  Short Stories
This week: Anatomy of a Lie Edited by: Legerdemain  
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Anatomy of a Lie
Humans send out a constant stream of non-verbal cues when they are communicating. How can you tell someone is lying? Sometimes you can tell they are lying by their body language. Liar signs in body language are not foolproof but can be a good indication of a lie in progress. Using these telltale signals can be instrumental in showing your reader that your character is lying. Your reader may not know your character is lying yet, but this is a good way to indicate it. If your reader knows a lie is being told, body language can authenticate the action.
A liar's gestures can be excessive and unnatural; they can also be stiff and stilted. Their words may be slurred or spoken low. Any gestures that are not natural for the speaker show their emotion is disturbed and the subconscious is trying to compensate. Fidgeting, drumming fingers, biting lips, twirling hair and picking at the body or clothing shows nervousness. If the person is standing, they may shift from foot to foot, because their fear or discomfort is triggering the "flight instinct". A seated liar may turn their body away or keep it askew from you. A sudden crossing of the arms or legs is a sign. Unconscious gestures may try to "hide" the lie by covering his/her mouth and throat, holding something in front of their face or setting objects between the liar and another person. Such signs are among the more common or prominent gestures. They might also clear their throat, sniff or cough.
Another clue to whether a person / character is lying is their eyes. By watching a person's eyes, you can obtain visual accessing cues. Richard Bandler and John Grinder discussed cues in their book "Frogs into Princes: Neuro Linguistic Programming" They found when asked a question of a "normally organized" right-handed person (from looking at them) will look: Up and to the left if they're visually constructing an image/lie in their mind. Up and to the right if they're visually remembering an image. They will look left if they are constructing an auditory memory/lie and right if remembering a sound. Down and to the left would indicate remembered feelings. And internal dialog, "talking to yourself" is indicated by eyes shifting down and to the right. If the person / character is left handed, the opposite would happen.
Small details like these can show your readers that something is incorrect or shifty going on. This lends authenticity to your work, even if they're subliminal cues. Write on! |
| |  | Liar (13+)
A short story. *Tales of Terror 2nd Place 02/10 / Twisted Tales Honorable Mention 03/10*
#1648398 by Sean  |
Excerpt: Braden pressed the pillow hard against Heather's face, bracing for a struggle that would never come. Freshly out of the operating room, anesthesia still coursing through her veins, not even a sudden lack of oxygen could startle Heather Geld from her slumber. When Braden first approached Heather's bed it was compassion, he convinced himself, that justified the act.
| |  | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#1329660 by Not Available. |
Excerpt: Her shoulders lifted and relaxed with a heavy sigh. "Don't matter too much if I am, do it?" Mrs. Brown's eyes focused on his, pulling him into their depths. "I on the edge right now. No turning back. But I fine." She leaned into the table. "Ask your questions."
He cleared his throat. "Yes, Ma'am." He shuffled some papers he drew from his satchel. "Yes. Okay."
Excerpt: Finally awakening after my collision, I gaze up at the towering ruin of a ship that sticks nose-first into the ground before me, an intimidating robot showing off its once-proud form, frozen in place before delivering its finishing blow. Twisted metal sticks from the ground like planted memorials, and dark smoke still seeps from the coiled shape that had once been the HM Navarro. Bordering the ship, an immense sunset is taking place, framing the vessel in a glowing corona. Great mountain ranges I do not recognise dominate the horizon, and a single beautiful valley runs down the centre. What is this unfamiliar world?
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#1678671 by Not Available. |
Excerpt: He enjoyed the dinner talks with his dad because it was one of the few situations in his life when he felt safe. During the day, Patrick would endure countless mockery, belittlement and beatings from his classmates. They'd call him names like "four-eyes, fatso, momma's boy, and nerd" and anything else they could think of. True, Patrick did wear very thick eyeglass lenses. Yes, he was overweight. He was definitely a momma's boy. He did prefer to sit in the corner of the schoolyard and read books during recess while the other kids played kickball. Although their intentions were good, his teachers only made things worse. They could pick-up on his introverted personality and social awkwardness. They would always call him up to the board to write the answers and often called on him to read aloud in class. Of course, with the lisp he had, this only made things worst.
Excerpt: "Mrs. Frank," Lionel panted, "It is not my fault that I am late!"
"And whose fault is it, exactly?" Mrs. Frank accused.
"The kittens'." Lionel said simply, his breath calming down.
