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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/33702
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

(FTR, 21 nods, 53 smiles, 95K. We're pretty close.)

I had a beta read on a few chapters and they said the word usage itself was fine. You may be fine.

* * *

**A few ideas.**

1. Some nods can be qualified. A half nod, a tilted head considering then nodding. (see the quoted text at the bottom.) I have one character 'tip her head up as if to say 'I told you.' '

But some of my nods really were just action tags for dialog. Those are the problems. They've been deleted or changed. (To that point, they crept in through a variety of efforts to correct other issues, like playing with dialog tags!)

You might be able (if you want) to change your 'example nod' to a low chuckle. Or a knowing chuckle.

> "He's a bit of alright, isn't he?"
> 
> She chuckled softly in response.

Here's another possibility:

> "He's a bit of alright, isn't he?"
> 
> Her eyes lingered on him as he walked away. She smiled, and she nodded.

(see what I did there? :-) He's definitely a bit of alright.)

1. It's got to be balance, right? Too many furrowed brows can be balanced out by changing a few of them to frowns or creased eyes. 

2. I like [this reddit thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/writing/comments/390n7e/my_characters_all_nod_too_much/) about the topic. Check that out. Perhaps as part of the process, find a simple action that each character has (like a tic, I guess?) and play with limiting the action to that character. That way, the nods do double duty, if they are limited to certain characters. 

Here's a gem (edited) from the reddit thread:

> If you pick up one of your favorite authors and start reading with a mind to this you are going to notice that every single time the book turns its eye to a character the descriptions used reinforce deep traits.
> 
> No character will ever nod.. They will tilt their head down in a half nod, jaw set. They will glance around as though trying to find an answer in the air around them, then look at your eyes and quickly give a shallow nod of acceptance, or whatever. But what you, and I, were doing was poor characterization - probably.

* * *

(And there's the actual answer, the actual heavy lifting, of going deeper, finding something more evocative about the scene, the interaction, and giving that specific instead of a smile or a nod.)

Original score: 10