Discover the most overused gestures and reactions in fiction writing. Learn how to replace generic crutches like sighs, eye-rolls, and heart-pounding with specific, character-revealing responses that editors actually want to see.
The Manuscript Red Flags That Make Agents Groan
An agent opens your manuscript. The writing is polished, the premise intriguing, the first chapter hooks them. Then they start noticing a pattern:
Page 12: Sarah sighed.
Page 18: Marcus sighed heavily.
Page 24: She let out a long sigh.
Page 31: He sighed and ran his hand through his hair.
Page 47: Sarah sighed again.
By page 50, the agent isn’t reading your story anymore—they’re counting sighs.
This is the generic gesture problem, and it’s epidemic in unpublished manuscripts. According to 2024 data from manuscript assessment services, the average unpublished novel contains:
- 47 sighs
- 38 eye-rolls
- 52 instances of hearts pounding
- 29 dramatic exhortations (“Ugh!” “God!” “Seriously?!”)
- 34 meaningful glances
These gestures—what I call “emotional crutches”—are the writing equivalent of saying “um” in speech. They’re reflexive filler that creeps in when you’re not sure how to show a character’s reaction to a moment.
The problem isn’t that these gestures never occur in real life. They do. The problem is that they’re generic—universal human responses that tell us nothing specific about who your character is or how they uniquely process the world.
And once you start relying on them, they multiply like weeds, choking out the specific, individualized reactions that bring characters to life.
This guide will help you identify your personal gesture crutches, understand why they weaken your writing, and replace them with reactions that reveal character instead of just filling space.
The Complete Generic Gesture Graveyard: What to Avoid
Before we discuss solutions, let’s identify the full scope of the problem. These are the most overused gestures and reactions in contemporary fiction, organized by category.
Respiratory Reactions
The offenders:
- Sighs (in all variations: heavy sighs, long sighs, resigned sighs)
- Gasps
- Sharp intakes of breath
- Breath catching in throat
- Holding breath
- Breathing heavily
- Exhaling slowly
Why they’re problematic: Breathing changes are universal stress responses. Every human sighs when frustrated, gasps when shocked. These gestures work in real life because we have context—facial expressions, body language, tone, history. On the page, without that context, “she sighed” could mean annoyance, exhaustion, relief, resignation, or sadness. It’s too vague to carry emotional weight.
The test: Can you replace the gesture with a different emotion and have it still make sense? If “she sighed” could equally mean she’s frustrated OR relieved, the gesture isn’t doing its job.
Ocular Reactions
The offenders:
- Eye-rolling
- Eyes widening
- Eyes narrowing
- Meaningful glances
- Looking away
- Avoiding eye contact
- Staring intently
- Eyes welling with tears
- Eyes misting
- Blinking rapidly
- Eyes clenching shut
Why they’re problematic: Eyes are expressive, so writers gravitate toward them. But “meaningful glance” is meaningless without specificity. What makes it meaningful? What’s being communicated? “Eyes welling with tears” is a cliché that appears in approximately 60% of unpublished manuscripts. It’s become shorthand for “character is sad” without showing how this character experiences sadness.
Cardiovascular/Internal Sensations
The offenders:
- Heart pounding
- Heart racing
- Heart skipping a beat
- Pulse quickening
- Stomach lurching
- Stomach dropping
- Stomach tightening
- Butterflies in stomach
- Throat catching
- Lump in throat
- Chest tightening
Why they’re problematic: These are invisible internal sensations that can only be known in first-person or close third-person POV. They’re also completely generic—everyone’s heart pounds when frightened, everyone’s stomach drops when shocked. Without additional context, they’re emotional labels disguised as physical reactions.
Facial/Head Reactions
The offenders:
- Blushing
- Face going white/pale
- Jaw dropping
- Jaw clenching
- Teeth gritting
- Biting lip
- Clearing throat
- Throat going dry
- Swallowing hard
- Raising eyebrows
- Furrowing brow
Why they’re problematic: Some of these (blushing, going pale) are involuntary and can work occasionally, but they’ve been overused to the point of cliché. Others (jaw dropping, raised eyebrows) are often told rather than shown—does the POV character really notice their own eyebrows rising?
