How Often Do Your Characters Clench Their Fists?

By definition, a fist is a tightly closed hand with the fingers doubled into the palm. So does clenching the fists make sense? No. The hand is the body part that clenches to form a fist.

However, a Google search for “he clenched his fists” produces more than 405,000 results, and “she clenched her fists” yields more than 386,000. Perform the searches yourself (including quotation marks) to confirm.

Writers Often Abuse the Most Common Replacement

“He balled his hands into fists” generates 14,800 Google results; “She balled her hands into fists” produces 9,260.

Why the Fuss?

Overreliance on clenched the fists and balled the hands into fists distracts readers.

Direct Substitutions Often Solve the Dependence Problem

Try any of the following, or exploit them as triggers for your own alternatives. Careful. Some of these border on purple prose:

• make a fist
• dig fingernails into one’s palms
• form white-knuckled weapons with one’s hands
• clamp one’s fingers into white-knuckled vise-grips
• scrunch one’s fingers into angry cannonballs
• roll one’s fingers into balls of fury
• fuse one’s fingers into steely clamps
• curl one’s mitts into menacing missiles
• lock one’s paws into pugilistic projectiles

Emotion Beats and Physical Manifestations

Maybe you need to dig deeper. Clenched fists might be a sign of:

A to W
aggression, anger, anguish, annoyance, antagonism, anxiety, defiance, determination, flight-or-fight response, frustration, hostility, irritation, jealousy, pessimism, rage, stress, stubbornness, uncertainty, worry

The following list suggests a few ways to show these emotions. If you imagine how each emotion makes you react, you could replace clenched fists with your own body language or physical responses.

Aggression
tight jaw
flared nostrils
finger-pointing
invading someone’s personal space

Anger
stomping
bared teeth
pulsing vein(s) in one’s neck
eyes protruding from sockets

Anguish
insomnia
quivering
tense muscles
visible sweating

Annoyance
pacing
folded arms
terse dialogue
protruding cord(s) in one’s neck

Antagonism
glaring
shouting
exaggerated gestures
staring someone down

Anxiety
grinding teeth
tugging on an earlobe
chewing on fingernails or pen
fidgeting with one’s clothing or accessories

Defiance
tossing one’s hair or head
stuffing one’s hands into pockets
standing with one hand on hip
jutting one’s chin toward person being defied

Determination
rubbing one’s neck
tapping one’s feet or fingers
touching one’s face or forehead
pressing one’s lips into a thin line

Flight-or-fight response
jutting chin
tense shoulders
glancing toward the exit
locking one’s ankles around a chair

Frustration
scowling
shaking one’s head
snorting or sneering
biting one’s bottom lip

Hostility
kicking furniture
forming a tight-lipped smile
leaning toward someone
smacking desk or wall with a palm

Irritation
narrowing one’s eyes
twitchy movements
massaging the back of one’s neck
interrupting someone else’s dialogue

Jealousy
cursing
rigid posture
flinging insults
flushed cheeks

Pessimism
wrinkling one’s nose
making sarcastic remarks
curling one’s upper lip
walking away during a discussion

Rage
shoving someone
cracking one’s knuckles
jabbing someone’s chest or shoulder
threatening someone with gestures or a weapon

Stress
wringing one’s hands
reddening of the ears
rubbing one’s arms or stroking one’s hair
gazing furtively around the room

Stubbornness
pouting
fixed stare
tight mouth
crossing legs while one is seated, and grabbing an ankle to lock it in place

Uncertainty
tentative gait
fiddling with one’s hair, beard, or mustache
shifting weight from one foot to the other
assuming a scissors stance (legs crossed)

Worry
slumped posture
unkempt appearance
repetitive movements
overindulgence in coffee, cigarettes, alcohol, or drugs

If you need additional beats, consult a body language dictionary. (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

Let’s Review a Few Examples

Example 1

Antoine looked at Tilly and clenched his fists.

Why does Antoine act this way?

Antoine glared at Tilly and tightened his hands so much that his fingernails bit into his palms.

Now we see antagonism, possibly even rage.

Let’s show another emotion.

Antoine took a drag on his cigarette, the fourth in less than half an hour, and scrutinized Tilly over the top of his glasses. “You could have called and told me you were stuck on the freeway.”

This time Antoine shows obvious worry.

Example 2

Suzette clenched her fists as she read the webpage.

Is Suzette frustrated? What did she read that would evoke such a reaction?

Suzette bit her bottom lip as she read the bad book review.

Now we see a reason for her emotion: frustration.

Jealousy might also result in clenched fists:

Suzette cursed as she read the glowing book review for her brother’s latest novel.

Nothing like an entrée of sibling rivalry, perhaps seasoned with a sprinkling of gender bias.

Example 3

Roland clenched his fists in anger when Elvira showed up three hours late.

Flash fiction might demand a terse sentence such as this. However, showing Roland’s anger works better for longer works:

Roland bared his teeth at Elvira. “You’re late. Again. Three hours this time.”

Guess what? The second example contains the same number of words as the first. See — it is possible to show motivation without becoming longwinded.

Given the degree of Elvira’s lateness, Roland might express rage instead of anger:

Roland shoved Elvira against the wall. “You’re late. Again. Three hours this time.”

Still the same number of words. Fist bump?

Example 4

The crowd clenched their fists in defiance and shook them above their heads. The mayor frowned.

Although this example provides a strong mental image, in defiance is a tell. Can we show the crowd’s defiance? Perhaps the narrator would notice the actions of specific people:

The crowd rumbled — a thunderstorm waiting to explode.

One old codger jutted his chin toward the mayor and blew a raspberry.

A middle-aged woman wearing a threadbare jacket tossed her head. “You’re an idiot. Nobody can afford more taxes. You expect us to eat our cats so we can survive?”

The mayor cringed.

Note cringed, a strong verb that shows the mayor’s reaction better than frowned.

In this passage, show requires many more words than tell, but we could relate the events in a way that would please a flash-fiction editor:

The crowd groaned when the mayor announced an increase in taxes. He scanned their angry faces — and cringed.

This version increases the word count by two.

Example 5

In anguish, Lois clenched her fists.

Why is Lois in anguish?

Quivering, Lois stared at her father’s grave.

Now we have a reason for Lois’s distress, with only one extra word.

Another version might read:

Lois grabbed the telephone before it finished its first ring. It slipped from her sweaty palm and dashed into pieces on the sidewalk. “No, no, no, no, NO! Now the kidnappers have no way to contact me.”

More words, but now we have the makings of a suspenseful story.

Your Turn

Can you remove all instances of clenched fist(s) from the following?

Exercise 1

Mike’s clenched fists hung at his sides, dead weights, immovable no matter how much he willed them to open. An unseen force flung him to the ground. He groaned. “Why are you doing this to me?”

[Seems like Mike is in trouble. Science fiction? Fantasy?]

Exercise 2

Veronique raised one clenched fist in a victory salute as she crossed the finish line.

Petra, two strides behind, clenched her fists in anger. That little b****. If she hadn’t __________, I would have won.

[Is this an athletic event, or can you twist it into something unexpected?]

Exercise 3

When Brenda Fitzgerald entered the foyer, Gerard clenched his fists. Self-aggrandizing little priss. That suit must have set her back at least a thousand bucks. He unclenched his fists and offered his right hand. “And how’s my wife’s divorce attorney today?”

Brenda sneered. “You mean ex-wife.”

He snatched an envelope from the shelf above the coat rack. “Not according to this.”

She clenched her fists. “How did you find out?”

[You might need a lawyer to help you concoct a twist for this one.]