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Cuddling, kissing, and hugging are often signs of affection. They could be signs of aggression if the character receiving the affection doesn't want it.
There are situations in which a character must control involuntary responses, especially if Dick is a spy, a cop, or pretending to be someone he isn’t. If faced with an angry mugger or screaming toddler, Dick's initial primordial response might be recoil. His body might tense to strike. If it is a mugger, he lets the punch fly, unless the mugger is holding a gun pointed at his head. If it is a toddler, Dick overrides the urge to strike and deals with it another way, unless he has poor self-control or the child is demon-possessed.
There are situations in which a character must control involuntary responses, especially if Dick is a spy, a cop, or pretending to be someone he isn’t. If faced with an angry mugger or screaming toddler, Dick's initial primordial response might be recoil. His body might tense to strike. If it is a mugger, he lets the punch fly, unless the mugger is holding a gun pointed at his head. If it is a toddler, Dick overrides the urge to strike and deals with it another way, unless he has poor self-control or the child is demon-possessed.
Some characters are touchy-feely types. An extrovert is more likely to be a hands-on kind of guy. An introvert hates being touched by people he doesn't know very well. A character who has been abused may not want anyone to touch him, no matter the reason, loving or otherwise.
Some families and cultures are big on physical displays of affection, others aren't. A character might hug every one he has ever met upon seeing them again. Others prefer a handshake or a bow. The reasons can be personality, culture, or life experience.
Touch denotes a degree of intimacy. Someone touching Dick's shoulder could mean multiple things: desire, anger, or compassion. Little kids touch more than adults. A toddler is not self-conscious about where his hands land or where his head rests. The elderly can crave touch as much as toddlers. It may be decades since someone has hugged them or held their hand.
Jane might not mind being touched by a lover or best friend. She might object to being handled by a stranger at a party. Friends and family touch Jane to greet her, tease her, get her attention, help her, or hinder her. How comfortable she is with them makes a difference in how well she tolerates it.
Jane may normally love being touched by her husband until she is angry with him. How your character feels affects how she processes the touch and the person touching her.
There are times when someone we don't know very well needs to touch us: massage therapists, hairdressers, doctors, nurses, medical personnel, rescue personnel, etc. A teacher may have to touch a child to direct him. A guard may have to touch Jane to direct her. It may make the character very uncomfortable. Children involved in sports are used to being tackled, patted, or punched by teammates. Others aren't.
Characters that are deceptive, don't like themselves, or are ashamed of something may avoid touch. They are uncomfortable when someone approaches them, pats them on the back, or moves in for a hug. Pedophiles touch inappropriately.
When a person touches Jane and it feels off, it sends a frisson of alarm through her system. Depending on the circumstances, Jane may subconsciously recoil, but consciously blow it off and make excuses for it. However, her subconscious remains on high alert until the danger has passed.
When describing touch in your fiction, make sure it is appropriate for the circumstances.
Make sure you tell the reader how the character feels about being touched. Is it a good thing or a bad thing?
What kind of caress, hug, or handshake was it?
Is Jane’s instinctive response to pull away when she knows she has to endure the hug?
These small conflicts illustrate character, reveal relationships, and make characters very uncomfortable at scene level.
Touch ignites an involuntary response, followed by a voluntary response, followed by a recovery. Illustrate the beats during critical encounters. The how and why are important. Was the touch appropriate or inappropriate? Tolerated or defended? Welcome or unwelcome?
Make sure you tell the reader how the character feels about being touched. Is it a good thing or a bad thing?
What kind of caress, hug, or handshake was it?
Is Jane’s instinctive response to pull away when she knows she has to endure the hug?
These small conflicts illustrate character, reveal relationships, and make characters very uncomfortable at scene level.
Touch ignites an involuntary response, followed by a voluntary response, followed by a recovery. Illustrate the beats during critical encounters. The how and why are important. Was the touch appropriate or inappropriate? Tolerated or defended? Welcome or unwelcome?