Body Language Reactions
The offenders:
- Shrugging
- Tensing/going rigid
- Freezing in place
- Trembling/shaking
- Hands balling into fists
- Crossing arms
- Hands trembling
- Shoulders sagging
- Spine straightening
- Stepping back
Why they’re problematic: These are generic defensive or stress responses. “She crossed her arms” appears so frequently in manuscripts that it’s become a joke among editors. These gestures happen in real life, but on the page they need additional context or specificity to reveal character.
Verbal Reactions
The offenders:
- Dramatic exhortations: “Ugh!” “God!” “Seriously?!” “What?!” “Blech!”
- Stuttering: “I-I-I can’t believe…”
- Trailing off: “I just thought maybe…”
- Sputtering: “But—I—you—what—”
- Clearing throat before speaking
Why they’re problematic: These attempt to show emotion through dialogue tics rather than actual content. “Ugh!” tells us nothing. Stuttering can work sparingly for specific characterization, but it’s often overused as a shorthand for “nervous” or “shocked.”
Dramatic Pauses and Silence
The offenders:
- Dramatic pauses (stated rather than shown)
- Long silences (without purpose)
- Character A: “X!” Character B: “What?” Character A: “I said X!”
- Pregnant pauses
- Awkward silences
Why they’re problematic: “There was a long pause” is telling rather than showing. If the pause is meaningful, show us what happens during the pause—what characters do, think, or notice. The “What did you say?” / “I said [exact repetition]” exchange makes readers repeat content unnecessarily.
Movement/Action Reactions
The offenders:
- Running hands through hair
- Pacing
- Tapping fingers/feet
- Rubbing face/eyes
- Pinching bridge of nose
- Wringing hands
- Fidgeting
- Turning away
Why they’re problematic: These nervous habits can work for specific characterization (one character always runs their hand through their hair), but when every character does them, they become white noise. Real people have individualized nervous tics, not universal ones.
The “Three Sighs Rule” and Why It Works
Here’s my controversial position: You should use any gesture from the generic list no more than 2-3 times in your entire novel.
Three sighs total. Two eye-rolls maximum. One heart-pounding moment that really counts.
I can hear the protests: “But people DO sigh! They DO roll their eyes! This is unrealistic!”
Here’s the truth: Fiction isn’t a documentary of real human behavior. It’s a curated, heightened, meaningful representation of human behavior.
In real life, people say “um” constantly, but you don’t include every “um” in dialogue. In real life, characters would use the bathroom regularly, but you don’t show every bathroom break. In real life, people sigh dozens of times a day, but you don’t need to document all of them.
You include the details that matter—that reveal character, advance plot, or create specific atmosphere.
The Exception: Character-Specific Tics
There’s one caveat to the three-usage rule: Character-specific habitual gestures that serve characterization.
Examples that work:
J.K. Rowling’s Dolores Umbridge: “Hem, hem” (a distinctive verbal tic that reveals personality)
A character who always drums fingers when thinking (if it’s ONLY this character and it reveals something about them)
A character who bites their thumbnail when lying (specific, consistent, meaningful)
The difference: Generic gestures could apply to anyone. Character-specific tics:
- Appear consistently for ONE character
- Reveal personality or background
- Serve plot purposes (other characters notice the tic as a tell)
- Are unusual enough to be distinctive
What to Use Instead: The REACT Framework
When you catch yourself reaching for a generic gesture, use this framework instead:
R – Reveal Character Through Specific Action
Instead of universal responses, show responses shaped by this character’s specific background, profession, or personality.
Generic: She sighed.
Specific (reveals character is a chef): She pressed her thumb into the soft part of her palm—the scar from the mandoline accident three years ago. The old injury always ached when she was stressed.
