From Flat to Fabulous: Reviving Characters with Dynamic Body Language, with Stacy Juba, Mar 1 from 2pm to 4pm EST 2026

Overview

Are you tired of characters who always nod, sigh, and shrug? This workshop will show you how to use physical action without overexplaining.

Are you tired of characters who always nod, sigh, and shrug?

This hands-on workshop will show you how to use physical action to express emotion, heighten tension, and layer in subtext—without overexplaining or cluttering the page.

When every character reacts the same way, it dilutes your voice and your scenes lose impact. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

We’ll break the pattern with practical tools that help you write clearer, deeper, more human character reactions.

Through easy-to-follow slides and published novel excerpts, you’ll see how body language, posture, and micro-gestures can bring your scenes to life.

We’ll cover:

How to replace stale habits like excessive staring, gazing, or repeated mentions of “eyes locking”
9 types of nonverbal communication—from movement to touch—that add emotional depth
When to show vs. tell, and how to spot the difference on the page
The most common body-language mistakes I see (after working with 200+ writers as a developmental editor)

You’ll leave with a printable recap, a sharper eye, and concrete techniques to turn flat reactions into dynamic moments. Whether you’re drafting or revising, this workshop will help you write characters who feel real.

About the Instructor:

Stacy Juba is a developmental editor, award-winning journalist, author of 10 books, and founder of Shortcuts for Writers. She’s helped over 4,000 fiction and memoir writers sharpen their storytelling, simplify the editing process, and get organized through her online courses. A publishing veteran who sold her first novel at eighteen, Stacy has written over 3,000 articles and brings a journalist’s clarity and precision to her editing work. Her books span romantic comedies, mysteries featuring determined women sleuths, paranormal YA, and young adult ice hockey novels. Her popular online courses include Book Editing Blueprint, Inside Voices, The Energize Your Writing Toolkit, and Rewrite the Fight. Visit her website to access her author resources. https://www.shortcutsforwriters.com/

Tickets $22.63, $11.98 to ORW members (only $60 for a year’s membership!) Book On Eventbrite