Next we will discuss facial expressions.
0 Comments on Body Language: How close is too close? as of 3/21/2014 12:03:00 PM
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Great post--and great advice. So easy to forget...
I notice all kinds of issues once I give my ms some space. Even a week or two can make a big difference.
I usually have more "Oh, God, I need to fix that" kind of moments than the "Wow--I'm getting good at this!" moments when I open it back up. But you need both those kinds of moments to make it good writing.
The age-old adage works here: "if you love something, set it free," and conversely: "If you currently hate it, set it free."
Either way, when it/you come back together, you'll have changed and so will your perspective.
"Fresh eyes see the world with a smile."
Well said! I wholeheartedly agree.
This is so true. I find that when I step away from a WIP, you can figure out the problems that are driving you batty. But the trick is not staying away *too* long.
This part IS so hard because we're itching to make it all better. But you're right, setting it aside gives us much needed space and perspective.
I put my book away several times, both after writing the first draft and after any major revision. It really, really helps!
Angela 2 The Bookshelf Muse
I have put mine away during November and am currently distracting myself with NaNoWriMo. Anyone else doing that? However, considering that I'm writing the sequel to the first...is that going to hurt the resting period? :/
I hate putting it away too. I cringe every time. But, it really does give you a new perspective when you return to it.
excellent advice. Coming back to your work after a period away gives you a whole new perspective.
I learned a few years ago that this was necessary. I kept revising and editing manuscripts without putting them away, which was a disaster.
I put a manuscript away for weeks, even months, and work on something else.
I know what you're up to! You're trying to hold me back so you can sneak YOUR manuscript in to an agent before I do.
hehehehe
I'm only half kidding. There is a deep-seated fear with some writers that their idea is so amazing, so good, so absolutely brilliant and never done before, that they must send it off RIGHT THIS MINUTE before someone else steals their idea and sends their own near-identical manuscript to the same agent just ahead of them.
One reason why I think this works so well, Lisa, is because we are so familiar with our work, and we know what we INTENDED to say, that we hear what's inside our head rather than just reading what is on the page. We need time and space to clear our head of our own voices so that we can go back to the manuscript and just read ONLY what's on the page.
Try putting it away for over a year! Now that works. I try to take at least 6 weeks off after I've done the major rewrites on my novel. But what really helps to give objectivity is to send it off to an agent - then all errors become glaringly obvious! ;)
I totally agree. I put the first draft of my WIP away for a month before revising and it was really beneficial. The distance allowed me to see it with fresh eyes. :)
I like the term "let it breathe." I know my brain needs distance to see the story as a whole rather than the piece by piece scrutiny that can happen during editing.
I have given you an award on my blog, stop by to claim it.
It's exactly as you've said. I remember reading the first draft of TMD and thinking, "This is pure gold! YES!"
I wrote a few other books, came back to it and wondered, "What the crack was I thinking?"
When I finished another book a month or two ago, I knew it would be going in a drawer for a couple of years. I like it better that way. It's a rediscovery. I get to see it like someone else's work, except with the joy of getting to make it be exactly what the new me wants from a book. ;)
Also, I have a hard time keeping my life in balance, so focusing on my actual life for a little while is an all-win kind of situation!
When I start falling in love with a shiny new idea, I use that opportunity to set aside my WIP. Taking the time to write notes, character sketches, bits of dialogue, and resources for future reference gives me enough distance. And I love when I find parts I can't believe I wrote. Such an ego boost!
You're right on the money. Every time I take one of mine out after a while, I see the parts that don't make sense, but I also see the places I did well!
I love this post, and excellent picture to go with it! I couldn't agree more, heck yeah it works! Seeing an old friend in a new light is always a good thing.
I am always amazed (and pleased) when I come back to my writing after a break. Just came back from one, in fact. It did wonders.
I completely agree. When we are too close to something we can't see the flaws and the parts we did well. Time away allows us to come back to it with rested eyes.