masterlist of names of all types - including but not limited to ancient/old world names, Celtic, African, Northern European, Southern and Central American Native names, Japanese, Chinese, Mongolian, Polynesian, and more

Another name masterlist

How to pick a character name guide

Yet another names masterlist

Creating Background/backstory:

Character Sheet/Development Sheet

Another character development list

In-depth character personality, motivations and traits sheet

320 talents and passions for characters

On writing likes and dislikes that aren’t frivolous

Why you should write non-human characters non-conforming to the gender binary

Stereotypes, tropes, and archetypes

Random backstory generator

Assassin and thief character tropes to avoid

Character Interactions and putting your character into your world/story:

Comparing character height/height references

Characters who are scientists and writing about them doing science

Describing what different voices sound like

Describing skin tones

Writing friendship interactions that are platonic

Why having one character knock their friend unconscious to prevent them from doing something is a bad idea

Advice on shipping OCs with canon characters and what to avoid doing

Sweet Polly Oliver and Sweet on Polly Oliver situations (think of Disney’s Mulan for an example)

How to write multiple viewpoints/juggling a main cast of more than 4 to 6 characters

How to make readers care about your morally gray hero/anti-hero

On platonic OC and canon character relationships

How to avoid Godmodding in RPs

When it’s cheap to kill off a character

Writing dialogue

Things you shouldn’t do to canon characters

Avoiding purple prose in writing and RPs

Slang resources

Dialogue tips

Websites to chart your story/plot/character relationships

Bonus art masterlist!

[wordsnstuff]

Resources For Writing Period Pieces: 1940-1969

Ko-Fi || Masterlist || Work In Progress || Request

Major Events

Below are links to extensive lists of events, categorized by individual years within the indicated decade. There you will find summaries, information, and timelines that will help you with further research.

1940s

1950s

1960s

Popular Culture & Society

Music

1940s

1950s

1960s

Film

1940s

1950s

1960s

Literature & Art

1940s

1950s

1960s

World Leaders

1940s

1950s

1960s

Technology

1940s

1950s

1960s

Politics

1940s / Politics & Wars

1950s / Wars & Conflicts

1960s / Politics & Wars

Notable Eras/Movements of The Time Period

Counterculture and social revolution

Anti-war movement

Civil rights movement

Hispanic and Chicano movement

Second-wave feminism

Gay rights movement

New Left

Crime

World War II 

Jet Age 

Atomic Age 

The Nuclear Age 

Digital Revolution

Space Age 

Post-war era

Cold War

Korean War

Vietnam War

People’s Republic of China

Shōwa period 

Post-occupation era 

Popular Names

1940s Top Male and Female Names

1950s Top Male and Female Names

1960s Top Male and Female Names

Clothing

1940s Fashion & Popular Clothing Items

1950s Fashion & Popular Clothing Items

1960s Fashion & Popular Clothing Items

1960s In Western Fashion

American Look (Fashion Movement)

Youthquake (Movement)

By Country

1940s By Country

1950s By Country

1960s By Country

Support Wordsnstuff!

If you enjoy my blog and wish for it to continue being updated frequently and for me to continue putting my energy toward answering your questions, please consider Buying Me A Coffee.

Request Resources, Tips, Playlists, or Prompt Lists

Instagram // Twitter //Facebook //#wordsnstuff

FAQ //monthly writing challenges // Masterlist

MY CURRENT WORK IN PROGRESS (Check it out, it’s pretty cool. At least I think it is.)

[everything4writers-deactivated2]

Positive and negative moods, emotions and behaviours, great for character description and development needs.

[eternalmikaelson]

Prompt List of Sarcasm [2]

Prompt List of Sarcasm: One 

“I just know something bad is going to happen.” 

“You don’t look like an angel.” 

“This is who I am. Nobody said you had to like it.” 

“Don’t talk. Please.” 

“I’ll make my own decisions, thank you.” 

“This is the dumbest thing you’ve ever done.” 

“Thank you, Captain Obvious.” 

“Whoop! Whoop! Over-reaction alert!” 

“It’s so ugly… I LOVE IT!” 

“You lucky bastard.” 

“We’re young. We’re fine. Let’s do some damage.” 

“Who’s the bitch now, bitch?” 

“I picked a helluva a day to quit drinking.” 

“What’s that? Your stripper money?” 

“Don’t you just hate those things you say that make you feel really blonde?” 

“When I say problem, I mean global crisis.” 

“Well, you don’t need to be snarky about.” 

“If KARMA doesn’t hit you, I’ll do it.” 

“Did you just fall?” “No, I attacked the floor.” “Backwards?” “I’m freaking talented!” 

“Of course I can see you. I’m not blind you know.” 

“The world can be amazing when you’re slightly strange.” 

“Life is too short to wear boring clothes.” 

“You throw punches, I throw insults.” 

“Wow, I wish I could speak whale.” 

“Sometimes I forget my middle name.” 

“Let me just pound your head into the cement quick.” 

“Yeah, I got that from your 600 voicemails.” 

“I love the way your foul little mind works.” 

“Haha, made you look.” 

“Have you ever tried to run in heels?” 

“Oh honey, I have a fake laugh with your name written all over it.” 

