Author: Susan Uhlig

It’s so easy to overuse nodding and smiling (or variations thereof) when writing scenes. Author Sandra Gerth says, “I’ve read manuscripts in which the characters seemed to smile fifteen times on each page. Or they nodded so often that they came across like bobbleheads.” (Her article How to avoid overused body language in your writing has helpful lists of words to reduce.)

Sometimes the beat is strictly unnecessary. For example, a character saying “yes” with a nod is redundant. Just stick with the dialogue.

Other times we should write something more unique or interesting. I like how Linda K. Sienkiewicz says she uses smiles in two different ways, “One is to couch the smile or grin in a description of the character. The second way…is to hint at an emotion.” For more oomph, I suggest using:

• Character description: Her smile looked as if she was practicing for a dental ad. Shiny, perfect white teeth, and an extra wide curve to her lips. Another character might cover his mouth to hide missing teeth or only smile with closed lips. Then we’ll see the point of view character react to the specifics of that smile.
• Setting detail: She picked up her favorite stuffie from her rumpled bed and hugged it to herself. Or… He flicked soap bubbles at her nose. Both of these hint at location. The first a bedroom—the second a kitchen doing dishes, or it could be in a bathroom tub. Other details will clarify. Plus these each hint at emotion. Combined with dialogue, or the action that just preceded it, the emotion should be clear.

It’s not that you can’t ever use smile or nod, but that we should give the reader more. Usually these rewrites happen in the revision process. One writer shared the count of simple actions before and after revision: Proofing Checklist: Just Nod & Smile by Aeryn Rudel. And I came across this article that talks about the kinds of smiles, which is thought provoking. Not that I want to use these labels but reminds me to think beyond the gesture. This article, Creative Writing Thesaurus: Describing Smiling Characters by Laura MacAulay has some examples of some interesting uses of smiles plus.

In her article, Smiling Damned Villain . . ., Dixie Evatt agrees with much of the above, plus provides resources at the end of her piece.

So, what do you think? Are your characters bobbleheads or not?