Post History
So much of communication is nonverbal - facial expressions, body language. Often, it's entirely clear what somebody is thinking and conveying even if they aren't saying a word. How can I portray t...
#4: Attribution notice removed
by
System
·
2019-12-12T20:06:04Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/23942 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added
by
System
·
2019-12-08T05:27:00Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/23942 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision
So much of communication is nonverbal - facial expressions, body language. Often, it's entirely clear what somebody is thinking and conveying even if they aren't saying a word. How can I portray this in fiction? These can be such powerful moments (and, in TV and film, often are). But all the "easy options" I know seem to resort to telling the message instead of showing the emotion: - Literally convert the nonverbal message into a verbal one: > The expression on her face said "Get out _now_." - Describe the nonverbal action in a way that just spells the emotion and message out for the reader: > She didn't say anything, only gazed at me pleadingly. - Use established cliches that we already have strong associations for, and know precisely what they're meant to convey: These are fine some of the time. But there are times when I want to have wordless communication, and to do it _well_, vividly, engrossing the reader in the moment and not resorting to telling. How can I do that?
#1: Imported from external source
by
System
·
2016-07-26T09:34:39Z (over 8 years ago)
Original score: 1