“That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard come out of your mouth.” 

“All due respect, but that’s a bunch of crap.” 

“Generally speaking, you aren’t learning much when your lips are moving.” 

“Brains aren’t everything. In fact, in your case, they are nothing.” 

“How did you get here? Did someone leave your cage open.” 

“I hope karma slaps you in the face before I do.” 

“Well aren’t we just a freakin’ ray of sunshine.” 

“I’m the dumbest smart person you’ll ever meet.” 

“You say I’m a bitch like it’s a bad thing.”

“Do you want me to accept you as you are, or do you want me to lie to myself and try to like you?” 

“I could do that, but I won’t.” 

“How come you’re here? I thought the zoo is closed at night…” 

“You’re just jealous because the voices are talking to me.” 

“Oh, honey, don’t feel bad. There’s a lot of people out there who don’t have talent!” 

“I’d like to kick you in the teeth, but why should I improve your looks?” 

“Sorry… I wasn’t born with a filter.” 

“At least there’s one thing good about your body. It isn’t as ugly as your face.” 

“I’d like to see things from your point of view, but I can’t seem to get my head that far up your ass.” 

“People would follow him anywhere, but only out of morbid curiosity.” 

“You grow on people, but so does cancer.” 

“It’s always darkest before dawn. So if you’re going to steal your neighbor’s newspaper, that’s the time to do it.” 

“Always remember that you’re unique. Just like everyone else.” 

“If I throw a stick, will you leave?” 

“Not all men are annoying. Some are dead.” 

“And that’s why women living longer.” 

“Well, this day was a total waste of makeup.” 

“I’m trying to imagine you with a personality.” 

“If we killed everybody who hates you, it wouldn’t be murder, it would be an apocalypse!” 

“This is an excellent time for you to become a missing person.” 

“Are you always this stupid or are you making a special effort today?” 

“I’m busy now. Can I ignore you some other time?” 

“Don’t let your mind wander, it’s far too small to be let out on it’s own.” 

“Don’t you realize that there are already enough people to hate in the world without you putting in so much effort to give us another?” 

“I don’t know what makes you some dumb but it really works.” 

“Don’t thank me for insulting you. It was my pleasure.” 

“I’m impressed. I’ve never met such a small mind inside a big head before.” 

“You are not as bad as people say. You are much, much worse.” 

“Please keep talking. I always yawn when I am interested.” 

“What do I say?” “I hear “hello” is really popular.” 

“My ex had one very annoying habit. Breathing.” 

“Please don’t interrupt me when I’m talking to myself.” 

“You did what with who for how many muffins?” 

“Heaven won’t take me and hell’s afraid I’ll take over.” 

“I’m still drunk from last night.” 

“I’m sorry for the mean, awful, accurate things I said.” 

“Zombies ear brains. You’re safe.” 

“If only closed minds came with closed mouths.” 

“I’d agree with you, but then we’d bot be wrong.” 

“Babe, if a woman tell you “You’re right” that’s called sarcasm.” 

“Some people just need a high-five. In the face. With a chair.” 

“There’s someone for everyone, and the person for you is a psychiatrist.” 

“I want to say I’m hear to listen to your problems, but I’m not a therapist and I don’t like you.” 

“Your flexibility amazes me. How do you get your foot in your mouth and your head up your ass all at the same times?” 

“I’m actually not funny. I’m just mean and people think I’m joking.” 

“Oh, you don’t like me? Well have a seat with the rest of the bitches waiting for me to give a fuck.” 

“I’m sorry I slapped you… But you didn’t seem like you would ever stop talking and I panicked.” 

“It’s called karma, and it’s pronounced ‘haha fuck you’.” 

“I’m not jealous, I just don’t like the bitch.” 

“Wanna see how far my six inch heel can go up your ass?” 

“Oops, my bad. I could’ve sworn I was dealing with an adult.” 

“You look like something I drew with my left/right hand.” 

“Keep rolling your eyes. Maybe you’ll find a brain back there.” 

“I’ve got a good heart but this mouth…” 

“I don’t have the energy to pretend to like you today.” 

“I take super hot showers to practice burning in hell.” 

“If you don’t like me and still watch everything I do, BITCH YOU ARE A FAN.” 

“Sweetie, I’m gonna need you to put those few remaining brain cells together and work with me here, okay?” 

“Have you ever had those days when you are holding a stick and everybody looks like a pinata.” 

“The trash gets picked up tomorrow. Be ready.”

Request: [x] Masterlist: [x]

[themysticalreads]

Flicker of Light

You can’t know the strength,

Of a flicker of light,

Until and unless,

You open that window,

And push away those dingy dark grey coloured curtains,

Until and unless,

You let the light come in,

Even during the darkest of ages.

The flicker of light,

Doesn’t burn the room,

It enlightens it,

It makes it shining like a gold platted armour,

A armour of your own,

A amour of good and bad,

But your own.

And trust me no one can ignite that,

Flicker of light,

Until and unless,

You,

And only YOU,

Rightfully,

Do so.

Make it come soon ,

Before it burns out in the moor.

