She Sat He Stood: What Do Your Characters Do While They Talk?

by Ginger Hanson

Geared for the new and intermediate writer, this insightful ebook on writing dialogue from award winning author Ginger Hanson focuses on how to incorporate body language, props, and setting into scenes to give your dialogue more depth. Based on a workshop she presented at regional, national, and online writing conferences, Ms. Hanson draws on examples from books, movies, and plays to demonstrate ways to keep your characters from sitting, standing, or looking out a window as they talk.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Crafts, Reference, Research

80 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2014

About the author

Award-winning author Ginger Hanson writes contemporary and historical romance novels, as well as mostly humorous essays, short stories, and writing skills books. Her contemporary romance series is set in the fictional town of Tassanoxie, AL, a small town full of second chances. Her historical romances include two Victorian era adventure romances as well as two Regency era novels.

A workshop presenter, she has given writing programs for every age group from kindergarten to seniors. Her nonfiction past includes "clean up" writer and copyeditor of Federal Administration Aviation handbooks, to include writing the Aviation Instructor’s Handbook.

She has been the writer/editor of many organizational newsletters as well as a humor columnist for a small town newspaper. To maintain her sanity, she is a practitioner of the art of Taoist Tai Chi.

Visit Ms. Hanson’s website www.gingerhanson.com or like her at Facebook, or check out the scoop on Tassanoxie at Miss Mabel Talks Tassanoxie. If you’re a writer, you might find her Just Ginger blog an aid on this journey we call writing.

Reviews

[Kirsten McKenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great reference tool for authors.
A quick easy read. Enlightening for both the new writer, and the experienced writer. I would happily recommend to other others. My only complaint is that I wished it were a tad longer. But the examples used in the book were clear and easy to follow. I will now look up the reference material on the authors website.

[Anna Erishkigal · Rating 5 out of 5]

No more talking bubble-heads!!!

This is one of those short little 'solve the problem' writing skills book that delivers exactly what it promises. Your critique partner throws your manuscript back into your face scorning 'Bah! Talking bubble heads!' and this little book will help you figure out how to weave bodily action into your dialogue to make it seem more realistic.

Now I gave this book 5-stars because it goes beyond the usual 'go back and add body movement' advice by giving you a brief primer on the five senses (plus sixth-sense if you're writing fantasy) and the three styles of learning (audio, visual and kinesthetic) and then suggesting ways you can ADD those five senses and three styles of learning into your dialogue body movements and what people notice as they do all that moving around, and it teaches ways you can do this BEFORE you even write your scene so the bodily movements / senses come out in your first draft. There were a few places this book got a little cerebral, but I left with a definite checklist I'll be filling out beforehand to enhance my writing.

P.S. - Make sure you take advantage of the free handouts the author makes available on her website. They really are quit useful and you'll be using them again.

[No one · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful book. I learned a few things and reinforced others I had forgotten.
It was exactly what I expected this book to be so I'm pretty satisfied with it.
My only problem is that it was kind of boring. It took me a long time to finish it, despite being such a short read, because I didn't find the voice of the author that entertaining.
Overall, a good book of writing dialogue and making it more interesting.

[Tracey Pedersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had this book for nearly six months before I got around to reading it. But I'm glad I finally did. The information is really useful and for a new fiction writer you might just feel that this is what has been missing from your writing. Characters moving around are a pivotal part of a story. We've all had that experience where we have to flick back through the pages when our character steps out of an elevator that they already stepped out of two pages ago haven't we?

Well worth studying this information although I would have liked this book to be a lot longer. I felt there was a lot more to be said on the subject.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful little book :)

[Libre Paley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have often considered this when writing, what your characters should be doing whilst they talk to make the dialogue more realistic, to help to set or enhance the scene, and give the speech more strength overall. On the one hand we don’t sit like mannequins when we speak, plus body language gives so much away (nervous fiddling, avoiding gazes, and so on); on the other, I worry about giving characters too much too do, creating distraction – i.e. less can be more.
Anyway, I found Hanson’s book a useful introduction or recap on this. She gives practical advice on how to add such texture into written dialogue – rather than simply emphasizing the importance of doing so – as well as useful illustration, in ways that exploit all of the senses.
She speaks with a voice of authority and experience, setting out her credentials, and backs this up with sound advice and tips. Whilst brief, at 0.99 for the ebook version, it is good value.

[Sasha Wolf · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book feels a little disjointed at first; we're expecting a short, punchy book about dialogue, and what we get is chapters on setting and props. In the last quarter of the book, however, the author pulls it all together and shows us a useful working example of her process Parts of it are repeated, however, as if even 88 pages on this topic was a challenge that necessitated padding.

I do think I will adapt the process for my own use, so reading this was worthwhile, but it might have been better as a shorter downloadable. There were also some punctuation errors, including it's for its, which feels partcularly sloppy in a book about writing, and a couple of throwaway sentences in which the author is rather unkind about neurodivergent people of her acquaintance.

