Emphasis On Body Language In Fictional Writing

I have just finished a very emotional chapter in the first draft of my unannounced (fiction) book project. I have been reading over previous chapters and I notice how much emphasis I have put on body language. I believe this is important to correctly detail a characters personality, and what they are both thinking and feeling in a situation.

I have read many books in the genre my story best fits in, and I don’t believe many of them put much emphasis on body language. I feel like describing body language is a great aid to go along with dialog. Not all books are as dialog heavy as mine; sure it’s usual for fictional books to have dialog, but some are more dialog heavy than others. Some focus more on the narrative whereas others may read more like a script. Mine is pretty much in the middle, but the dialog is a very important factor in my story, and I’ve found describing body language to be effective in projecting subconscious messages across to the reader.

I have a beta reader who has read the first seven chapters of my book, and it’s great to know that she understands the characters true motives based on their body language at certain points. I’m not saying everybody should do the same, as this is a thing that may only compliment certain writing styles and genres. But I can honestly say that it is one of my favourite strengths made apparent in my book. I can only hope that those who happen to read my book (should it ever see the light of day) feel the same way.