OUTLIERS ONE MORE THING: Use Nonverbals To Add Dimension To Your Scenes by Dr. Katherine Ramsland

Use Nonverbals To Add Dimension To Your Scenes by Dr. Katherine Ramsland

At “The Write Stuff” conference, editor and author Tiffany Yates Martin discussed using

“nonverbals” to add more dimension to our scenes. She explained that a vast amount of

communication can occur beyond the dialogue. Demeanor, expression, body language,

silences, and gestures, when used effectively, can provide a vivid sense of the

characters and their interactions. To demonstrate, she played a clip from a 1999 film, A

Walk on the Moon. However, the sound system failed. Although this frustrated her, the

mishap ended up supporting her point just as forcefully (if not more so) than if we’d

heard the dialogue. In the story, Marty has learned that his son had been hurt but that

“Blouse,” a man his mother knows, has helped him. Marty’s aware that his wife is having

an affair with the blouse salesman, but he also owes the man for his assistance. The

scene features Marty entering a room where his son, daughter, wife, and nemesis are

gathered. The dialogue is minimal, but the facial tensions, averted eyes, sidelong

glances, stiff postures, and tight mannerisms speak loud and clear. However, this is a

film. Actors can show all of this. Writers must effectively capture these evocative

behaviors in words. To assist with this, I’d recommend The Emotion Thesaurus: A

Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. It’s

loaded with suggestions for how to convey emotions via physical expressions, mental

responses, and internal sensations. The authors also warn you about cliches. After

listening to Tiffany and watching the scenes she used, I plan to watch a few more

scenes in films with the sound off.

Katherine Ramsland, PhD

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