Writing The Non-Verbal Thesaurus

[OokamiKasumi]

Don't need no stinkin' "SAID!"​

Whoever started the rumor that the word 'Said' is invisible to the reader, is a Lying Liar that Lies. I notice every single time that insufferable over-used loathsome filler-word excuse for a dialogue tag is used. In fact, I loathe all dialogue tags inclusively.

​

I don't need to use Said or any other Dialogue Tag because there is a far better option.

I use a Character's Actions to define who is speaking to whom. I use ACTION TAGS.

What the heck is an Action Tag?
BODY LANGUAGE​

Instead of TELLing your Readers how a character feels, SHOW how your characters really feel --even when their lying-- with ACTION TAGS!

​

“I love you too.” She rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. “Oh yes, I truly do love you.”​

“I love you too.” She dropped her chin and pouted. “Oh yes, I truly do love you.”​

“I love you too.” She glared straight at him. “Oh yes, I truly do love you.”​

“I love you too.” She turned away and wiped the tear from her cheek. “Oh yes, I truly do love you.”​

"I love you too." She raised her balled fist and smiled with bared teeth. “Oh yes, I truly do love you.” She thrust up her middle finger.​

Dialogue is Visual
Not just a bunch of words.​

Watch the average conversation between two people. 90% of that conversation isn't in what's Spoken, it's in what they are DOING while they are speaking. It's in their Body Language.

The
NONVERBAL THESAURUS
A Writer's Cheat-Sheet to
BODY LANGUAGE CUES​

HOW TO USE: This is list of Facial Expressions and body language used depending on the Emotion. Pick the Emotion your character is feeling. Add a few of the expressions and body language from that Emotion to Dialogue and Action scenes. This will SHOW those Emotions rather than simply Tell the Reader what the characters feel.

ANGER
Annoyance, Resentment, Rage​

a. Jaws tensed to a biting position; “I’m going to bite you!”
b. Chest display, and/or hands-on-hips; “I’m bigger than you.”
c. Cut-off and head-jerk cues; “I don’t want that.”
d. Hand-behind-head. “I may or may not strike you.”
e. Fists, palm-down beating gestures. “I will strike you!”
f. Frowning and tense-mouth expressions; “Don’t make me bite you.”
g. Growling voice tones; “Consider me a threat.”
h. Staring; “I consider you a threat.”
I. Gaze avoidance; the head is turned fully away to one side; “Run while I am not looking and I will not attack you.”

(Cover of Devil x Devil by Sachio Sawauchi)

DISGUST
Revulsion, Loathing, Nausea​

a. Curled upper lip, a retracted upper lip, and mouth movements. "I feel like vomiting."
b. Digestive vocalizations of repugnance. Guttural sounds ("ach" or "ugh"); "I AM going to vomit!"
c. Narrowed or partly closed eyes; “Don’t make me look at that!”
d. Lowered brows of the frown face. "Ewww...gross!"
e. Backward head-jerks and side-to-side head-shakes. “Keep it away from my mouth.”
f. Visible protrusions of the tongue. “I can see that it tastes bad.”

(Art by ROYO)

FEAR
Anxiety, Apprehension, Dread​

a. Angling body away; “Don’t touch me.”
b. Release of underarm scent; “Go away -- I stink!”
c. Increase in breathing rate. "I'm going to run away!"
d. Trembling and/or chattering teeth. "I want to run away!"
e. Crouching. “Don’t hurt me!”
f. Crying. “I’m hurt enough!”
g. Displacement gestures; “How did I get here?”
h. Fast eye-blink rate. “I don’t believe this!”
i. Fear grin. “I’m friendly! Honest!”
j. Widely opened flashbulb eyes. “I don’t believe this!”
k. Unconscious escape motions designed to remove a body part, or parts, from danger (e.g., flexing the neck to lower and protect the head). "Don't hit me!"
l. Freeze reactions; “Am I in danger?”
m. Hair-bristling; “I feel danger!”
n. Accelerated heart rate. "I'm getting ready to run away!"
o. Tightened shoulder muscle tension; “Do I need to flee?”
p. Screaming; “Don’t touch me!”
q. Squirm cues; “Let go of me.”
r. Staring eyes with dilated pupils; “How much danger am I in?”
s. Sweaty palms. "Too slippery to grasp."
t. Tense-mouth. “Don’t make me bite you.”
u. Throat-clearing. “I do not approve.”
v. Audibly tense tone-of-voice, either low and close to a growl, "I'm warning you..." or high to present a non-threatening sound. "I'm not a threat!"
w. Yawning. “No fangs, see? I’m not a predator!”