Specific (reveals character is former military): She scanned the room the way she’d been trained—exits first, threats second, objectives third. Muscle memory from another life.
E – Engage the Environment
Use surroundings to show reaction rather than relying on internal sensations or facial expressions.
Generic: His heart pounded.
Environmental: The clock on the wall ticked too loudly. Had it always been that loud? He focused on the second hand, watching it jerk forward. Eleven seconds. Twelve. Thirteen.
Generic: She froze.
Environmental: The coffee mug slipped from her hand. She watched it fall—had time been moving this slowly before?—and made no move to catch it. The ceramic shattered against the tile, coffee spreading in a dark pool toward her feet.
A – Add Thought Process
Show the character’s mind working through the moment rather than just physical reaction.
Generic: He was shocked.
With Thought Process: Wait. She’d said Tuesday. But Tuesday they’d been in Boston—he had the receipts. Which meant either she was mistaken or… or she wasn’t mistaken at all.
Generic: Her stomach lurched.
With Thought Process: The words hit her brain in the wrong order. Terminal. Stage four. Months. No—that couldn’t be right. She needed him to rewind, start over, say different words this time.
C – Create Behavioral Response
Show what the character DOES with the emotion, not just how their body reacts to it.
Generic: She started crying.
Behavioral: She stood up, walked to the sink, and began washing dishes that were already clean. Her hands moved automatically—soap, rinse, dry, stack. Her sister was still talking, but the words became background noise beneath the sound of running water.
Generic: He clenched his jaw.
Behavioral: He pulled out his phone and began a text to his lawyer. Deleted it. Started again. Deleted it. On the third attempt, he managed: “We need to talk. Tonight.” The message sat unsent on his screen while his thumb hovered over the button.
T – Tap Into Unique Perception
Show how THIS character perceives the moment based on their specific lens.
Generic: She blushed.
Unique Perception (from someone with social anxiety): Heat crawled up her neck. God, everyone could see it—her face broadcasting her embarrassment like a billboard. She felt the stares, though when she glanced up, no one was actually looking. They didn’t need to look. They already knew.
Unique Perception (from someone who’s a photographer): The light had changed. He noticed it the way he always noticed light—the way afternoon sun turned harsh and direct, casting sharp shadows that erased mid-tones. Everything looked overexposed suddenly, too bright, too much.
Genre-Specific Approaches to Replacing Generic Gestures
Literary Fiction
Avoid: Generic physical reactions Use: Psychologically complex, metaphorical, or sensory responses
Example (Ocean Vuong style): Not crying. Not sighing. Just: The silence in the room had texture—she could feel its weight pressing against her eardrums, thick as water.
Thriller/Mystery
Avoid: Heart pounding, sharp intakes of breath Use: Tactical, observational, survival-focused responses
Example (Tana French style): She didn’t gasp. She catalogued: unlocked window, muddy footprint, drawer left open. Someone had been here. Might still be here. Her hand moved to her phone without conscious decision.
Romance
Avoid: Butterflies, heart racing, blushing Use: Sensory awareness, specific physical consciousness, relational dynamics
Example (Emily Henry style): She’d memorized the exact timber of his voice without meaning to—could pick it out in a crowded room even when she was trying not to listen for it. That was the problem with trying to get over someone: your body betrayed you with its stupid, specific recall.
Young Adult
Avoid: Generic embarrassment signals Use: Hyperaware social consciousness, identity-focused responses
Example (Angie Thomas style): Everyone was looking. She didn’t need to lift her head to know—she could feel their eyes like physical weight. DeShawn in the back row would tell everyone. By lunch, the whole school would know. By tomorrow, the video would be everywhere.
Fantasy/Science Fiction
Avoid: Universal human responses Use: World-appropriate, magic/tech-integrated, culturally specific reactions
Example (N.K. Jemisin style): The orogeny surged through her before she could stop it—the earth beneath the building groaned in response to her anger. She forced it down, back, contained. But the windows rattled anyway, and she saw understanding dawn in his eyes.
