Uh-oh

You just reviewed your novel and found more than one hundred instances of sighed. How can you fix your story without a major rewrite?

Before We Begin, Consider This

Have you ever tried to laugh, hiss, or sigh while you’re talking? Try it.

Now, scrutinize the following sentence.

He sighed, “You’re impossible.”

Note that He sighed has been used as a dialogue tag. But you can’t sigh dialogue.

Correct:

He sighed. “You’re impossible.”

In the previous sentence, He sighed is changed into an action beat by replacing the comma with a period.

Now that’s out of the way, let’s contemplate how to remove all those duplicate sighs in your writing.

Motivation Is Key

If you don’t know the reason behind your character’s sigh, how can you expect your readers to? They’re not telepathic.

Review the following emotions that might cause a sigh:

adulation, agitation, compassion, cynicism, delight, exasperation, failure, impatience, loneliness, longing, overconfidence, remorse, resolve, self-doubt, stoicism, suspense, suspicion, tranquility

Consider a few action beats and physical manifestations that show these emotions.

Adulation
moistening one’s lips
following someone with one’s eyes
nodding at everything a person says

Agitation
scowling
pacing
glancing at a door or wristwatch

Compassion
embracing someone
nodding
speaking words of comfort in a soft tone

Cynicism
pursing one’s lips
smirking
glaring in a condescending manner

Delight
giving a fist bump or thumbs-up
grinning
whistling

Exasperation
pointing a finger at someone
clenching one’s fists
shaking one’s head

Failure
staring at one’s feet
slouching
staring with a vacant expression

Impatience
pinched lips
slamming doors
throwing objects

Loneliness
neglecting personal grooming
repressing tears
spending an inordinate time with pets

Longing
leaning toward someone
gazing into the distance, with a faraway expression
biting one’s bottom lip

Overconfidence
standing with widespread feet and crossed arms
sneering or smirking
bellowing in an authoritative voice

Remorse
squeezing one’s eyes shut
slumping shoulders
wincing as memories or shame surface

Resolve
firming one’s jaw
reacting with strong movements
assuming an aggressive posture

Self-doubt
shuffling one’s feet
biting one’s lip
excessive swallowing

Stoicism
speaking in a toneless voice
hiding physical pain
losing one’s appetite

Suspense
sweating
reacting with fluttering heart and racing pulse
fidgeting with one’s hands

Suspicion
tight smile
refusing assistance
stuffing one’s hands into pockets or fiddling with a purse

Tranquility
humming
relaxed posture
greeting everyone on the street

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

Would Dialogue Work Better?

If your character’s sigh is not just an action beat but a means to communicate emotion, dialogue might be your answer. Sometimes a well-worded snippet of conversation will say more than an entire paragraph of action beats and body language.

Adulation
“Roses, just for you.”
“Nobody does it better.”
“You’re the most perfect woman a guy could ever ask for.”

Agitation
“Humph.”
“You’ll be the death of me yet.”
“What’s the matter with you, you incompetent boob?”

Compassion
“I feel your pain.”
“Aww, I understand.”
“I wish it could’ve been me instead.”

Cynicism
“Meh.”
“You can lead a horse to water, but …”
“Yeah, I’ll wait. It’s not like I have anything important to do.”

Delight
“It’s Friday. Friday!”
“For me? Really? I can’t believe it!”
“That wasn’t hard at all! Why didn’t I see the answer sooner?”

Exasperation
“Aargh!”
“No, no, no, no, NO!”
“If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a million times …”

Failure
“I’ll never figure this out.”
“I’ll resign in the morning.”
“Burnt. Again. Cooking was never my strong point.”

Impatience
“Hurry up. We don’t have all day, you slowpoke.”
“No, I don’t need your help. Not enough time in the day.”
“Forget the dessert. We have to leave as soon as we get the bill.”

Loneliness
“Nobody gives a hoot what an old lady thinks.”
“I feel isolated, like a prisoner in solitary confinement.”
“You don’t know what lonely is until you’ve spent a decade eating breakfast with a cat as your only company.”

Longing
“If only I could …”
“What if …”
“Ah, the old days. People don’t know what they’re missing.”

Overconfidence
“I can beat you anytime, anywhere.”
“He doesn’t know beans. Leave it to me.”
“I got what you need, baby. And lots of it. XL.”

Remorse
“I’m so, so sorry.”
“If only I could do it all over again …”
“One million, two; how much will it take to pay for my mistake?”

Resolve
“Come on. We can do this.”
“Everything is possible if you give it enough time.”
“No matter what he does or how much he insults me, I refuse to cry.”

Self-doubt
“I can’t fight them alone. I just can’t.”
“I’m not sure. I’ve never done this before.”
“But the last time I tried this, it was a colossal flop.”

Suspense
“Are we there yet?”
“… and? Get to the end of the story before I wet myself.”
“C’mon, tell me. Who did you invite for supper? Your mother?”

Suspicion
“Are you really a movie producer?”
“I hardly know you. Can I bring a friend along with me?”
“Nobody else could’ve done it. You were the only person in the room.”

Tranquility
“Ah, this is the life.”
“Me? Worry? That word isn’t even in my vocabulary.”
“Fuzzy slippers, a glass of wine, and a good book. Perfect.”

More Action Beats That Could Replace Sighs

• face plant
• fake smile
• finger stroking or tapping the chin
• gritting one’s teeth
• head in one’s hands
• rolling one’s eyes
• shaking one’s head
• shrugging
• staring out the window
• steepled fingers

Direct Replacements for Sigh

Determine your character’s motivation. Then, pick a verb from the following list or search for something similar in your favorite thesaurus.

A and B
ache, agonize, bark, bellow, bemoan, bewail, blare, blat, blub, blubber, bray, breathe, brood

C to E
cackle, carp, caterwaul, chafe, choke, clamor, cluck, complain, crave, declaim, decry, effuse, exhale

F to H
fret, gasp, gripe, groan, grouse, growl, grumble, grunt, gulp, gurgle, hanker, hiccup, hiss, howl, huff

I to O
inhale, keen, lament, languish, long for, meditate, mewl, moan, mope, mumble, muse, mutter, obsess

P to R
pant, pine, pout, puff, pule, purr, reflect, rue

S
sibilate, snap, snarl, sneeze, sniff, sniffle, snivel, snort, snuffle, sob, sough, squall, squawk, squeal, stew, sulk, suspire

T to Y
thirst, wail, wheeze, whimper, whine, whistle, yammer, yawp, yowl