HAPPINESS
Contentment, Well-being, Joy​

a. Laugh or smile
b. Crying; “I am overwhelmed.”

Unlike most other facial signs of emotion, the smile is subject to learning and conscious control. In the U.S., Japan, and many other societies, children are taught to smile on purpose, e.g., in a courteous greeting, whether or not they actually feel happy.

A true (i.e., involuntary) smile, crinkles the skin around the outside corners of our eyes, forming "crow's feet" or smiling eyes.

(Art by ROYO)

SADNESS
Sorrow, Unhappiness, Depression, Gloom​

a. Bowing postures; “I’m terribly sorry.”
b. Cry face and lip-pout; “Please don't hurt me anymore.”
c. Gazing-down; “I am not a challenge.”
d. Slumped flexed-forward posture of the shoulders; “I give up.”
e. Audible sigh; “I give up.”
f. Compressed lips; “No, I don’t want that.”

The facial features constrict as if to seal-off contact with the outside world. In acute sadness, muscles of the throat constrict, repeated swallowing occurs, the eyes close tightly, and then tears.

(Art by ROYO)

UNCERTAINTY
Indecision, Misgiving, Doubt​

a. Involuntary sideward eye movements; “Who is watching me?”
b. Self-touching gestures; “Am I still in one piece?”
c. Frown
d. Hand-behind-head; “I don’t think so…”
e. Side-to-side head-shakes “No.”
f. Sideward head-tilts; “I don’t want that…”
g. Lip-pout, lip-purse, and tense-mouth expressions “That tastes bad.”
h. Palm-up gestures; “I surrender.”
i. Shoulder-shrug; “Don’t touch me.”

Men tend to rub their chins with their hand, tug at the lobes of their ears, or rub their forehead or cheeks or back of the neck, in reaction to the increased tension. Male college students express uneasiness by changing their sitting posture to a more direct body orientation. “I’m going to to defend myself.”

Women will put a finger on their lower front teeth with the mouth slightly open or pose a finger under the chin. “I have no fangs, I am not a predator.” Female college students show uneasiness by sitting still and arm-crossing. “Dont touch me.”

(Art by ROYO)

SUBMISSION
Acknowledgment, Compliance, Surrender​

a. Turning away “No thank you.”
b. body-bend, body-shift, and bowing “Please don’t…”
c. displacement cues “How did I get myself into this?”
d. facial flushing
e. freeze reactions “Am I in danger?”
f. gaze-down; “I am not a threat.”
g. give-way; “I will not challenge you.”
h. head-tilt-side; “Don’t…”
i. Mimic of superior’s body movements “I will not challenge you.”
j. laughing; “I will not challenge you.”
k. palms-up; “I surrender.”
l. exaggerated personal distance; “Don’t touch me.”
m. pigeon toes; “I can't chase you, I am not a threat.”
n. shoulder-shrugging; “Don’t touch me.”
o. shyness; “Don’t notice me.”
p. difficulty gazing directly at, or cross lines of sight with, a dominant individual. "I don't want to challenge you."
q. higher vocal pitch "I'm weak, and helpless."
r. yawning; “No fangs, see? I am not a threat.”

Note the considerable overlap between expressions of lower status (submission) and fear.

(Art by BROM)

DOMINANCE
Influence, Power, Control​

a. Eyebrow raise; “Are you challenging me?”
b. Hands-on-hips posture; “I’m ready for battle.”
c. Head-tilt-back; “I dare you to bite me.”
d. Palm-down gesture; “Do I need to strike you?”
e. Swagger walk; “I’m stronger than you.”
f. Table-slap; “I will strike you!”
g. Lower tone of voice, close to a growl. "Don't make me bite you."
h. Wedge-shaped chest display; “I’m bigger than you.”
i. Direct stare; “I consider you a threat.”
j. Looming with chin down; “I will bite you.”

