Smiling,
Tapping fingers,
Nodding,
Frowning,
and so on.
However, I find myself overusing these simple body motions. Could anyone provide me with some spicey-fresh new ones?
Thanks!
stroking chin (or beard)
tugging or twirling hair
tapping foot
Does anyone happen to have the link, or could provide me with a good list?
Thanks!
Edit: Here's a generally useful link on this topic, http://www.lindajdunn.com/said.html
[This message has been edited by Phanto (edited January 08, 2004).]
It's a family joke (among the members of my family that have read the Wheel of Time) that Nynaeve is always tugging her braid.
Hmmm. I think maybe it's funnier if you're a member of my family.
For a character that does it often (and is not the POV character) you can describe it once (along with a mention of what it usually means), then just call it her wrists on the hips flounce. Actually, you can just call gestures anything as long as you unambigiously mean that in some manner, the movement is peculiar to that character, and it makes the character seem more unique. I've seen 'tic' used successfully in this manner.
The problem with other approaches is that only mathmatical vector notation has ever proved capable of specifying human (and other animal) movement with the degree of specificity and versitility necessary to capture the subtleties of individual gestures in language...and that is a language that most people can't read, and those that can read it prefer to see it in their workstations rather than in a fiction book.
Remember, gestures, facial expressions, and tone of voice have to be communicated to the reader through the medium of how the POV character describes them. As a rule, the POV character doesn't think about what the specific movement is unless he hasn't seen it before and doesn't know what it means. Once the meaning and individuality of the moment are known (or supposed to be known) to the POV character, he will think of that, not the particular description of the mannerism.
How about rubbing your nose, scratching the back of your neck, rubbing an eyebrow, tilting your head, smoothing your hands down your sides, biting (or nibbling) your lip, licking your lips, sucking in your breath, blinking, wrinkling your nose, cracking your knuckles, shaking your head, slumping, startling, humphing, eyes go wide, wrinkling mouth, running tongue along teeth... ok, are people doing these things - trying them out as we read them?
I have a friend who stretches her fingers out in a circular motion, the type of movement I suspect a cat would make if she suddenly found herself with a human body.
Mannerisms like this don't seem to make any sense, but as someone pointed out already, they could easily suggest interesting things about the person doing them.
You can do a lot with people playing with the "props"
********
Sorry to go off topic here but… Rand and Nynaeve!?!??! As in a couple? Why? Why would that ever happen based on the first 7 books (where the series died a death of disinterest for me)? Not all the women of the Two Rivers (and the rest of the world) are going to fall for Rand! Ack! *Violent Twitching* <-- Oh, can add that one to the list above.
"Oh, what a surprise! The girls are manipulative jerks, and the guys are clueless oafs, and if it wasn't for using sheer luck and cooincidence as plot markers nobody would ever accomplish anything! Imagine!"
Bitter for having spent so much money, I recuse myself from further raggin' on WoT.
[whistles. watches a hummingbird. suddenly skaps forehead]
Oh, yeah! Mannerisms. How about when guys hump dog's legs. That'd be pretty annoying.
Yup.
---------------
I apologize people. I'm just riffing. It's the caffeine, and I should just log off now.
Anyway, way off topic - sorry!
Thanks,
Brian
Some things are best experienced than explained. To discover what it means when eyes "flash," tell a female co-worker that, yes, in fact, she does look a little heavier today, and her new haircut IS a mess, and, good lord, woman, you chose THAT blouse?
If you're lucky, you'll see a by-gosh real flash, just before you find yourself crawling on the floor, crab-like, hands over your groin, praying for the sweet release of death.
[This message has been edited by ccwbass (edited January 09, 2004).]
Those who play instruments are prone to "practice" on the air, or on tabletops, etc. Ballerinas and dancers walk in a graceful manner. Atheletes exhibit mannerisms relating to their chosen sport.
I would conclude that one's habits are a reflection of the environment in which they grew, the people to which they were exposed, AND the hobbies they spent their time practicing.
Thanks for this topic! I had forgotten how important mannerisms can be! I know I did better performing a scene, back in acting class, when the character was full and rounded. Definitely something I'll think more about as I create my characters in my stories!
Oooh! Good point!
I play the piano, and I sometimes find myself playing thirds on convenient surfaces. I've also caught myself typing "this is stupid" on an imaginary keyboard on my desk during really boring lectures...
Anyway, back to the topic:
- Clicking your teeth
- Picking your nose
- Clicking your tongue
- Making a motion associated with scoring a point when something goes well (I knew a guy who would pretend to "swish" a basketball when something went his way - it looked kinda gay if you didn't know what he was doing)
- Thumbs-up
- Raising an eyebrow
- Smirking
- Wrinkling your nose
- Idly scratching something, picking at something (don't pretend we don't have blemishes)
- Biting your bottom lip
- Crossing and uncrossing your legs
- Making a "pbbbbbtp" noise with your lips
- Sticking your tongue out (some people can't think without doing it)
- Making in-air quotation marks (I've seriously met someone who couldn't finish a sentence without doing this at least once - really annoying)
- A full-tongued "bleah"
- Curling your upper lip
- Playing with little trinkets (paperclips, etc. - I do my best thinking with office supplies in my hands)
- Curling and uncurling your toes
- Rubbing your hands
- Pulling at bare threads on your clothes
I'd be surprised if there weren't a good zillion of these.