Personal Space

Have you ever been speaking with someone and they gradually inch closer and closer until you eventually feel compelled to move away? I distinctly remember a conversation like this in college. The more questions the guy asked, the more flexible I grew. It got to the point where I’d almost performed an impressive back bend. Think a scene right out of Incredibles.

Do you ever pay attention to personal space boundaries? Social cues? Body language?

Writing can become much stronger when an author considers the unique body language of each character. In turn, body language can exude so much about the internal life of a character.

One of my favorite parts about being a writer is the unashamed devotion I have to people watching. Studying close-talkers and mouth-coverers never ceases to fascinate, not to mention reveal. I’m constantly reading layers beneath what people are saying. 

My husband happens to be a hand-talker. Then there are the twitchers, the hair twirlers, the leg tappers, the knuckle-crackers, the lip-lickers, the sighers, and the pant-smoothers. With the same hearty sentiment as Tiny Tim, I say, God bless them, every one!