I am in the middle of a "interrogation" and the sheriff is very uncomfortable with this. I am having difficulty explaining his behavior. such as body language. He is interrogating the Mayors son. In front of the Mayor. Not wanting to offend or maybe assume the person is guilty but also very tired of the on going investigation. how would you describe a tired, over worked, older male body language. they're in the interrogation room. just them.
A disheveled middle aged dude. Shitty haircut, uneven mustache, frayed suit cuffs, half-assed knot in his tie, a beer gut that added character twenty years ago but now makes his pants fit funny. For body language he'd probably lean to one side to compensate for sciatic nerve pain. Maybe he breathes heavily, especially in the cramped "box," and he'd fill the room with the stink of peppermint because he sucks on those to keep from smoking. His wife busted his balls for years about quitting, which is some bullshit that he definitely does NOT need, but defying his wife is more dangerous than any freak or hoodlum he's come across. Good bless her because he's not an easy man to put up with.
hahaha, I don't mean to laugh but this made my night. The description of the sheriff is in fact tired and pissed. Regarding his workload and the kind of constant pressure he is under he would be prone to smoking or even alcoholism. But worried about the towns people opinions he results to sucking mints or even chewing on plastic cups to cope with his anxiety. this is really good insight. Thank You
It depends a lot on the POV of the story. If the narrator is omniscient, then you can describe details about the mayor which only him knows about, like, as suggested by @HomerPotvin, how his wife busted his ass for years about quitting smoking and he never did. But if the narrator is the MC looking at the mayor (1st person or a 3rd person limited to the MC's point of view) then the description would have to be entirely physical. In terms of body language, according to my knowledge (entirely based on a book named "Body Language" by Elizabeth Kuhnke) negative signs would include: -pursed lips (to show an unwillingness to communicate) -flared nostrils -shifting in his seat and being fidgety -jiggling his feet (to show impatience) -furrowing his forehead -crossing his arms (to show self-protection) -tilting his head (to show a lack of interest) -casting sky shots (to show tiredness) -slouched or slumped posture I'm pretty sure you can find more examples online. But what's left is for you to be descriptive about the way you express these signs. For example: "The mayor's leg moved up and down like a battery trying to recharge the motor of a car."
Pacing back and forth in a slouched fashion, and unfocused. Fidgeting or a tick, to show unease of the situation. Long pauses while speaking, to choose their words. The good sheriff wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief. His eyes darting across the metal surface of the table that separated them. The rim of the cup of coffee that has long since gone cold, displayed signs of being chewed. Head heavy as he tried to search for the right words to say. The mayor sitting there across from him, with his son. Looking smug and repugnant in his status, waiting for the next round of questions from the sheriff. His son bounced his leg, crossed and uncrossed his arms several times. He knew at that daddy could not influence the sheriff out of his situation, as he had done in the past. The 14 year old boy continued to writhe and squirmed next to his overweight balding father, on the hard metal chair. The sheriff went back through the boys rap sheet flipping through the pages, that started with this most recent shenanigans. Seeing the escalation from boys being boys, all the way to now joy riding without a license. Running over old lady Jenkins poor cat. Closing the file, and letting out an exasperated sigh in his tiredness and frustration walking on eggshells. He had enough evidence this time to throw the book at the Mayors little punk son. He looked up at the two way mirror behind them, wearing a stern mask he said in an orotund voice. "Send him to Azkaban!"
This is Exactly what i needed. how to describe his behavior around the Mayor and her Son. the interrogation was asking him questions about the triples disappearance, given that he and one of the triples had a secret relationship and not even her dad knew about it. for the mayor, the sheriff and their dad they were friends. so, i needed to make the sheriffs body language a bit uncomfortable, since the mayor can end his career.
hahahahaha This is golden. But no. He is not a suspect. They just want to know if he knows where they may be. Since every night she would sneak out and go to his house. *get it, Get it...* (wink, wink)
