Following the in-depth article Emotion Makes the Characterwith tips for creating emotion in your characters, I offer the following:
Use of the following behaviors, which impede effective communication, create conflict and tension and reveal character:
Walking away
Sarcasm
Blame
Short Temper
Withdrawal
Not listening
Talking over
Looking away
Shouting
Anger
Criticism
Intellectualizing
Debating the complaint
Threatening to leave
Counter-complaints
(List is thanks to my dear friend, Teresa LeYung Ryan, and Emillo Escudero. Thanks!)
Gotta run. More later….
great list of indicators!
That's really helpful. Thanks!
As a reader.. I get so frustrated with non-effective communication. Sometimes I just put the book down so I don't have to deal.
Good points! These are nice ways to build tension.