“Words are very unnecessary /
They can only do harm.”
Depeche Mode, Enjoy The Silence
Last week, I had a bad virus and nearly lost my voice. The experience was a good reminder that spoken words are only part of a story. Many writers tend to lean heavily on dialogue and neglect the rich opportunities found in nonverbal communication. You can convey a lot of information about your characters and their feelings through clues like posture, gestures, and facial expressions; body language often tells the truth you don’t get elsewhere, either contradicting characters’ words or revealing information they haven’t expressed.
Write a scene with two characters where no words are spoken. Use non-verbal cues to inform the reader about the people and their situation or relationship.
