Emotions are hard, that is no hidden fact. Writing emotions is also hard, because we must describe feelings that someone else is experiencing in a way that must make sense to readers with outside perspectives.
Sometimes writing something as simple as "They said angrily" is more than enough to get your point across (sometimes Less is More, folks.)
However, what about the times where you REALLY need your reader and writing partner to understand your character's emotions? What about those points in your story where you just want to crush the readers' souls and explode their hearts and cripple their minds and--... Ahem.
Here are a few basic tips to really drive any emotional moment forward:
First and foremost, try to think about where your character is feeling these emotions. In their chest? Throat? Stomach? Head? Limbs?
Second, think about how those feelings manifest into physical symptoms. How does it affect their breathing? Heart rate? Where do their eyes land? How does their head feel?
Finally, think about how your character will respond to those physical sensations. Do they become jittery? Do they need to stop and take a deep breath? Do they struggle to not cry or laugh? Do they feel the physical sensations within, yet refuse to express external emotion?
How will your character react to the emotion they are feeling and all the physical sensations that accompany it?
Here are a few (but not all) examples of ways that Emotions can manifest:
BODY - :::
- Heart/Chest: Is your character's heartbeat slow and steady, or can they feel it fluttering like a nervous deer against their rib cage? Did their heart sink, or is it floating with elation?
Is their blood pressure rising? Can they physically feel their heartbeat somewhere besides their chest? Is their chest or throat tightening? 🎶Can you feel my heaaaaaaaarrttt🎶
- Breathing: How is your character breathing in this situation? Was there a change in pattern? Is it easy, hitched, rapid, or did they forget to breathe for a moment? Are they breathing through their nose, or panting through parted lips? Does your character gasp, snort or scoff? Does your character struggle to get their breathing under control when emotions are high? Do they hold their breath in tense situations (tension isn't always a negative thing, psa)?
- Hands: Anxiety and adrenaline rushes will cause hands to become cold. Soft touches and warm hands give an air of serenity and comfort, whereas firm grips and steady hands portray confidence, dominance and/or a demonstration of security.
Does your character tap their fingers when irritated, excited or anxious? Do they subconsciously clench their fist? Pick at something? Twirl their hair or aimlessly fidget with whatever is within their grasp?
- Eyes: Your eyes are one of the most expressive parts of your body! Use that to your advantage in writing. Eyes alone can portray double meanings, however, so be sure to pair expressive eyes with another queue to make sure your message comes across clearly.
Wide eyes can portray things like fear, getting startled, dread, and uncertainty, yet they can also represent things like excitement, joy and adoration. Half-lidded eyes can portray boredom, seduction, disenchantment, low energy, or quiet scheming. Hooded eyes can give the impression of mystery or soft-boiling anger.
How is your character seeing? Are their eyes bright and alert, or glassy and distant? Are they flicking nervously to and fro, or are they staring off into space? Does your character struggle with eye contact, or can they lock eyes and remain unwavering? Is their gaze soft and gentle, or is there a glint to them that warns others to "watch out!" Are they glaring, gazing, staring, eyeing, casually regarding? Play around with synonyms and different words to determine exactly how your character is looking at something!
- Voice & Tone: These can go a long way in portraying a character's emotions! Expressing different tones, voices and fluctuations is a great way to express emotion without using a lot of "extra" description.
A character's VOICE can snap, coo, sputter, drone, say, huff, groan, laugh, chuckle, mock, grumble, mutter, growl, portray sarcasm or be firm. A character's TONE can be sharp, sultry, kind, devious, playful, haughty... The lists go on and on! Once again, play around with synonyms and different words to find the exact vocal expression and tone you're looking for.
- Stomach: An extreme emotion will cause your stomach's blood vessels to constrict, which results in the sensations of "butterflies in your stomach." Heightened stress levels may result in feeling or tasting acid in one's throat or mouth. Did something happen to make your characters' stomach churn or drop? Do they feel nauseated? Do they experience a deep pool of warmth at a lover's touch? Do they feel an excited flutter at the sight of something or someone?
- Limbs: What is your character doing with their limbs while they experience certain emotions? Do they fold their arms over their chest in a defensive position? Do they need to lean against something? Do they rub their face or scratch their head? Do they kick at the ground or shift their weight from one foot to another? This is your chance to show how the character is reacting to the physical symptoms of an emotion.
ATMOSPHERE - :::
If you want to take things a step further, describe the atmosphere! Atmospheres can shift and change based on scenarios and moods, so use that to your advantage! Here are a few examples of how you can use the atmosphere and surroundings to express and accentuate a character's emotion:
Anxiety and heightened stress will cause your surroundings to appear sharper, louder, more startling and potentially overwhelming.
Things like sadness, exhaustion and hyper fixation will cause one's surroundings to become distant, foggy, hazy etc. One tends to become disengaged with their surroundings while they either retreat into their own mind, become engulfed with their own emotions, or in the event that all of their attention gets pulled towards a current fixation.
Remember folks, it's all about balance. While "Showing" is generally better than "Telling," be careful to not excessively overload your reader with description. Reading through a million paragraphs of emotional description every time your character feels happy may end up with a "Yeah, yeah, I get it" reaction from your reader and/or writing partner.
It's okay to really dig deep into the emotions your character is feeling, but you will get much better reactions from your readers if you save those super deep details for when more emphasis needs to be placed on certain emotions for the sake of the storyline.
How do you express emotions in writing? What are your favorite emotions to write? Tell us about it below!