Aggressive behaviors include the head brought forward toward another person, chin out and pushed forward, wrinkled skin on the bridge of the nose, and a sharp movement of the head towards the other person, as though in preparation to bite.

The Business Suit
Built-in Dominance​

The business suit allows a powerful, influential ‘wedge-like’ silhouette for business and public affairs.

Exaggerated chest display Strength cues are tailored into every Brooks Brothers® suit. The coat's squared shoulders exaggerate the size and strength of the upright torso. Flaring upward and outward, lapels enhance the illusion of primate pectoral strength. Dropped to fingertip level, the jacket's hemline visually enlarges the upper body to gorilla-like proportions. Pads and epaulets cover inadvertent shrugs and slips of the shoulder blades, to mask feelings of submission or uncertainty in the boardroom or on the battlefield.

(Art by ROYO)

LOVE
Affection, Devotion, Attachment​

a. Physical contact, including hugs and kisses. "You belong to me."
b. Increased breathing rate; “I want to smell you.”
c. Courtship behavior; “I want to make love to you.”
d. Direct gaze with wide pupils; “I find you pleasing to look at.”
e. Facial flushing "You make my heart pound."
f. Head-tilt-side; “Are you looking at me?”
g. Increased heart rate "I am aware of you."
h. Mimic of behavior and/or appearance; “We make a set, we belong together.”
i. Softened tone of voice; “Come closer.”
j. Closing personal distance "I want to touch you."

For The Stages of Courtship:
Go to: [Tutorial] Making ROMANCE

Summary of Facial Expressions​

1. Nose:
a) nostril flare (arousal)

2. Lips:
a) grin (happiness, friendship, contentment)
b) grimace (fear)
c) lip-compression (anger, emotion, frustration)
d) canine snarl (disgust)
e) lip-pout (sadness, submission, uncertainty)
f) lip-purse (disagree)
g) sneer (contempt)

3. Brows:
a) frown (anger, sadness, concentration)
b) brow-raise (intensity)

4. Tongue:
a) tongue-show (dislike, disagree)

5. Eyelids:
a) flashbulb eyes (surprise)
b) widened (excitement, surprise)
c) narrowed (threat, disagreement)
d) fast-blink (arousal)
e) normal-blink (relaxed)

6. Eyes:
a) big pupils (arousal, fight-or-flight)
b) small pupils (rest-and-digest)
c) direct-gaze (affiliate, threaten)
d) gaze cut-off (dislike, disagree)
e) gaze-down (submission, deception)
f) CLEMS* (thought processing)

*CLEMS -- An acronym for "Conjugate Lateral Eye Movement." When the eyes move sideward (to the right or left) in response to a question. Rightward movement is associated with symbolic thinking, or Memory, (what we KNOW,) while Leftward Movement is associated with visual thinking, or Creativity, (what we INVENT).​

​

In short: Right = TRUTH -- Left = FICTION (Lies)​

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This information gleaned and paraphrased from the research by:
The Center for Nonverbal Studies (CNS).


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Want to read my other Writing tutorials?

 

[Rosica]

Use at your own risk. The last time I replace every dialogue tags with action beats, someone accuse me of AI.

 

[Tempokai]

ACTION TAG FTW

 

[Assurbanipal_II]

ACTION TAG FTW

 

[Ararara]

It's a balancing act. One can certainly go overboard with lips curling, words being "growled", eyebrows being described all the time, etc. "Said" is usually a fine default, when the words being said are what's important. Or the action around them. I like a sprinkle of action tags for variety

 

[NotProudofmySmut]

I´d also argue, that balancing is the most important part.

Great food for thought tho!

Thanks OP!

 

[Little-Moon]

I'd love to be capable of that properly but the only time I tried it backfired, the balancing is really a challenge...I got complaints that people were confused about who is speaking since I tend to do a lot of rapid fire conversations between characters as a habit (probably not my best habit but nontheless)


Thanks for the info tho, maybe I'll try out again.

