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Unfortunately, their prevalence also makes them the first thing that comes to mind when we’re trying to describe emotions in writing. Keep pushing past the first thought. Maybe even the second and third, too. Play with metaphor and (once again) use the physical to make the emotional come alive.
- Abi Wurdeman
- Use Observations From Life. During your day-to-day life, observe how you and others experience and exhibit emotions. What goes on in your body and mind and in your environment?
- Use Emotion Memory. Emotion memory is a technique developed by the theatre director Stanislavski, where actors recall experiencing an emotion to enact it authentically on stage.
- Use The Body. Both observation from life and emotion memory will help with this one. Write about internal and external bodily sensations. When your character is angry, for example, where in their body do they feel it?
- Use The Whole Message. In his book Persuasion: The Art of Influencing People (2013), James Borg discusses research by sociolinguistics experts that shows
- The Classic “Show, Don’t Tell” If you’ve been a writer for any period of time, I’m sure you’ve heard the classic piece of writing advice to “show, don’t tell,” but this advice doesn’t go as deep as it could when it comes to emotion.
- Getting Deeper: Your Character’s Thoughts. New authors often forget that their character’s actions are only half the story; how they think and react internally is the other half.
- Examples of Showing Emotion. Below are several examples of how writers show emotion. Showing Emotion in Supporting Characters. Unless you’re writing in third person omniscient POV, the reader will only know the thoughts and physical sensations of the protagonist.
- Examples of Telling Emotion. Now let’s look at some examples of authors who tell a character’s emotions. Telling Emotion and Thoughts. Sometimes when you’re enhancing an emotion with the character’s internal thoughts, it may be better to tell the emotion instead of showing, so the pacing isn’t dragged down in too many details.
Use Sensory Descriptions: Engage the reader’s senses to make them feel what the character is feeling. Describe how the character’s emotional state affects their perception of their surroundings. Use Emotional Vocabulary: Words have power. Choose words that accurately capture the essence of your character’s emotions.
- Use active voice. Choosing active voice (where a subject performs an action) over passive voice (where an action is done to a subject) enhances the emotional impact of your writing by emphasizing the person or thing responsible for the action.
- Use sensory language. You can evoke specific emotions with your writing by using language that plays on the five senses (touch, smell, sight, taste, and sound).
- Incorporate similes, metaphors, and symbols. Similes (which compare two things) and metaphors (which equate one thing to another) are powerful tools for making your writing more emotive.
- Add personal anecdotes. Share personal experiences from your life to make your writing resonate emotionally. For example, if you’re writing about the importance of hard work, you could tell a story about a time you overcame a difficult challenge through perseverance.
1 day ago · Whatever it is, pinpoint those emotions that'll resonate with your readers. Also, consider the theme and/or genre of your novel. Are you writing about betrayal and revenge? You’ll want to tap into hurt, anger, and similar emotions in your writing. If you’re writing a romance, then you may want to look at emotions like joy, elation, and ...
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For example, describing the smell of the rain during a sad moment can help the reader feel the character’s sadness. Sensory details ground the reader in the moment, which can make them feel it more. 5. Be authentic. Draw on your own experiences and emotions to convey realistic and relatable characters.
