Nonverbal Communication, part II/

This blog concludes the article on nonverbal communication in writing, posted two weeks ago.

When you’re with a group, notice how people stand in proximity to others. Those who know each other well usually stand closer. Strangers tend to stand farther apart.

Touching with an arm or a hand indicates that people probably know each other. A touch can be used to show affection, such as a hug from a mother to a child. Pats on the back offer encouragement from a teacher to a student. One character’s arm over another’s shoulder lends emotional support without saying a word.

People react to body language and nonverbal cues. A frown on an adult’s face can make a child run in the opposite direction. A grandma with arms spread wide encourages a child to run to her.

Develop your scenes with dialog, but don’t forget to use nonverbal signals to show emotions. Sometimes a look or a touch speaks volumes.

Call for submissions for adult writers:

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award

"One Grand Prize winner will receive a publishing contract with an advance of $50,000, and four First Prize winners will each receive a publishing contract with an advance of $15,000. Visit the Prizes page for the full list of prizes and details. We've expanded the categories to include five popular genres: General Fiction, Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror and Young Adult Fiction. And we're accepting entries from more countries than ever before." Be sure to check the very detailed guidelines.

Deadline: "We must receive your Contest entry between January 14, 2013 at 12:00:01 a.m. (U.S. Eastern Standard Time) and January 27, 2013 at 11:59:59 p.m. (U.S. Eastern Standard Time). The contest is limited to 10,000 Entries, and we will stop accepting Entries after we have received 10,000 Entries."


Submissions guidelines at www.amazon.com/abna


Call for submissions for young writers:

Washington Post KidsPost Annual Poetry Contest occurs every April in honor of National Poetry Month. The contest is open to ages 5 to 14. Kids must submit an original (that means you must have written it yourself) poem of any length on any subject. Each child can submit only one poem. Poems can be illustrated, but that is not required.

Deadline: Deadline for entries is 5 p.m. Monday, March 26.

Submission guidelines at http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/kidspost-poetry-contest/2012/02/24/gIQA5rrP1R_story.html

Check out more contests on my blog: http://nancykellyallen.blogspot.com/