- @themysticalreads

The Poems from Ink #6

[ajwinterbooks]

Writing Resources Masterlist

Masterlist of…

Facial Expressions

50 Romance Plot Ideas

Gestures and Body Language

Physical Descriptions

Voice Descriptions

Writing Sex/Body

500 Great Words for Writing Love Scenes

Synonyms for Parts of the Body 

7 Rules for Writing Sex Scenes

How to Write a Sex Scene

Action

How to Write a Fight Scene

How to Write a Fight Scene (in 11 Steps)

8 Things Writers Forget When Writing Fight Scenes

Characters

How to Make Your Reader Care About Your Characters

The 5 Absolute Dimensions of Character Personality

5 Ways to Hide Your Villain In Plain Sight

33 WAYS TO WRITE STRONGER CHARACTERS

39 Villain Motivations

MAKING A DARK CHARACTER LIKEABLE THROUGH VULNERABILITIES

Dialogue

HOW TO WRITE ARGUMENTS WITH MAXIMUM PUNCH

19 Ways to Write Better Dialogue

50 Things Your Characters Can Do WHILE They Talk

[badassunicorn2016]

Writing Tip June 26th!

[badassunicorn2016]

Writing Tip July 10th

7 grammar rules you really should pay attention to

I recently wrote an article for TheWeek.com about bogus grammar “rules” that aren’t worth your time. However, there are still plenty of legitimate rules that you should be aware of. Not following them doesn’t make you a bad person or even (necessarily) a bad writer. I’m sure that all of them were broken at one point or another by Henry James, Henry Adams, or some other major author named Henry. Moreover, grammar is one of the least pressing problems when it comes to the poor state of writing today. In my new book, How to Not Write Bad: The Most Common Writing Problems and the Best Ways to Avoid Them, things like wordiness, poor word choice, awkwardness, and bad spelling — which have nothing to do with grammar — take up the bulk of my attention.

Nevertheless, anyone who wants to write in a public setting has to be aware of grammar. (And I’m concerned with writing here; talking is a whole different ballgame.) If you make these errors, you’re likely to be judged harshly by an editor you want to publish your work; an executive who, you hope, will be impressed enough by your cover letter to hire you; or a reader you want to be persuaded by your argument. In each case, there’s a pretty easy workaround, so better safe than sorry.

1. The subjunctive This one is pretty simple. When you’re writing about a non-true situation — usually following the word if or the verb wish — the verb to be is rendered as were.

So:

* If I was were a rich man.

* I wish I was were an Oscar Mayer wiener.

* If Hillary Clinton was were president, things would be a whole lot different.

If you are using if for other purposes (hypothetical situations, questions), you don’t use the subjunctive.

* The reporter asked him if he were was happy.

* If an intruder were was here last night, he would have left footprints, so let’s look at the ground outside.

2. Bad parallelism This issue comes up most often in lists, for example: My friend made salsa, guacamole, and brought chips. If you start out by having made cover the first two items, it has to cover subsequent ones as well. To fix, you usually have to do just a little rewriting. Thus, My friend made salsa and guacamole and brought chips to go with them.

3. Verb problems There are a few persistent troublemakers you should be aware of.

* I’m tired, so I need to go lay lie down.

* The fish laid lay on the counter, fileted and ready to broil.

* Honey, I shrunk shrank the kids.

* In a fit of pique, he sunk sank the toy boat.

* He seen saw it coming.

(The last three are examples of verbs where people sometimes switch the past and participle forms. Thus, it would be correct to write: I have shrunk the kids; He had sunk the boat; and He had seen it coming.)

4. Pronoun problems Let’s take a look at three little words. Not “I love you,” but me, myself and I. Grammatically, they can be called object, reflexive, and subject. As long as they’re by themselves, object and subject don’t give anyone problems. That is, no one who’s an adult native English speaker would say Me walked to the bus stop or He gave the book to I. For some reason, though, things can get tricky when a pronoun is paired with a noun. We all know people who say things like Me and Fred had lunch together yesterday, instead of Fred and I... Heck, most of us have said it ourselves; for some reason, it comes trippingly off the tongue. We also (most of us) know not to use it in a piece of writing meant to be published. Word to the wise: Don’t use it in a job interview, either.

There’s a similar attraction to using the subject instead of object. Even Bill Clinton did this back in 1992 when he asked voters to give Al Gore and I [instead of me] a chance to bring America back. Or you might say, Thanks for inviting my wife and I, or between you and I… Some linguists and grammarians have mounted vigorous and interesting defenses of this usage. However, it’s still generally considered wrong and should be avoided.

A word that’s recently become quite popular is myself — maybe because it seems like a compromise between I and me. But sentences like Myself and my friends went to the mall or They gave special awards to Bill and myself don’t wash. Change the first to My friends and I… and the second to Bill and me.

5. The ‘dangling’ conversation In a class, I once assigned students to “review” a consumer product. One student chose a bra sold by Victoria’s Secret. She wrote:

Sitting in a class or dancing at the bar, the bra performed well…. Though slightly pricey, your breasts will thank you.

The two sentences are both guilty of dangling modifiers because (excuse me if I’m stating the obvious), the bra did not sit in a class or dance at the bar, and “your breasts” are not slightly pricey.