 

[Arkus86]

*CLEMS -- An acronym for "Conjugate Lateral Eye Movement." When the eyes move sideward (to the right or left) in response to a question. Rightward movement is associated with symbolic thinking, or Memory, (what we KNOW,) while Leftward Movement is associated with visual thinking, or Creativity, (what we INVENT).In short: Right = TRUTH -- Left = FICTION (Lies)

To the best of my knowledge, there is no conclusive study supporting the connection between eye movement and lying. It seems the theory comes from the Neuro Linguistic Programming concept from the 70s, which itself does not have scientific support, but it was popular for a while so people keep believing it and spreading it.
My personal experience also runs to the contrary, where I was accused of lying based on my eye movement, while I was in fact recalling a memory.

 

[DarkCrinkle]

As someone who struggles not to abuse the word said.... this is truly a lifesaver!

I wanted my characters express their actions visually and not just through words. This compilation pretty much summarizes what I need. Thanks for taking time in making this guide!

 

[ConansWitchBaby]

It's a balancing act. One can certainly go overboard with lips curling, words being "growled", eyebrows being described all the time, etc. "Said" is usually a fine default, when the words being said are what's important. Or the action around them. I like a sprinkle of action tags for variety

Maybe it's a book about furries?

 

[OokamiKasumi]

Use at your own risk. The last time I replace every dialogue tags with action beats, someone accuse me of AI.

Well, considering 6 of my published books were scraped for an AI, and I don't know how many of my fan-fics, (I'm currently participating in a massive class action suit because of it,) I'm not surprised that my style of writing shows up in a few AI creations.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's a balancing act. One can certainly go overboard with lips curling, words being "growled", eyebrows being described all the time, etc. "Said" is usually a fine default, when the words being said are what's important. Or the action around them. I like a sprinkle of action tags for variety

It's Not a balancing act. Really.

Dialogue tags are a Crutch, something that allows the sentence to limp along, but that sentence isn't actually Healthy enough to run.

I don't use Said, or any other dialogue tags in any of my works. With Actions defining who is doing the talking, Tags are not needed.

The only time dialogue tags like Said are needed is when there is no other way to identify who is speaking.

If you Cannot Identify who is speaking without a dialogue tag, then the heinous crime of Talking in a Vacuum has been committed.

Think in terms of: The Radio is On, but no one is there.
-- There is sound, but no sound effects, and no one can see anything.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Too choppy. Leads to extraneous anatomy lessons and explication of irrelevant detail.

If that's the results you're getting, then clearly you're doing something else catastrophically wrong with your writing, in addition to whatever you're doing wrong with your dialogue.

"Said" is terse, laconic, efficient.

Said is weak, lazy, and repetitive. Relying on Dialogue Tags such as Said shows zero imagination, and the complete lack of a paperback thesaurus within that writer's reach for word variety.

No need to jump through lexical hoops, at the expense of inestimable column inches, avoiding it.

Yes, there is need to jump through those hoops. Especially if one plans to write fiction for anyone over middle-school age. It's called Creativity and Word Diversity.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'd love to be capable of that properly but the only time I tried it backfired,

In what way?

the balancing is really a challenge...

Then don't bother to balance. Commit to one or the other.

I got complaints that people were confused about who is speaking since I tend to do a lot of rapid fire conversations between characters as a habit (probably not my best habit but non-the-less)

That is definitely the fault of a Lack of Action or Description between your dialogue lines. After you write out your dialogue, go back over it and add a spot of body-language or a quick description. That will fix that problem right up.

Reference:

Writing [Tutorial] Is Description really needed? YES.​

Thanks for the info tho, maybe I'll try out again.

You're welcome!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To the best of my knowledge, there is no conclusive study supporting the connection between eye movement and lying. It seems the theory comes from the Neuro Linguistic Programming concept from the 70s, which itself does not have scientific support, but it was popular for a while so people keep believing it and spreading it.
My personal experience also runs to the contrary, where I was accused of lying based on my eye movement, while I was in fact recalling a memory.

Tell that to The Center for Nonverbal Studies (CNS).

