Goodreads Authors/Readers discussion

Since it was Valentine 😃 I would like to share some tips with you. How to show and don't tell the readers a character is attracted to someone? And how do you approach body language in your writing in general?

https://mybookwhisperer.org/2021/02/1...

Oh that’s definitely a strategy I have noticed authors of popular romance novels do! Thanks for sharing!

Something else to note: using body language implicitly relies on a narrator (who reports the body language). Another option is internal monologue, where you adopt a specific point of view and report the reaction in a POV character's mind (along with opinions, questions, doubts, physical reactions).

Can I just say that you don't necessarily need a specific narrator. I use the multiple shifting viewpoint, whereby each scene may be from a different character's POV. I believe that the character that the story's happening to at any one moment is the one who should tell the story at that point. The net effect of it is that the reader has a great handle on the overall story - a literary effect called 'dramatic irony'. This may be what you were trying to say, Roger. The viewpoint character can notice another person's body language, but not comment on their own, as they probably can't see it without looking in a mirror. Hope this helps.