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.
EXCITED/ELATED
·High color, a flushed appearance
·Slam-dunking trash into a barrel after a game or event (guys)
·Jumping up and down
·Making fists and doing an exaggerated shake close to the body (running in place)
·Doing a victory dance
·Not caring what others think, a lack of self consciousness, enjoying the moment
·Enjoying communal happiness, feeling part of the crowd
·A warm glow expanding throughout the body
·Heightened senses
·Cold fingers, numbness, shock
·Speed-talking with heads close together (girls)
·Throaty laughter
·Impatience
·Getting the giggles
·A distinct walk, a fast-paced strut…
Enthusiasm is closely related to Excited/Elated. If you need more ideas on how to express this emotion, have a look here.
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 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.
The Emotion Thesaurus for character expression is invaluable. It’s gotten be through many a block when I know the emotion but don’t know how to express it. Absolutely brilliant!
Sophia, so happy you are finding the book to be helpful. 🙂 Emotion can be difficult to convey in writing sometimes, so hopefully our brainstorming guide will give you a bit of a boost! 🙂
I so appreciate your blog … this post, from a few years ago, just helped me out a TON!!! Thank you!
Good list. I always use the thesaur…to express emotion
*dances without beer cans*
:o)
Yay! Another great installment. I came looking for something like this last week. The enthusiasm one helped but this is even better for what I was looking for!
Thanks for another Emotion Thesaurus installment!
LOL, I once saw a guy try to crush one of those old five-alive cans with the hard ridge like you would a beer can. He gave himself a concussion, and the can was unharmed.
I’ll victory dance with you..it’s safer. 🙂
I am so excited it’s Thursday and I get another Emotion Thesaurus post. I’m jumping up and down crushing beer cans over here!
Oh, wait, I’m not a guy, and I only tried crushing a beer time like once back in college. So instead, let’s see…I’m doing a victory dance!