Real-World Examples: Generic vs. Specific
Let’s examine how published authors handle moments that could easily default to generic gestures.
Example 1: Receiving Bad News
Generic approach: The doctor told her the test results were positive. Her heart sank. She felt tears welling up in her eyes.
Sally Rooney (Normal People): “The test is positive,” the doctor said. Marianne heard the words. She understood them. But they seemed to be happening to someone else. She watched herself nod, watched her hand reach for her bag, watched her stand up. Somewhere far away, she was probably feeling something about this.
What works: Dissociation response, specific behavioral details, delayed processing
Example 2: Discovering Betrayal
Generic approach: He saw the text messages. His hands balled into fists. His jaw clenched. He felt his face go red with anger.
Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl): He read the messages twice. The words didn’t change the second time—he’d been hoping they might, that he’d misread, that “I love you too” could somehow mean something else. His thumb hovered over her contact. Call her? Confront her? Pretend he never saw it? Christ, when had he become the guy who checked his wife’s phone?
What works: Internal debate, specific thoughts, character-revealing questions
Example 3: Feeling Embarrassed
Generic approach: She blushed furiously. Her heart raced. She couldn’t make eye contact.
Fredrik Backman (Anxious People): She studied the floor tiles with intense focus. Someone had done a terrible grouting job—she could write a detailed complaint about this grouting. Better to think about grout than to acknowledge that everyone in this room had just witnessed her complete humiliation.
What works: Deflection behavior, humor, specific environmental focus
Example 4: Processing Grief
Generic approach: The tears came suddenly. His throat caught. His chest felt tight.
Hanya Yanagihara (A Little Life): He didn’t cry. Instead he found himself counting things: tiles in the ceiling (forty-three), slats in the venetian blinds (eighty-one), how many hours since he’d eaten (seventeen). Numbers were safe. Numbers didn’t require him to feel anything.
What works: Specific coping mechanism, reveals character’s need for control
Your Personal Gesture Audit: Finding Your Crutches
Every writer has signature crutches. Here’s how to find yours:
Step 1: The Search Function Test
Open your manuscript and search for:
- Sigh/sighed/sighs
- Eye/eyes
- Heart/heartbeat
- Breath/breathe/breathing
- Throat
- Stomach
- Shake/shaking/trembling
- Clench/clenched
- Blush/blushed/blushing
Count instances. If any gesture appears more than 5 times, you’ve found a crutch.
Step 2: The Pattern Recognition Exercise
Read through one chapter and highlight every physical gesture or reaction. Look for patterns:
- Which gestures repeat?
- Which emotions default to the same physical response?
- Are certain reactions tied to specific emotions every time?
Step 3: The Specificity Test
For each gesture you’ve identified, ask:
- Could this gesture apply to any character, or does it reveal THIS character?
- Could this gesture mean multiple different emotions?
- Am I using this gesture because it’s meaningful, or because I don’t know what else to do?
Step 4: The Replacement Challenge
Choose your top 3 overused gestures. Find every instance in your manuscript. Replace 80% of them with:
- Character-specific responses
- Environmental engagement
- Thought processes
- Behavioral actions
- Unique perceptions
Keep only the 20% that genuinely serve the story.
Advanced Technique: The Gesture Evolution
Here’s a sophisticated approach: Show the same character responding to similar emotions differently throughout the novel as they develop.
Early novel (character uses generic defense mechanism): She crossed her arms. “I’m fine.”
Mid-novel (slightly more vulnerable response): She started to cross her arms, then stopped herself. Old habit. She forced her hands to her sides instead. “I’m fine.” The words sounded more honest without the barrier.
Late novel (transformed response): “I’m not fine.” The admission came easier than she expected. Her hands stayed loose at her sides—no armor needed anymore.
This technique shows character growth through changing physical responses to stress.
Common Questions About Generic Gestures
Q: But people DO sigh! Isn’t eliminating them unrealistic?