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#1520680 by Not Available. |
Excerpt: "It all started when I was in 4th grade. I was immature and shameless. And for this I was bullied, bullied by a kid known as Lewis Perfitta. Not physically you see, but mentally. He would make fun of my grades, and my geekiness. Eventually it became overwhelming, he ruined my life, he convinced all of my friends to not like me, and all of the girls to hate me. Life was miserable. Then I found a way to get back at him, a way to get revenge."
Excerpt: Aaron and Zane were as different as identical twins could be. Aaron was neat, smart, polite and a perfect child in every way. Zane was always covered in mud, hated school and, at the tender age of ten was voted most likely to commit a felony by his fifth grade classmates.
Excerpt: "I'll make it. I'm hurrying." He stood stooped as he balanced a faggot of twigs and small branches from a cinnamon bush upon the back of his shoulders. With determination, he slid a foot away from the chair toward the cot. When his finger tips no longer reached the chair's back-frame, old Khalid's knees buckled and down he fell. "Oh!"
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#1308239 by Not Available. |
Excerpt: A strangled gasp escaped her lips; eyes fluttering like the wings of butterflies as she struggled to stay conscious. It took her a long moment to realize that there was an oxygen mask over her face and that she couldn't move because there were hands and straps keeping her on the gurney. Her vision swam, ears deafened by the sound of wailing sirens. The world was spinning around her and her mind was moving at a sluggish pace, unable to keep up with the rush of motion around her. Her heart was pounding a million miles a minute, and she couldn't help but wonder if she was dying.
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This month's question: What cues have you used to show your characters were lying?
Last month's question: Have any of your contest prompts turned into novels or been published?
Lauriemariepea replied: I like this month's question and look forward to seeing how many responses you get. i was fortunate enough to sell a story prompted by a wdc contest (of sorts.) --a group designed to encourage and motivate writers looking to get their work published--posts regular assignments to get us writing. no prize other than bragging rights, but each assignment garners a winner judged by one of the group (chosen by the moderator.) i wrote and sold the story "Invalid Item" in 2008--a proud day, as it was only my second story sold for publication. 
Congratulations!
LJPC - the tortoise responded: Hi Leger! Great newsletter. Writers often have problems thinking up new things to write about. Research can help, but the best fix is right here on WDC -- the contest page. There are so many great contests to choose from, all with either picture promts, verbal prompts, or even just a genre to adhere to. Some of my best stories have come from a wonderful contest called the 15 For 15.  I'm grateful to you for that one. Thanks for including a story that originated in that contest.  -- Laura
Laure has an item "Invalid Item" , accepted to publish in "Whortleberry's Christmas Anthology". It was originally an entry in "15 for 15 Contest --- Closed"
Adriana Noir sends: Great NL, Leger! I often run out of gas when writing.  As for prompts, a story I wrote for short shots ended up being published in an anthology...same for a short horror bit I did for a contest that is no longer running. Sometimes we win in more than one way!
Congrats on publication!
Winnie Kay  answered: How true, Leger. We enter contests never taking it a step further and expanding on a prompt that could develop into a winner of a short story or novel. Great point. Don't let our entries gather portfolio dust, but add to them and nurture them. Thanks - Winnie
Helen McNicol sent in: Last year I wrote a 2000 word short story based on an image prompt for a popular WDC competition. It was called The True Story of Jack and Gill. I was so caught up in the story and the characters that I turned it into five short stories and have since had it condensed and published as a novella.
How exciting!
Zeke  replied: Sometimes I've found that an 'Out of Gas' story just needs some wait time. I have a number of partially complete stories that I've gone back to and finished. Zeke
J. A. Buxton responds: ((Have any of your contest prompts turned into novels or been published? Send in your reply below!))
Many of "The Writer's Cramp" short entries were included as chapters in my first published book, Home of the Red Fox. Also, 52 of that contest's prompt stories are the basis for my second published book, 1,000 Words or Less..
Lastly, a prompt from this same contest to use the word akimbo rapidly went from that daily entry to 170 chapters in an unpublished novel.
Awesome!
saraiv submits: Hey Leger! Thanks so much for putting my story "Ants in the Sheets! Eeek!" in the editor's picks! My mouth literally dropped! Today's newsletter was great, and a sign that I need to really start going back to my past contest entries and spruce them up! Thanks again! Peace and Love to EVERYONE! ~Roxiie |
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Short Stories: August 04, 2010 Issue [#3895]
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