I wrote a scene in which each of my characters is embarrassed. Because everyone acts differently when put in this situation. I have a best friend who turns bright red. My daughter giggles nervously when embarrassed. (I laugh when I'm nervous too.) Another friend of mine gets teary-eyed, even though she's not upset or sad. She's just embarrassed.
This was a great exercise for me to add another layer of characterization to my narrators. You might try it, and use some of the following questions to guide you into shaping them into more complete people.
- Do they clear their throat?
- Do they shuffle their feet?
- Do they make eye contact?
- Do they turn red?
- Do they cop an attitude to try to cover up their embarrassment?
- Do they fidget? If so, with what? Their clothes? Twist their hands?
- Do they make a fast escape or face the music?
- Do they talk a lot or not at all?
- Do they laugh to hide their nerves?
- Do they stutter?
Anyway, the list could go on and on. Do you do an exercise like this? How does your MC act when they're embarrassed?