Guide: Working Body Language Into Your Writing

Walking/Running

Amble - walk leisurely

Careen - move swiftly in one direction

Falter - move hesitatingly; start to lose strength and momentum

Flounder - walk with great difficulty

Limp - walk with difficulty, normally due to injury

Lumber - move heavily or clumsily

Lurch - walk as if unable to control one’s movements; an unsteady tilt or roll

Meander - walk aimlessly or with little purpose

Parade - march in a procession

Prowl - move about in or as if in a predatory manner

Ramble - move about aimlessly or without any destination

Saunter - walk in a slow, or relaxed manner, without hurry or effort

Skulk - move stealthily; keep out of sight

Stagger - walk or move unsteadily, as if to fall

Stalk - walk stiffly

Stride - walk with long steps

Stroll - walk leisurely and with no apparent aim

Strut - to walk with a lofty proud gait

Stumble - miss a step and fall or nearly fall

Swagger - walk with confidence, arrogance or aggressiveness

Totter - move in a feeble, unsteady way

Waddle - walk with short steps and a clumsily swaying motion

Wade - walk through shallow water

Drawing bases & pose references pt 46 ✨

There are 3 more poses for patrons today!

free resources to write a novel in 2024

hello hello! it's me, rach!

as the new year approaches, many of us set goals and resolutions - myself included. one of my goals for 2024 is to write a novel (I've been procrastinating on this for quite a long time now). i assume that some of you might have the same goal, that's why I'm writing this post today.

over 2023 i've been releasing some freebies for authors just like me, so I thought I could compile my favorites in this post. hope you find this useful :)

1) the writer's workbook

this workbook has over 60 exercises to help you develop characters, scenarios, etc. if you're ever stuck, I'm pretty sure this workbook will be your best friend.

2) author's corner (notion template)

this is the most downloaded freebie in my shop! it is a notion dashboard with everything you need to organize your writing and has some templates included (like scrivener)!!

3) another notion template

this one has two themes you can choose from: cottage-core and dark academia. they're very similar to the previous template, but this one is more recent and I added some new features. feel free to explore both and pick the one you like the most.

4) the author's journal

this is a cute printable with 20 pages that will help you stay on track and manage your social media accounts as a writer who shares their work online. you can also register what you're currently writing and your personal research and resources.

5) plan your book printable

this is a 6-page printable for you to fill out and plan your book easily and effectively.

6) excel sheet to organize tasks & word-count

this is a simple excel sheet, but it is very effective for keeping track of your tasks & word-count of your novels. also, it is 100% customizable to your liking!

that's all for now! feel free to explore my gumroad shop where I have plenty of freebies to grab! also, don't forget to subscribe so that you never miss any opportunity to get a goodie for free :)

hope this post was useful!

have a nice day,

rach

how do you write a liar?

How to Write Liars Believably

Language

The motive of every goal is the make the lie seem plausible while taking blame off the speaker, so liars will often project what they say to a third party: "Katie said that..."

Referring to third parties as "they" rather than he or she

In the case of a deliberate lie prepped beforehand, there will be an overuse of specific names (rather than pronouns) as the speaker tries to get the details right.

Overuse of non-committal words like "something may have happened"

Masking or obscuring facts like "to the best of my knowledge" and “it is extremely unlikely," etc.

Avoiding answers to specific, pressing questions

Voice

There's isn't a set tone/speed/style of speaking, but your character's speech patten will differ from his normal one.

People tend to speak faster when they're nervous and are not used to lying.

Body Language

Covering their mouth

Constantly touching their nose

fidgeting, squirming or breaking eye contact

turning away, blinking faster, or clutching a comfort object like a cushion as they speak

nostril flaring, rapid shallow breathing or slow deep breaths, lip biting, contracting, sitting on your hands, or drumming your fingers. 

Highly-trained liars have mastered the art of compensation by freezing their bodies and looking at you straight in the eye.

