FACE FACTS

Guillaume-Benjamin Duchenne studied facial expressions. The theory resulting from his research was: the muscles of the face represented the movement of the soul. Duchenne identified and isolated fifty-three emotions that correlated with the formation of certain muscle responses. Which makes me wonder if he isn't the granddaddy of the social media phenomenon -  emoticon.

There are forty-two muscles in the human face, each capable of forming expressions and contortions. We unconsciously manifest our thoughts, desires, and disposition through the reflections cast upon our face.

If you visualize someone who's love-sick; depressed; courageous, eating chocolate cake . . . it's easy to get the picture. Thinking back to times of stress, duress, or trauma in our own lives, someone may have told us to suck it up or put a smile on our face and we've complied. We show the world what they want to see but for a fleeting moment while we decided on our public persona, our true feelings may have shown. Actually, this unspoken language of expression is hard to suppress but some will argue that what you think is what you'll be.

These reasons are why it's so important to have contact with another person in more than a one hundred forty character tweet where they've chosen the icon they want you to think they feel. It's important to see for yourself how another is actually internalizing your conversation. This is where separating fact from facade becomes complicated. We are drawn to people because of their demeanor and until we gain knowledge or life experience, we'll sometimes walk away from our conversations saying, 'What kind of a look was that?' not sure if the body language actually matched the verbal response.

If you think about it, our personality shines through our face. So does our mood. Feelings. Physical health. Even our credibility. Writers who study facial expressions and body language and apply them (with the same sensibility as adding hot pepper sauce to meat) tend to develop more well-defined characters. I encourage you to think about using a little spice in your writings.

(Mecanisme de la Physionomie Humaine - 1862) 

"Begotten With Love" news update:  It's now possible to access our website www.BegottenTheBook.com with most mobile phones. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

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IS IT POSSIBLE TO WRITE LIKE THE OPPOSITE SEX THINKS or TALKS??

AS A WRITER (IF YOU"RE A MAN) CAN YOU THINK AND TALK LIKE A WOMAN (and VICE-VERSA)?

Writers are observationists. We study movement. We feel colors. We absorb the pulse of a city. We sense the turmoil of the heart. From the shadows of a fertile mind come all sorts of characters . . . real and imagined!

Yet, the plague from our pen is our inability to talk, reason, or think like the opposite sex. It's easier to draw a caricature of a human being and enjoy their foibles than to build a genuine, sensitive, or complex life for the hero or heroine locked within the pages of our book.

Let me put it to you in another way. Who wrote the following . . .  a man or a woman?
    The cop placed his hand firmly on the hood of Grady's truck. "Could you pull this bad boy closer to the dock?"

Most women will read this and not have a clue. Most men will get it immediately. Why? Because a man knows men don't ask someone if they "can." They know people "can." It's a question of will they?

As they say, the devil is in the details.

If you'd like to read more about relationships, I suggest reading the classic: "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" by John Gray, Ph.D.

Then, when you feel comfortable with your dialogue, read it with someone of the opposite sex and ask them their opinion. The answers may surprise you! Remember, the goal is to improve our skills.

Here's wishing you colorful relationships to write about and much success.

"Begotten With Love" news update:  It's now possible to access our website www.BegottenTheBook.com with most mobile phones. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

To learn more:
VISIT: www.BEGOTTENtheBook.com
LIKE: on Facebook or
AVAILABLE ON: Amazon.com/author/joannglim
BOOK TRAILER on YouTube