A: Fiction prioritizes meaning over documentary realism. Include sighs when they’re meaningful, not reflexive. One well-placed sigh (after a character makes a difficult decision, for instance) carries more weight than twenty scattered throughout.
Q: What if my character IS someone who sighs a lot—it’s their personality?
A: Then it should be called out as a notable trait that other characters notice and comment on. “She sighed—the third time in as many minutes. Mark wondered if she’d ever taken a breath without the weight of the world attached to it.” Make it deliberate characterization, not unconscious habit.
Q: Are there gestures that aren’t on this list that are overused?
A: Yes. Other common ones include: tilting head, quirking eyebrow, pursing lips, running tongue over teeth, biting cheek. The test: If you can find it in 50% of manuscripts you read, it’s probably overused.
Q: What about characters who physically can’t do certain reactions (blind characters can’t “glance,” for example)?
A: This is actually an opportunity. Characters with disabilities or differences often have more specific, individualized ways of processing information and reacting to events. Let those unique perspectives shine through rather than defaulting to universal gestures.
Q: Can I use generic gestures in dialogue tags?
A: Dialogue tags should primarily be “said” and “asked.” Adding gestures as action beats (“‘I’m leaving.’ She sighed.”) still counts as using a generic gesture. Better: “‘I’m leaving.’ She picked up her keys, set them down, picked them up again.”
Q: What if I’m writing a very gestural character—someone expressive?
A: Make their gestures specific and consistent. If they’re Italian-American from New York and talk with their hands, show THEIR particular hand movements, not generic gesticulation. Specificity always beats generality.
Q: Are some genres more forgiving of generic gestures?
A: Genre conventions vary, but professional-level writing in every genre minimizes generic reactions. Romance readers expect emotional intensity but still want specific, character-revealing responses. Thrillers need visceral reactions but benefit from tactical specificity over “heart pounding.”
The Revision Checklist for Generic Gestures
Use this when revising any manuscript:
Discovery Phase
- [ ] Search for top 10 overused gestures and count instances
- [ ] Identify your personal top 3 crutches
- [ ] Mark every instance in manuscript
Evaluation Phase
- [ ] For each instance, ask: “Does this reveal THIS character or ANY character?”
- [ ] Check if gesture could mean multiple emotions
- [ ] Determine if gesture is meaningful or filler
Replacement Phase
- [ ] Replace 80% of generic gestures with REACT framework alternatives
- [ ] Keep only instances that serve specific purposes
- [ ] Ensure remaining gestures reveal character
Verification Phase
- [ ] No gesture appears more than 3 times total
- [ ] Character-specific tics are consistent and meaningful
- [ ] Emotional moments have specific, individualized responses
- [ ] Environmental and thought-based reactions balance physical ones
The Bottom Line: Your Characters Deserve Better
Here’s what it comes down to: Generic gestures are emotional shortcuts that cheat both you and your readers.
They’re shortcuts for you because they let you avoid the harder work of figuring out how THIS specific character, with their unique background and personality, would respond to THIS specific moment.
They cheat your readers because they provide the emotional equivalent of stock photography—recognizable but generic, functional but forgettable.
Your characters aren’t generic. Their responses shouldn’t be either.
When you replace “she sighed” with a response rooted in who this character is—their profession, their past, their fears, their coping mechanisms—you create dimensionality. You show us someone real instead of someone constructed from a kit of interchangeable parts.
This is harder work. It requires knowing your characters deeply enough to understand how they’d process emotions. It requires engaging with your story’s environment instead of defaulting to internal sensations. It requires trusting that readers can infer emotion from specific behavior without you labeling it.
But it’s the work that separates forgettable characters from unforgettable ones.
So audit your manuscript. Find your crutches. Delete ruthlessly. Replace thoughtfully.
Your characters—and your readers—deserve responses as unique as the people experiencing them.
Start Your Gesture Audit Today
Open your current manuscript and search for your most-used gesture. Count the instances. If it’s more than 5, commit to replacing 80% of them this week.
