The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide To Character Expression

The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide To Character Expression

Angela Ackerman, Becca Puglisi

Language: English

Pages: 172

ISBN: 1475004958

Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub


One of the biggest problem areas for writers is conveying a character's emotions to the reader in a unique, compelling way. This book comes to the rescue by highlighting 75 emotions and listing the possible body language cues, thoughts, and visceral responses for each. Using its easy-to-navigate list format, readers can draw inspiration from character cues that range in intensity to match any emotional moment. The Emotion Thesaurus also tackles common emotion-related writing problems and provides methods to overcome them. This writing tool encourages writers to show, not tell emotion and is a creative brainstorming resource for any fiction project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bringing up past examples when one supported the accuser or saved the day Citing an opponent’s shortcomings Increasing one’s personal space Storming away MAY ESCALATE TO: ANGER, FEAR CUES OF SUPPRESSED DEFENSIVENESS: Maintaining an even tone Offering a fake smile A forcibly calm demeanor Changing the subject Denial (shrugging, forcing a laugh) Calmly stating that one doesn’t need to prove anything Not leaving or walking away, despite discomfort Attempting to reason through facts, not

the body to ward off shaking Lifting the chin Forcing oneself to maintain eye contact Return to the Table of Contents WRITER’S TIP: A natural way to describe a character’s appearance is to show them interacting with their environment. A sense of movement also allows this type of description to flow with the scene as it progresses. IMPATIENCE DEFINITION: feeling restless or short-tempered; having a desire for immediate change, relief, or gratification PHYSICAL SIGNALS: Raising one’s

know where your character is along that continuum and choose appropriate descriptors. Just as extreme emotions call for extreme indicators, temperate emotions should be expressed subtly. The indicators for intermediate emotions will lie somewhere in the middle. It’s also very important that your character follows a smooth emotional arc. Consider the following example: Mack tapped his thumb against the steering wheel, one arm dangling out the window. He smiled at Dana but she just sat there,

unnecessary force Pacing Light sarcasm Asking a question that has a painfully obvious answer A sharp tone Speaking in short phrases Visible tension in the neck, shoulders, and arms Rigid posture, cords twanging in the neck Rubbing the brow as if to ward off a headache Avoiding the person or object of annoyance Pressing a fist to the mouth INTERNAL SENSATIONS: A headache Stiffness in the neck or jaw Raised body temperature Sensitivity to noise MENTAL RESPONSES: Berating thoughts

think or talk about anything else Fidgeting as if movement will make things go faster Bouncing on one’s toes A bright-eyed look, engaging with others or the environment Fussing with clothes, rearranging things Waiting at a window, hovering at the door or by the phone Checking and rechecking hair or makeup in a mirror Gossiping with others, sharing excitement, giggling Closing eyes and squealing Jittering a foot against the floor Covering one’s face and then peeking Biting one’s lip

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