Danglers are inexplicably attractive, and even good writers commit this error a lot… in their first drafts. Here’s a strategy for smoking these bad boys out in revision. First, recognize sentences that have this structure: MODIFIER-COMMA-SUBJECT-VERB. Then change the order to: SUBJECT-COMMA-MODIFIER-COMMA-VERB. If the result makes sense, you’re good to go. If not, you have a dangler. So in the first sentence above, the rejiggered sentence would be:

The bra, sitting in a class or dancing at a bar, performed well.

Nuh-uh. The solution here, as it often is, is just to add a couple of words: 

Whether you’re sitting in a class or dancing at the bar, the bra performs well.

6. The semicolon I sometimes say that when you feel like using a semicolon, lay lie down till the urge goes away. But if you just can’t resist, remember that there are really only two proper uses for this piece of punctuation. One is to separate two complete clauses (a construction with a subject and verb that could stand on its own as a sentence). I knocked on the door; no one answered. The second is to separate list items that themselves contain punctuation. Thus, The band played Boise, Idaho; Schenectady, New York; and Columbus, Ohio.

Do not use a semicolon in place of a colon, for example, There is only one piece of punctuation that gives Yagoda nightmares; the semicolon.

7. Words As I noted in my previous article, the meaning of words inevitably and perennially change. And you can get in trouble when you use a meaning that has not yet been widely accepted. Sometimes it’s fairly easy to figure out where a word stands in this process. It’s become more common to use nonplussed to mean not bothered, or unfazed, but that is more or less the opposite of the traditional meaning, and it’s still too early to use it that way when you’re writing for publication. (As is spelling unfazed as unphased.) On the other hand, no one thinks anymore that astonish means “turn to stone,” and it would be ridiculous to object to anyone who does so. But there are a lot of words and expressions in the middle. Here’s one man’s list of a few meanings that aren’t quite ready for prime time:

* Don’t use begs the question. Instead use raises the question.

* Don’t use phenomena or criteria as singular. Instead use phenomenon or criterion.

* Don’t use cliché as an adjective. Instead use clichéd.

* Don’t use comprised of. Instead use composed of/made up of.

* Don’t use less for count nouns such people or miles. Instead use fewer.

* Don’t use penultimate (unless you mean second to last). Instead use ultimate.

* Don’t use lead as past tense of to lead. Instead use led.

I hesitate to state what should be obvious, but sometimes the obvious must be stated. So here goes: Do not use it’s, you’re or who’s when you mean its, your or whose. Or vice versa!

-Ben Yagoda

[badassunicorn2016]

Writing Tip June 16th

MASTER LIST of Facial Expressions for Writers!

Writers need good descriptions of facial expressions in their stories to help the readers picture the characters, to convey emotions, and to set up lines of dialogue without having to write “said” or any of its synonyms. However, it’s easy for us to rely on the same descriptions over and over again.

I created this list to address that challenge. The expressions are broken down by the part of the face. Note that some of them work for more than one emotion—a person might narrow their eyes out of vindictiveness or skepticism, for instance, and their face might turn red out of anger or out of embarrassment.

Some of them require a little more explanation on your part. You’ll have to say what she’s glaring at, or if his face is contorting in rage, or grief, or what. And not all of these will work for every character—it depends on what they look like and how they generally react to things.

Some of these aren’t exactly facial expressions, but useful for dialogue tags. In many cases I’ve given several ways to describe the same thing. While I have included some longer phrases, they are not proprietary and it’s fine to use them.

I’m open to suggestions, and I hope you find it helpful!

EYES/BROWS

his eyes widened her eyes went round her eyelids drooped his eyes narrowed his eyes lit up his eyes darted he squinted she blinked her eyes twinkled his eyes gleamed her eyes sparkled his eyes flashed his eyes glinted his eyes burned with… her eyes blazed with… her eyes sparked with… her eyes flickered with… _____ glowed in his eyes the corners of his eyes crinkled she rolled her eyes he looked heavenward she glanced up to the ceiling she winked tears filled her eyes his eyes welled up her eyes swam with tears his eyes flooded with tears her eyes were wet his eyes glistened tears shimmered in her eyes tears shone in his eyes her eyes were glossy he was fighting back tears tears ran down her cheeks his eyes closed she squeezed her eyes shut he shut his eyes his lashes fluttered she batted her lashes his brows knitted her forehead creased his forehead furrowed her forehead puckered a line appeared between her brows his brows drew together her brows snapped together his eyebrows rose she raised a brow he lifted an eyebrow his eyebrows waggled she gave him a once-over he sized her up her eyes bored into him she took in the sight of… he glared she peered he gazed she glanced he stared she scrutinized he studied she gaped he observed she surveyed he gawked he leered his pupils (were) dilated her pupils were huge his pupils flared

NOSE

her nose crinkled his nose wrinkled she sneered his nostrils flared she stuck her nose in the air he sniffed she sniffled

