Yar begins by recognizing that there are occasions when people simply do not want to cry, such as in public or at work. Because women are more likely than males to cry, I’ll use “she” and “her” as I write. Indeed, women reported sobbing at work 41% of the time, compared to 9% of men. So, if you or your character don’t want to cry, Yar has some advice for you.
- Use a stress ball or a doodle pad as a prop. She could be distracted if she did anything with her hand.
- Pinch the skin between her thumb and the tip of her pointer finger. It’s possible that tensing the muscles and doing something will make her feel less helpless. Tears appear to be common when one feels inactive and/or helpless.
- Encourage her to take a few deep, cleansing breaths. It aids in the feeling of serenity.
- She has the ability to pinch the bridge of her nose, close to the tear ducts. Any self-inflicted pain might be distracting (within reason).
- She has the ability to tilt her head back. For a second or two, the tears will not overflow, giving you time to concentrate on something else.
- She should take a step back from the issue and keep a neutral expression on her face as she considers why she is crying.
- She can tell passers-by that she needs a moment to collect her thoughts and needs to take a step back. She might cry a little or get over it after that, but no one will notice.
While expressing powerful emotions is simple when you want to, suppressing strong feelings is generally more difficult. Your reader will understand what’s going on without you having to say it in the narrative if you use the tactics above.
What do you think?