Too Many Headshakes in Your WIP?

Shaking heads appear so often in fiction they sometimes make me shake my head in disbelief. Compounding the problem: In some areas of the world a headshake signals agreement, and readers could interpret your character’s body language as approval. Why not clarify your writing and leave no room for misinterpretation?

Emotion Beats and Physical Manifestations

What motivates your character? A shaking head could indicate:

amusement, anger, anguish, anxiety, confusion, contempt, defensiveness, disagreement, disappointment, disbelief, discouragement, doubt, exasperation, frustration, impatience, regret, relief, reluctance, resignation, skepticism, smugness, surprise, unease

Let’s examine body language that shows these emotions.

Amusement
elevated eyebrows
playful shoves or nudging
entertaining observations
chuckling, snorting, or cackling

Anger
pursed lips
sneering and/or snarling
running hands through one’s hair
invading another person’s personal space

Anguish
visible sweating
clenched fists
restless movements
flinching at unexpected sounds

Anxiety
pacing
darting gaze
rubbing one’s arms
biting one’s nails or fiddling with an object like a pen

Confusion
wrinkled nose
scratching one’s head
excessive swallowing
contradictory statements

Contempt
pinched lips
mocking grin
nose in the air
lopsided curling of one’s lip

Defensiveness
crossed arms
sitting with locked ankles
shoulders pulled close to the body
hands in pockets or clutching a purse

Disagreement
deep frown
waving someone away
shuffling backward a few steps
questioning or disputing someone’s statements

Disappointment
biting one’s lip
grinding one’s teeth
slumped posture
hands clasped behind one’s back

Disbelief
rapid blinking
mumbling dialogue
resting fingertips on one’s chest or cheek
covering one’s mouth with a palm

Discouragement
trembling chin
monotone voice
lifeless eyes
slumped posture

Doubt
halting dialogue
rocking on one’s heels
lips pressed firmly together
rubbing the back of one’s neck

Exasperation
tapping foot
fake smile
sharp tone
narrowed eyes

Frustration
cursing
clenched jaw
bared teeth
slamming doors or throwing objects

Impatience
rapid dialogue
leaning forward
drumming or tapping one’s fingers
shifting weight from one foot to the other

Regret
shivering or trembling
hiding one’s face with hair, scarf, or hat
inability to meet someone’s eyes
verbal assurances that one will right the wrong

Relief
unsteady legs
trembling laughter
bowing one’s head, as in prayer
exhalation of pent-up breath

Reluctance
tense posture
stammering or stuttering
made-up reasons for not doing something
delaying an inordinate time before answering questions

Resignation
picking at food
staring at nothing
poor personal grooming
monosyllabic answers to questions

Skepticism
cocked head
simpering smirk
lips pressed together
disparaging remarks

Smugness
chin held high
erect posture
puffed out chest
authoritative voice

Surprise
furrowed brow
gaping mouth
quick step backward
staring at object or person that caused the surprise

Unease
tremulous voice
fidgeting with one’s clothing
not responding to questions
distracted dialogue, not understanding what another person says

For more emotion beats and physical manifestations, consult a body language dictionary. (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

Let’s Try Body Language in a Few Examples

Phil shook his head. “No, you can’t go in there.”

Why does Phil say that? Maybe his voice would reflect his emotional state.

Phil’s tremulous voice squeaked, sending a ripple of unease up my spine. “No, you can’t go in there.”

Is he hiding something in a closet?

Phil gaped and took a quick step backward. “No, you can’t go in there.”

Perhaps he’s angry.

Phil leaned toward me, so close I could smell the honey-garlic ribs he had for supper. “No, you can’t go in there.”

Ingrid shakes her head too.

Ingrid shook her head. “I never did that. He’s lying.”

Ingrid’s dialogue is clear. She’s denying something. Is the action beat required? If we need to show who’s speaking, we could add a dialogue tag.

“I never did that,” Ingrid said. “He’s lying.”

Do we need to show anger?

“I never did that.” Ingrid sneered. “He’s lying.”

Maybe Ingrid is amused. Perhaps she did whatever she has been accused of.

Ingrid nudged Judy with one elbow. “I never did that.” She chuckled. “He’s lying.”

More Examples

Rochelle shook her head. “I can’t talk about that now.”

Can we interject emotion without increasing word count?

Rochelle moaned. “I can’t talk about that now.”

A moan shows that Rochelle is suffering.

Rochelle declined my suggestion. “I can’t talk about that now.”

Now Rochelle is refusing to cooperate. Perhaps she’s stubborn or prefers not to deal with the situation.

Exercises and Story Prompts

Try to eliminate headshakes in the following. Replace with body language or alternatives from the list at the bottom of this page. Feel free to use them as story prompts.

#1. I reviewed Jewel’s performance report and shook my head. Three bad reports in a row. This employee-turned-mistress situation was out of hand.

But what could I do? One wrong move and she would [Insert creative scenario. Does Jewel have blackmail material? Is she pregnant? Does the boss need her because she’s developing software only she is capable of maintaining? Maybe she has changed the passwords to all his offshore bank accounts.]

#2. Brenda shook her head, reluctant to accompany the stranger. Sure, he said all the right words. He was good-looking. Yet, something about his eyes didn’t seem right. When she gazed into them, she lost all sense of time and space.

#3. Bill’s elbow throbbed worse than a toothache. He shook his head. “You can’t make me. I’m not hooked; honest I’m not. I can quit anytime I want. Just give me a chance.” [What is he “not hooked” on? Why is his elbow throbbing?]

#4. “Twenty-five years. I’ve stuck by you for twenty-five years.” Zach shook his head. “Now you want me to give up everything I’ve ever worked for and [What is he supposed to give up, and what is he expected to replace it with? a successful business in exchange for a two-person sailing trip around the world? a mansion for a cabin in the woods? a singing career for a doughnut shop?]”

Alternatives for Shake the Head

Short alternatives will often tell rather than show. If your word count allows, try these as seeds for more extensive scenarios.

A to C
abandon, abjure, abnegate, abrogate, abstain, argue, avert, avoid, balk, bar, belie, block, cancel, cavil, censure, challenge, clash, complain, condemn, confute, contradict, controvert, counter, counteract, countermand, criticize

D to F
debate, decline, demur, deny, deter, deviate, differ, disaffirm, disagree, disapprove, disavow, disclaim, discountenance, dismiss, disprove, dissent, eschew, evade, foil, forbid, forswear

G to N
gainsay, get in the way, give a thumbs down, go against, gripe, halt, hamper, hinder, impede, impugn, interdict, invalidate, kibosh, moan, naysay, negate, nix, nullify

O to R
object, obviate, oppose, oppugn, overturn, pass up, prevent, prohibit, proscribe, protest, quash, quell, raise objections, rebut, refrain, refuse, refute, reject, renounce, repudiate, rescind, resist, retract, revoke, rule out

S to W
say no, scrap, scuttle, speak against, spurn, steer clear of, stop, stymie, suppress, take exception, take issue, thwart, turn down, undermine, veto, voice reservations, ward off, withdraw