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WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

Helping writers become bestselling authors

Emotion Thesaurus Entry: Frustration

Published: July 10, 2008 by BECCA PUGLISI

When it comes to emotion, sometimes we need a brainstorming nudge. After all, each character will express their feelings differently depending on their personality, emotional range, and comfort zone. We hope this short, sample list of expressions will help you better imagine how your character might show this emotion!

If you need to go deeper, we have detailed lists of body language, visceral sensations, dialogue cues, and mental responses for 130 emotions in the 2019 expanded second edition of The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression.

FRUSTRATION

· Making fists
· Waving a hand, “talking” with the hands
· Interrupted or erratic strides
· A need to ask questions, rehash information
· Tightness in the chest
· Speaking through one’s teeth with forced restraint
· Speaking without thought, often leading to regret
· A harried appearance, sweating
· Pleading, bargaining
· Running one’s hands through the hair
· Scrunching up one’s face and then releasing, trying to regain calm
· Clumsiness (slopping coffee, knocking something over, breaking something due to being rushed)
· Groaning
· Restlessness, an inability to sleep or relax
· Replaying a scene or event over and over in one’s mind, obsessing over it
· Kicking at something (a pop can on the sidewalk, a flower, a pebble, a chair)
· Having a tantrum (screaming, body flung down on the floor, kicking, crying)…

Win your readers’ hearts by tailoring your character’s emotional responses so they’re compelling, credible, and realistic.

If you struggle with writing emotions, you aren’t alone. The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression has helped writers all over the globe, and it can help you. To find out more about this bestselling book, please visit our bookstore.

Prefer the flexibility of instant online access and greater searchability?

The Emotion Thesaurus is also at our sister site, One Stop for Writers. Visit the Emotion Thesaurus Page to view our complete list of entries.

TIP: While you’re there, check out our hyper-intelligent Character Builder that helps you create deep, memorable characters in half the time!

BECCA PUGLISI
BECCA PUGLISI

Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. flightlesskiwi says

    March 4, 2012 at 5:28 am

    Thank you so much for creating this blog! I’m working on my first novel, and often have trouble thinking of just the right ways to portray the emotions of my characters. Therefore I refer to your blog every time I write.

  2. Becca Puglisi says

    September 14, 2011 at 9:28 am

    So glad it’s coming in useful, Cedric. Welcome!

  3. Cedric J. Sims says

    September 13, 2011 at 6:53 pm

    for the past few months i’ve been referring back to this site over and over for new ideas and tips about writing. this blog was the reason i started my blog

  4. Cousin Bette says

    June 11, 2011 at 2:16 pm

    I looked at this list and lo and behold a picture of my day today!

  5. Angela says

    July 17, 2008 at 11:54 pm

    Thanks so much guys! I think frustration is probably the biggest emotion I tend to use in writing.

  6. Mary Witzl says

    July 11, 2008 at 6:02 pm

    This is mine — I get so frustrated so often, especially when I’m writing! Flared nostrils and lips pursed firmly together — don’t forget that one!

  7. Pema says

    July 10, 2008 at 6:37 pm

    As always, thank you again for your emotion thesaurus entries – you make it so easy to “show, not tell”. 😉

  8. Lapillus says

    July 10, 2008 at 2:06 pm

    I linked over from AW. These lists are great! : ) I’m sure I’ll be visiting them from time to time.

  9. C.R. Evers says

    July 10, 2008 at 12:44 pm

    Great list! I’ll be visiting this one a lot!

    Christy

Trackbacks

  1. Emotion Thesaurus Entry: Impatience | WRITERS HELPING WRITERSWRITERS HELPING WRITERS says:
    December 12, 2013 at 5:49 pm

    […] Annoyance and Frustration are by-products of impatience, and can exhibit similar actions when expressing this emotion. If you […]

  2. Frustration: Your Novel's Best Friend | WRITERS HELPING WRITERSWRITERS HELPING WRITERS says:
    November 29, 2013 at 3:28 pm

    […] SOME TIPS ON HOW TO SHOW FRUSTRATED BODY LANGUAGE? CHECK OUT THIS EMOTION THESAURUS ENTRY! This entry was posted in Characters, Emotion, tension. Bookmark the permalink. […]

  3. Emotion Thesaurus Entry Collection (Samples) | Writers Helping Writers says:
    October 11, 2013 at 3:47 pm

    […] Frustration […]

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