MOUTH

she smiled he smirked she grinned he simpered she beamed her mouth curved into a smile the corners of his mouth turned up the corner of her mouth quirked up a corner of his mouth lifted his mouth twitched he gave a half-smile she gave a lopsided grin his mouth twisted he plastered a smile on his face she forced a smile he faked a smile her smile faded his smile slipped he pursed his lips she pouted his mouth snapped shut her mouth set in a hard line he pressed his lips together she bit her lip he drew his lower lip between his teeth she nibbled on her bottom lip he chewed on his bottom lip his jaw set her jaw clenched his jaw tightened a muscle in her jaw twitched he ground his jaw he snarled/his lips drew back in a snarl her mouth fell open his jaw dropped her jaw went slack he gritted his teeth she gnashed her teeth her lower lip trembled his lower lip quivered

SKIN

she paled he blanched she went white the color drained out of his face his face reddened her cheeks turned pink his face flushed she blushed he turned red she turned scarlet he turned crimson a flush crept up her face

WHOLE FACE, etc.

he screwed up his face she scrunched up her face he grimaced she winced she gave him a dirty look he frowned she scowled he glowered her whole face lit up she brightened his face went blank her face contorted his face twisted her expression closed up his expression dulled her expression hardened she went poker-faced a vein popped out in his neck awe transformed his face fear crossed her face sadness clouded his features terror overtook his face recognition dawned on her face

-Bryn Donovan

[badassunicorn2016]

Writing Tip June 6th

Body Language Basics

In any story, half of the information given to the reader is never spoken out loud.  It’s body language, and body language can tell your reader what your character is doing and how they feel about it.

Smiling for example.  There are many kinds of smiles and each one tells something different about what the character is thinking, feeling or doing.  A natural smile produces wrinkles around the eyes while an insincere smile only makes your mouth move.

Five other types of smiles:

Tight-lipped smile - the lips are stretched out to form a straight line and the teeth are hidden. This smile can say, “I have a secret”, “That’s just silly” or “I’m tolerating you only because I have to” depending on how tight the mouth is.

Twisted smile - when only one side of the mouth is turned up and no wrinkles appear near the eyes this smile is saying, “Sarcasm.”

Drop-jaw smile - the jaw is dropped to give the impression the person is laughing or playful, but isn’t really feeling either of those things. No wrinkles near the eyes, means not a happy smile.

Sideways-looking up smile - the head is turned down and away while looking up and smiling. This smile tells people you are juvenile, fun, secretive and coy. It produces protective feelings in men, and women want to be like her. Princess Diana was an expert at this smile.

The eyes can give away what we’re really thinking if you know what to look for.

A person’s pupils will contract when they’re angry, unhappy or repulsed.   They will dilate when a person is happy, excited, attracted or solving a problem.  If you look at a person with dilated pupils you will feel welcomed and respond in kind. The reverse is also true.

Eyebrows can also speak volumes about what we’re thinking.

We flash our eyebrows at people we wish to attract (a rapid raise and lowering of the brow).

Lowered eyebrows - indicate aggression or concern. We tend to take people with low eyebrows more seriously. JKF had low set eyebrows.

Raised eyebrows - is a gesture of surprise or submissiveness.

Lowering the eyelids while raising the eyebrows, looking up and slightly parting the lips indicates sexual submissiveness. Marilyn Monroe had this look down pat.

Nodding and positioning of the head can reveal several very primal feelings.

A slow head nod indicates interest in what’s being said.

Fast nodding tells the speaker you’ve heard enough.

Head nodding in general encourages cooperation and agreement.

Tilting the head signals submission because it exposes the throat and neck.

Head down signals negative feelings or aggression.

Body position signals how we really feel about the other people around us. Facing someone with an open stance, legs straight or apart, arms at your sides, palms facing forward is a “Trust me” signal. We also use it when we want to engender a positive response from the other person.

Open legs is a signal of acceptance and confidence.

Crossed legs or arms signals a nervous, submissive, negative or defensive attitude.

Women are more likely to fold their arms across their chests around aggressive or unattractive men and hold them open around men they find attractive.

Holding hands behind the back is a gesture signalling superiority or confidence.

Hands on the hips makes us appear larger and is a sign of assertion.

Think about what a person’s body position when they attempt to hug you.  It’s completely open and if you like, trust or are attracted to this person, it’s easy to hug them back. But, if you don’t like or trust, or aren’t attracted to this person, hugging them is very difficult and uncomfortable. You will hold your body as far away from that person as you can, stiffly and will try to end the hug as fast as possible.

Want to present an interest and readiness in another person and/or what they’re saying?  Lean forward in an open body position.

When we like someone or agree with what they’re saying we will mirror their body position.

It’s a commonly held belief that a liar can’t look a person in the eyes, but that’s not always true.  If you want to spot a liar, watch their hands not their eyes. A liar’s subconscious will tell their hands to try to cover or stop the lie from coming out. As a child if you said something that wasn’t true you’d probably slap both hands over your mouth.

As we get older, we get better at suppressing our reactions, but it’s really hard to not do one of the six common lying gestures:

The hand or fingers cover, touch or go in the mouth.

The nose touch.

The eye rub.

The ear grab.

The neck scratch.

The collar pull.

Body language can enrich any story, because it relates the innermost thoughts and feelings of our characters, even while they’re saying words to the opposite. It’s a great way to enhance description and give depth to your dialogue, conflict and romance.

-Julie Rowe

[badassunicorn2016]

Writing Tip June 17th

MASTER LIST of Gestures and Body Language!