Trained liars can also be experts in the art of looking relaxed. They sit back, put their feet up on the table and hands behind their head.

For deliberate lies, the character may even carefully control his body language, as though his is actually putting on a show

The Four Types of Liars

Deceitful: those who lie to others about facts

2. Delusional: those who lie to themselves about facts

3. Duplicitious: those who lie to others about their values

Lying about values can be even more corrosive to relationships than lying about facts. 

4. Demoralized: those who lie to themselves about their values

Additional Notes

Genuine smiles or laughs are hard to fake

Exaggerations of words (that would normally not be emphasized) or exaggerated body language

Many savvy detectives ask suspects to tell the story in reverse or non-linear fashion to expose a lie. They often ask unexpected, or seemingly irrelevant questions to throw suspects off track. 

50 WORDS TO USE INSTEAD OF “SAID”

Do you ever find yourself over-using the word “said” in your writing? Try using these words/phrases instead:

stated

commented

declared

spoke

responded

voiced

noted

uttered

iterated

explained

remarked

acknowledged

mentioned

announced

shouted

expressed

articulated

exclaimed

proclaimed

whispered

babbled

observed

deadpanned

joked

hinted

informed

coaxed

offered

cried

affirmed

vocalized

laughed

ordered

suggested

admitted

verbalized

indicated

confirmed

apologized

muttered

proposed

chatted

lied

rambled

talked

pointed out

blurted out

chimed in

brought up

wondered aloud

(NOTE: Keep in mind that all of these words have slightly different meanings and are associated with different emotions/scenarios.)

Just wanted to say I love your EPIC header, that line has been stuck in my head for days now :)

ANOTHER EPIC FAN! I’m obsessed with the new saga aaaaa

Pose references pt 17 🌈

more bases for pride before the month ends 😭😭

Can you hear your characters?

I have a whole lot of trouble making my dialogue sound natural if I don’t know what my characters sound like. Having a strong sense of their voice can help distinguish your characters from each other, show their personalities, and make them more engaging to readers. 

Here’s some details to think over if you’re trying to nail down a character’s voice:

Speed

Pitch

Volume

Accent

Vocabulary

Amount spoken

Willingness to speak

Stutters

Hesitations

Repetitions

Quirks 

Common phrases 

Other questions to ask:

Do their voices or the way they talk change depending on who they’re talking to or the situation they’re in? 

How can their personality come through their voice? Their sarcasm, empathy, awkwardness, etc. 

What in their backstory contributes to the way they talk? 

When they make a statement, how often does it come off as unsure or questioning, versus confident and factual? 

How does their voice relate or coexist with their body language? 

KITTY TRIES TO SUMMON BARTIMAEUS AFTER PTOLEMY'S GATE

“You don’t need me here." 

He looks exactly as she remembers him, or rather exactly as she remembers him. Same stupid coat, same long fingers and pale skin with the ink under the fingernails, the same bags under his eyes. (Except his eyes, instead of brown, they’re black, the same black of Ptolemy’s eyes, black you could fall into and never hit the bottom.) 

She chokes on her words, so carefully prepared, that rebuilding is a lot fucking harder than it should be, that a sudden influx of Polish immigrants has everyone on edge, petitions being signed for the previous government back, the good old days. a tenth of the city, including rebecca piper, has come down with a strain of the flu that’s left doctors baffled. kitty hasn’t slept more than three hours a night for the last week and there’s a pain in her chest that she’s been staunchly ignoring for too long now. and, most of all, people look up to her, people depend on her, and she’s helpless to help them. 

"i just missed you is all,” she says, shocked by how small her voice is. (shocked and angry. she’s better than this.) 

bartimaeus gives her a small smile, and suddenly half of nathaniel’s side is drenched in blood, his leg is twisted at the wrong angle, his hair is matted with dirt and sweat. (he’s still in better condition than when they found him.) “i’m tired, kitty. let me go.” 

she does. she hears — or at least pretends she hears — before he leaves: “but i’ve missed you, too.”