Writing Lessons from "The Bachelor"

Some of the best dialogue in a book is the unspoken dialogue. The eye roll, the hunched shoulders, the tight jaw. Physical action can show a person's true feelings much more than words ever could.

A couple months ago I talked about a writing takeaway I learned from watching TV. So I thought I'd share another way to watch TV and hone your writing skills. Are you ready? This will revolutionize your life, I promise. Here it is.

Watch your TV on mute.

Yep, you heard it here first, folks. Grab a bowl of popcorn and the remote, then settle into your couch and watch TV with no sound (and no closed captioning).

I first discovered this trick when watching The Bachelor. I know, I know, people, don't hate me because I watch senseless television.

One night I was watching the show, and I muted the TV during commercials like I always do. I got preoccupied doing something else and next thing I knew, the show had been back on for five minutes. I glanced up and instead of unmuting, I realized something amazing was happening (other than the bachelor telling the fifth girl in a row that he's falling in love with her).

There were some major body language cues flying back and forth.

They were holding hands, and she was leaning close to him but he stayed back in his loungey position. Pretty soon, I started to have fun plugging in my own dialogue based solely on their body language.

[Girl leans forward and puts hand on his shoulder.] "So, what do you think of the other girls?"

[Guy glances across room at Smoking Hot Girl, then looks down at his drink and shrugs.] "I'll tell you they're all right, but really I just want to choose Smoking Hot Girl and be done with this stupid show."

[Girl locks eyes with him.] "I know this will sound kind of crazy, but I feel such a connection with you."

[Guy clears his throat and scoots one inch the other way.] "I'll say same here, but really I can't wait to get out of this conversation so I can look at...I mean, talk to Smoking Hot Girl some more."

I don't remember if I was right in my assessment or way off, but the bigger takeaway was the tool I'd discovered. These people's words meant nothing in light of what their body language said. Sure, I would have picked up on the vibe of the conversation with the sound on, but having the TV on mute forced me to study those body language cues, to take mental notes so that next time I sat down to work on my book, I could show the unspoken dialogue between the lines.

(And in case you're curious, this technique can work with both reality and non-reality television.) :)

Where do you draw inspiration for the unspoken dialogue in your stories? Do you have any tips or favorite ways to study body language?

*Eyes Photo by Graeme Weatherston / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

*Remote Photo from FreeDigitalPhotos.net

*Bachelor Photo from abc.com