Hey there! Lots of writers liked my list of facial expressions, so I thought I would do a companion post about gestures and body language. Describing these can help readers visualize a scene and get a feel for the characters, and again, they can set up lines of dialogue so you don’t have a string of he said, she said, he asked, she exclaimed, etc., running down the page.

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 the last list, 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. Nothing here is proprietary.

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

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 she 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 he 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 he 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

-Bryn Donovan

[badassunicorn2016]

Writing Tip June 18th

The Importance of Body Language

Describing a character’s body language can be very important and helps your story from being too “telly”. You end up showing your readers how your characters are feeling instead of constantly telling them what’s going on. For example, if someone’s face “burns bright red”, you know they’re either angry or embarrassed (or perhaps a combination of both). Depending on context, your readers can figure out how your character is reacting. Using these simple techniques can help improve your story and make it much more entertaining.

A character that is over confident (possibly the antagonist) will most likely stand taller, put hands on his or her hips, or bark orders at others. The way they sit will also reveal a lot about their character. Their legs will probably be unfolded and they might sit up straighter to show dominance. Someone who is shy and closed off will slump his or her shoulders or wrap their arms around their legs if they are sitting. They will do anything to remain unnoticed, which will come across in their body language. Submissive people tend to smile a lot because they might not want to engage in conversation. Anger can be described through clenched teeth, reddening skin, heavy breathing, or crossing arms. If a character feels physically threatened, he or she might ball her fists as if ready for a fight. When people lie they tend to touch their face or avoid eye contact. They will try any physical action that might distract people from the fact that they are lying and it will often be subtle. I once read that when you’re attracted to someone or open to conversation with them, you’ll point your knees in their direction. Your knees will often face the person who you wish to talk to. If someone is not open to conversation or feels uncomfortable, they will turn their body away from the person to show they aren’t interested. There are a lot of clues in everyday life as long as you pay attention to them. If you want to learn more about body language, all you have to do is analyze the people around you or even yourself. What do you do when you lie? How do people know when you’re happy? Take a look around and observe.

-Kris Noel

[badassunicorn2016]

Writing Tip June 19th

Further Understanding Body Language

I wrote a post a while back about body language, so I figured I’d extend it a little further. Body language is really important in order to convey what your character is feeling without actually outright telling your readers. Every action you take “communicates” something to everyone around you. The way you smile or cross your arms allows others to figure out what you’re feeling. The same thing goes for the characters in your novel. Studying how people act in real life is a perfect way to improve your writing.

Sometimes studying body language is a more reliable way to understand how someone is feeling. A person might often say they’re okay, but you can tell from their body language that they’re not. Your facial expressions or your stance is much harder to control than what you say. Body language can often give away your emotions.

Here are a few things to keep aware of if you want to understand or write about emotions through body language—

• Facial expressions. Every part of someone’s face gives something away about what they’re feeling. You can tell if someone’s sad or surprised by their eyes. You can see anger or shock through eyebrows. You can tell if someone’s happy or upset by their mouth. Even if someone is trying to hide a specific emotion, you can usually still tell something is up.

• Body movements. The way you communicate through body movements is usually something you learn through other people. Waving to say hi to someone or shaking your head no are actions that were learned. You do a lot of stuff with your body without even thinking about it. It’s important to know about body movements depending on a person’s culture because some things aren’t universal. For example—eye contact might be seen a disrespectful in some cultures, so you need to do your research depending on the type of character you want to write. Understand that everyone is different.

• Posture. Slumped shoulders might mean that someone is trying to hide something or that they’re feeling “low” about something. The way someone stands can tell you if a person is confident or not. Look for these things in friends or family members and you can use them with your own characters. Posture is important.

• Gestures. What people do with their hands has a lot to do with emotions. If someone’s wringing their hands together, they might be anxious about something. If someone scratched the top of their head before responding to you or rubs the back of their neck, they might be lying about something. Look out for these things.

• Breathing. The way someone is breathing can give a lot away about a person. If it seems like someone is holding their breath, they might be anxious or worried about something. It’s possible they could be lying and that’s making them nervous. Someone who is breathing steadily is usually more relaxed and open. They might not be actively worrying about something.

• Spatial relationships. Personal distance is an important thing to remember when writing. Fear can be shown by someone refusing to stand close to another character. Also, if a character feels more important than everyone else, he or she might keep their distance. It’s good to keep these things in mind.

-Kris Noel

[badassunicorn2016]

Writing Tip June 4th

A list of body language phrases.

I’ve included a very comprehensive list, organized by the type of body movement, hand and arm movements, facial expressions etc. In some cases, a phrase fits more than one heading, so it may appear twice. Possible emotions are given after each BL phrase unless the emotion is indicated within the phrase. (They are underlined for emphasis, not due to a hyperlink.)

Note: I’ve included a few body postures and body conditions as they are non-verbal testimony to the character’s physical condition.