'Cuz I am definitely not taking into account some Disinformation that was obviously scraped off of Chat GPT.

~~~~~~~~~~

As someone who struggles not to abuse the word said.... this is truly a lifesaver!

I wanted my characters express their actions visually and not just through words. This compilation pretty much summarizes what I need. Thanks for taking time in making this guide!

Glad I could help!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Eldoria]

The use of the "said" tag in dialogue adopts a telling approach, emphasizing clarity.

Meanwhile, the "action" tag uses a showing approach, emphasizing experience.

You might criticize the action tag for being too convoluted, but discourse truly transcends text.

Body language is nearly universal; almost everyone has used it. Watch babies learn to cry before they speak.

It also enriches the subtext of a narrative. Often... what is unsaid is more profound than what is said.

A wife doesn't need to say, "I'm mad at you. Leave me alone..." for an entire essay to argue with her husband.

Just use the narrative: look away + pouting cheeks + the word "whatever"; her husband will immediately feel bad for the rest of the day.

In short, use "said" tag or the action tag as needed in your narrative.

By the way, I haven't found a way to replace "said" tag when multiple characters are speaking simultaneously.

 

[Rosica]

By the way, I haven't found a way to replace "said" tag when multiple characters are speaking simultaneously.

Replace? Remove them. If your characters all sounds unique and talk like different person, you will not need the "said" tag.

 

[Eldoria]

Replace? Remove them. If your characters all sounds unique and talk like different person, you will not need the "said" tag.

That's only possible if the reader recognizes the characters after reading a few chapters (especially the character introductions). But for readers who happen to be passing through that chapter, even a unique voice, no matter how authentic, is difficult to distinguish when multiple characters are engaged in conversation.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

The use of the "said" tag in dialogue adopts a telling approach, emphasizing clarity.

Meanwhile, the "action" tag uses a showing approach, emphasizing experience.

You might criticize the action tag for being too convoluted, but discourse truly transcends text.

Body language is nearly universal; almost everyone has used it. Watch babies learn to cry before they speak.

It also enriches the subtext of a narrative. Often... what is unsaid is more profound than what is said.

A wife doesn't need to say, "I'm mad at you. Leave me alone..." for an entire essay to argue with her husband.

Just use the narrative: look away + pouting cheeks + the word "whatever"; her husband will immediately feel bad for the rest of the day.

In short, use "said" tag or the action tag as needed in your narrative.

By the way, I haven't found a way to replace "said" tag when multiple characters are speaking simultaneously.

"That's patently ridiculous," he argued.
She whined in reply: "You just don't know what you're talking about!"
The other guy loudly declared: "This is just a bunch of words anyway."
I replied: "Yes, but people do need to know what they're talking about, right?"
"Arf, woof grrr," the dog replied, making the most sense so far.
"All right, the lot of you, out of my bedroom, NOW!" the cop ordered, as he returned home from walking his beat.

 

[Arkus86]

ell that to The Center for Nonverbal Studies (CNS).

'Cuz I am definitely not taking into account some Disinformation that was obviously scraped off of Chat GPT.

Your link only takes me to the front page of Blogger, it offers zero information on the topic. The actual page I assume you wanted to link does not seem to say anything about correlation between eye movement and lying, but I'm on my phone and could have missed it, it's annoying to search like this. Might try again later from my PC.

If you can point me to relevant research contradicting the information I could find on my own and my experience, I don't mind educating myself, until then, I cannot consider that particular point as factual. Which has no bearing on the rest of your post.

And for the record, I make it no secret I don't trust AI to gather reliable information for me, and I did not use it this time either.

 

[blushiemagic]

Autistic person here who neither uses nor recognizes body language, feeling invisible

 

[OokamiKasumi]

Your link only takes me to the front page of Blogger, it offers zero information on the topic.

Link updated.
-- I Googled it myself and everything.

If you can point me to relevant research contradicting the information I could find on my own and my experience, I don't mind educating myself, until then, I cannot consider that particular point as factual. Which has no bearing on the rest of your post.

The information is on the Nonverbal Studies site -- which is where I got it in the first place.
-- Fair warning, the site is Not user friendly. It was set up by college professors, and it shows.

And for the record, I make it no secret I don't trust AI to gather reliable information for me, and I did not use it this time either.

Good.

 

[JayMark]

I've been putting this advice into practice for a while now after having a panic attack over tags and tagging everything. Still use dialogue tags, but try to keep it sparing and never repetitive. It's also a concrete example of showing and not telling when body movements and expresions are used to convey emotion instead of tags.