[Mr C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant guide for the beginner

There are a lot of cheap kindle guide books for writing but this has to be the best I've read so far. I am trying to write a novel & am decent at plot but not a lot else. This gives you a whole new perspective on both speech & environment description including really clear definitions on "beats".

I know once I go through my writings with the lessons I've learnt here my story will be enriched greatly.

If you can get this cheap on kindle like I did this is a no brainer.

[Lilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the price, this is an unbeatable introduction to dialogue with some good general writing tips crammed in too!
My only complaint is the formatting - the example scenes were formatted exactly the same way as the rest of the book, which made it a bit harder for me to study them ... you read the examples differently than the explanations/theory and formatting could have helped there.

[K.C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another reminder to those of us in the craft to pay attention to fundamentals of style

Is the book readable? Yes.
Is the advice useful? You bet!
Is there anything new or unique here? No.
Another useful reminder comes to those in the craft to imagine more thoroughly and populate our settings more deeply.

[A]

Sound advice, though nothing new. It's good to have a refresher even if I had secretly hoped there would be a New And Easier Solution. But, no, still the old faithful tools of:

- Setting
- Props
- Actions
(internal monologue is omitted as another option; not sure why)

----> creating descriptive beats to break up dialogue.

I would have liked more examples.

[B.A. A. Mealer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good reference for writers.

This book tied description together. Many writers forget that there are five senses, body .pavements other than a nod or shrug. There's are a lot of gems co trained on this book for the aspiring writer to use.

[Sue Lilley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful and concise, although to call it a guide to writing dialogue is a bit misleading. There was hardly anything about actual speech. It was all about setting, props and body language which was fine but not what I was expecting.

[Bitten Andreasen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, it stated in simple terms what we need to add to our dialogue beyond the dialogue itself; setting, body language, props and the five senses. I would have liked it better if the examples had not been from historical fiction, since I do not read or write historical fiction.

[Erin Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but makes the point

It takes less than an hour to read but if you work through the exercises provided you should end up with rich, well-structured, absorbing dialogue.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great craft book.

Breaks down a complex element of story writing into finite executable steps. Great for a writers armamentarium. Well worth the time and money!

[Virginia Rand · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not convinced that this subject was big enough for a book.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather short with examples based largely on examples from plays and film, but some useful stuff on setting, body language, and especially beats.

[Planet Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of helpful tips that make sense.

[Epeeblade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick guide, but I like her checklist method and thinking about a scene as a movie set.

[B. AGHA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practical, helpful and a good resource for writers.

[Peter Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please give me a helpful vote on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/review/RI8EMWB...

Delivers on its promise.

As a reader, I've read thousands of pages of dialogue, and never paid any particular attention to the techniques of engaging dialogue. When it came time to try my hand at writing, however, I discovered that it easier to read dialogue than write it. The mechanics of coordination action with dialogue is a lot harder than it looks. This book suggests some practical techniques for writing dialogue that mixes action and dialogue. I found it extremely useful in writing my first extended short story. This is the rare writing book whose contents exceed its promises.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, but very interesting book. Giving characters something to do while decreasing the number of repetitive dialogue tags is an important aspect of fiction writing. This book gave some good hints on how to go about that, along with using action to create beats within dialogue. The author also has some good resources on her website, such as common physiological actions associated with different emotions. Overall, its a pretty good resource.

[Ally Cabella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can I give it 10 STARS?!?

This little book is PACKED with great information and examples. Shows how to bring characters to life without an info-dump that brings the reader out of the moment. She gives before and after examples to illustrate her points. A must-have for all aspiring writers!

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I don't think I learned much that I didn't already know, Ms. Hanson does a have nice, chatty way of presenting the material so it feels like a friend sharing information with the reader. She simplifies things so somebody new to writing will understand it well.

[Jannette Spann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very seldom do I give a 5 star review on an educational book, but this one is different. Ms. Hanson's smooth writing style made for an enjoyable read. As a writer, I believe the visualizations given in this book will stick with me when I need them the most.

[Thiago d'Evecque · Rating 5 out of 5]

Livrinho curto e com informações valiosíssimas sobre diálogos e como usar suas entrelinhas (beats) para revelar cenário, emoções, personalidade e etc., em vez de se apoiar excessivamente nos "ele disse", "ela disse". Um dos meus favoritos para a prateleira de escrita.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good ideas

This is a well written book for writers who want to improve their skills. I found many "gems " in it and will be utilizing this book as I continue learning to write realistic and intriguing characters. I highly recommend this book to new and seasoned writers.

[Blair Hodgkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful resource for writers, with some very useful tips!

[Olena Rosul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think the method presented in this book can be very helpful to any author. I only wish the book contained more examples.