Have fun and generate your own ideas.:-)

Eyes, Brows and Forehead

arched a sly brow:  sly, haughty

blinked owlishly:  just waking, focusing, needs glasses

brows bumped together in a scowl:  worried, disapproving, irritated

brows knitted in a frown: worried, disapproval, thoughtful

bug-eyed:  surprised, fear, horror

cocky wink and confident smile:  over confidence, arrogant, good humor, sexy humor

eyes burned with hatred: besides hatred this might suggest maniacal feelings

eyes flashed: fury, defiance, lust, promise, seduction

eyes rolled skyward: disbelief, distrust, humor

forehead puckered:  thoughtful, worried, irritation

frustration crinkled her eyes

gaze dipped to her décolletage: sexual interest, attraction, lust

gimlet-eyed/narrowed eyes: irritation, thoughtful, mean, angry

gleam of deviltry:  humor, conniving, cunning

kept eye contact but her gaze became glazed: pretending interest where there is none/bordom

narrowed to crinkled slits:  angry, distrust

nystagmic eyes missed nothing (constantly shifting eyes):  Shifty

pupils dilated:  interested, attraction to opposite sex, fear

raked her with freezing contempt

slammed his eyes shut:  stunned, furious, pain

squinted in a furtive manner:  fearful, sneaky

stared with cow eyes:  surprised, disbelief, hopeful, lovestruck

subtle wink:  sexy, humor/sharing a joke, sarcasm

unrelenting stare: distrust, demanding, high interest, unyielding

Place To Place, Stationary Or Posture

ambled away:  relaxed, lazy

barged ahead:  rude, hurried

battled his way through the melee:  desperate, anger, alarm

cruised into the diner:  easy-going, feeling dapper, confident

dawdled alongside the road:  lazy, deliberate delay for motives, unhurried, relaxed

dragged his blanket in the dirt:   sadness/depressed, weary

edged closer to him:  sneaky, seeking comfort, seeking protection, seeking an audience

he stood straighter and straightened his tie:  sudden interest, sexual attraction

held his crotch and danced a frantic jig: demonstrates physical condition – he has to pee

hips rolled and undulated:  sexy walk, exaggerating for sex appeal

hovered over them with malice/like a threatening storm: here it’s malice, but one may hover for many reasons.

hunched over to look shorter:  appear inconspicuous, ashamed of actions, ashamed of height

leaped into action feet hammering the marbled floor:  eager, fear, joyous

long-legged strides:  hurried, impatient

lumbered across:  heavy steps of a big man in a hurry

minced her way up to him: timid, sneaky, insecure, dainty or pretense at dainty

paced/prowled the halls:  worried, worried impatience, impatient, diligently seeking pivoted on his heel and took off:  mistaken and changes direction, following orders, hurried, abrupt change of mind, angry retreat

plodded down the road:  unhurried, burdened, reluctant

practiced sensual stroll:  sexy, showing off

rammed her bare foot into her jeans: angry, rushed

rocked back and forth on his heels: thoughtful, impatiently waiting

sagged against the wall:  exhausted, disappointment

sallied forth:  confident, determined

sashayed her cute little fanny:  confident, determined, angered and determined

shrank into the angry crowd:  fear, insecure, seeking to elude

sketched a brief bow and assumed a regal pose: confident, mocking, snooty, arrogant skidded to an abrupt halt: change of heart, fear, surprise, shock

skulked on the edges of the crowd: sneaky, ashamed, timid

slithered through the door:  sneaky, evil, bad intentions

stormed toward her, pulling up short when: anger with a sudden surprise

swaggered into the class room:  over confident, proud, arrogant, conceited

tall erect posture:  confidence, military bearing

toe tapped a staccato rhythm:  impatience, irritation

tottered/staggered unsteadily then keeled over:  drunk, drugged, aged, ill

waltzed across the floor:  happy, blissful, exuberant, conceited, arrogant

Head Movement

cocked his head:  curiosity, smart-alecky, wondering, thoughtful

cocked his head left and rolled his eyes to right corner of the ceiling:  introspection

droop of his head: depressed, downcast, hiding true feelings

nodded vigorously: eager

tilted her head to one side while listening:  extreme interest, possibly sexual interest

Mouth And Jaw

a lackluster smile:  feigning cheerfulness

cigarette hung immobile in mouth: shock, lazy, uncaring, relaxed casualness

clinched his jaw at the sight:  angered, worried, surprised

curled her lips with icy contempt

expelled her breath in a whose:  relief, disappointment

gagged at the smell: disgust, distaste

gapped mouth stare:  surprised, shock, disbelief

gritted his teeth:  anger, irritation, holding back opinion

inhaled a sharp breath:  surprise, shock, fear, horror

licked her lips:  nervous, sexual attraction

lips primed: affronted, upset, insulted

lips pursed for a juicy kiss

lips pursed like she’d been chewing a lemon rind: dislike, angry, irritated, sarcasm

lips screwed into: irritation, anger, grimace, scorn

lips set in a grim line: sorrow, worried, fear of the worst

pursed her lips:  perturbed, waiting for a kiss

scarfed down the last biscuit:  physical hunger, greed

slack-mouthed:  total shock, disbelief

slow and sexy smile:  attraction, seductive, coy

smacked his lips: anticipation

smile congealed then melted into horror

smile dangled on the corner of his lips: cocky, sexy

smirked and tossed her hair over her shoulder:  conceit, sarcasm, over confident

sneered and flicked lint off his suit: sarcasm, conceit

spewed water and spit: shock

stuck out her tongue: humor, sarcasm, teasing, childish

toothy smile:  eagerness, hopeful

wary smile surfaced on her lips

Nose

nose wrinkled in distaste/at the aroma

nostrils flared:  anger, sexual attraction

nose in the air:  snooty, haughty

Face in General

crimson with fury

handed it over shame-faced

jutted his chin: confident, anger, forceful

managed a deadpan expression:  expressionless

muscles in her face tightened:  unsmiling, concealing emotions, anger, worried

rested his chin in his palm and looked thoughtful

rubbed a hand over his dark stubble:  thoughtful, ashamed of his appearance

screwed up her face:  anger, smiling, ready to cry, could almost be any emotion

sneered and flicked lint off his suit: conceit, derision, scorn

Arm and Hand

a vicious yank

arm curled around her waist, tugging her next to him:  possessive, pride, protective

bit her lip and glanced away:  shy, ashamed, insecure

brandished his fist:  anger, threatening, ready to fight, confident, show of pride

clamped his fingers into tender flesh:  anger, protective, wants to inflict pain

clenched his dirty little fists: stubborn, angry

clapped her hands on her hips, arms crooked like sugar bowel handles:  anger, demanding, disbelief

constantly twirled her hair and tucked it behind her ear:  attracted to the opposite sex, shy crossed his arms over his chest: waiting, impatient, putting a barrier

crushed the paper in his fist:  anger, surrender, discard

dived into the food: hunger, eager, greedy

doffed his hat:  polite gesture, mocking, teasing

doodled on the phone pad and tapped the air with her foot:  bored, inattention, introspection

drummed her fingers on the desk:  impatient, frustrated, bored

fanned her heated face with her hands: physically hot, embarrassed, indicating attraction

fiddled with his keys: nervous, bored

firm, palm to palm hand shake:  confident, honest

flipped him the bird: sarcastic discard

forked his fingers through his hair for the third time:  disquiet/consternation, worry, thoughtful

handed it over shame-faced:  guilt, shame

held his crotch and danced a frantic jig:  physical need to relieve himself

limp hand shake:  lack of confidence, lack of enthusiasm

propped his elbow on his knee: relaxed, thoughtful

punched her pillow:  restless, can’t sleep, angry

rested his chin in his palm:  thoughful, worried

scratched his hairy belly and yawned:  indolent, bored, lazy, relaxed, just waking

shoulders lifted in a shrug:  doubtful, careless discard

slapped his face in front of God and country:  enraged, affronted/insulted

snapped a sharp salute:  respect, sarcastic gesture meaning the opposite of respect

snapped his fingers, expecting service:  arrogant, lack of respect, self-centered

sneered and flicked lint off his suit

spread her arms wide: welcoming,  joy, love

stabbed at the food: anger, hunger, determined

stood straighter and smoothed his tie:  sudden interest, possible sexual interest

stuffed his hands in his pockets: self-conscious, throwing up a barrier

sweaty handshake:  nervous, fearful

touched his arm several times while explaining:  sign of attraction, flattery, possessive

wide sweep of his arms:  welcoming, all inclusive gesture, horror

Sitting or Rising

collapsed in a stupor:  exhausted, drunk, drugged, disbelief

enthroned himself at the desk:  conceit, pronouncing or taking ownership

exploded out of the chair:  shock, eager, anger, supreme joy

roosted on the porch rail like a cock on a hen house roof:  claiming ownership, conceit, content

sat, squaring an ankle over one knee:  relaxed and open

slouched/wilted in a chair and paid languid attention to:  drowsy, lazy, depressed, disinterest, sad, totally relaxed, disrespectful

squirmed in his chair: ill at ease, nervous, needs the bathroom

Recline

flung himself into the bed: sad, depressed, exhausted, happy

prostrated himself: surrender, desperate, miserable, powerless, obsequious, fawning, flattering

punched her pillow:  can’t sleep, anger, frustrated

threw himself on the floor kicking and screaming: tantrum

Entire body and General

body stiffened at the remark:  offended, anger, alerted

body swayed to music:  dreamy, fond memories, enjoys the music

bounced in the car seat, pointing:  excitement, fear, eager

cowered behind his brother:  fear, shyness, coward, desperate

curled into a ball:  sorrow, fear, sleepy, defensive

heart galloping:  anxiety, joy, eager

held his crotch and danced a frantic jig

humped over his cane, each step shaking and careful: pain, aged

inhaled a deep breath and blew out slowly: buying time to find words/thoughtful, reconciled

quick and jerky like rusty cogs on a wheel:  unsure of actions, self-conscious, tense, edgy

rocked back and forth on his heels:  impatient, cocky, gleeful

manhandled the woman into a corner:  bully, anger

slumped shoulders: defeat, depressed, sad, surrender

stiff-backed:  priggish, haughty, affronted

stood straighter and straightened his tie:  sexual interest, wants to make an impression

stooped and bent: aged, arthritic, in pain

stretched extravagantly and yawned:  tired, bored, unconcerned

sweating uncontrollably: nervous, fear, guilt

tall erect posture:  confidence, military bearing

was panting now at:  afraid, exhausted, out of breath, sexual excitement

-Sharla Rae