• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
    • About WHW
    • Press Kit
    • Resident Writing Coaches
    • Contact Us
    • Podcasts & Interviews
    • Master Storytelling Newsletter
    • Guest Post Guidelines
    • Privacy Policy
    • Charities & Support
  • Bookstore
    • Bookstore
    • Foreign Editions
    • Book Reviews
    • Free Thesaurus Sampler
  • Blog
  • Software
  • Workshops
  • Resources
    • List of Resources
    • Recommended Writing Books
    • WHW Descriptive Thesaurus Collection
    • Free Tools & Worksheets
    • Grab A Free Show-Dont-Tell Pro Pack
  • WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

Helping writers become bestselling authors

Keep It Fresh: 10 Ways To Show Your Character’s Emotions

June 22, 2017 by ANGELA ACKERMAN

Years ago, Becca and I grumbled about how our characters always expressed emotion the same way. My big thing? Frowning. Did my characters EVER know how to frown. They were savage at it. Becca’s characters? Smilers, all of them. SO HAPPY.

Unfortunately, our inability to express emotion in a fresh way was dragging down the quality of our writing. So, in 2012 we published The Emotion Thesaurus, hoping it would help writers get out of this boring rut when it came to expression.

Then we decided to make this thesaurus even bigger—and create over a dozen more description thesauruses while we were at it. That’s when One Stop For Writers was born.

That was a pretty ambitious project, but was it enough? Apparently not, because in 2019, we decided to expand the original Emotion Thesaurus into a second edition, adding 55 new entries and way more instructional front matter.

Conveying character emotion is a struggle for many.

Today let’s look at 10 different ways to SHOW what a character is feeling. 

Body Language 

Clearly, no surprise–a huge part of showing emotion is describing how the body reacts to feelings roiling around inside a character. Grief looks different than gratitude, excitement displays differently than dread. Often we focus a bit too much on facial features (eyes narrowing, lips pinching) when we should use the body more as there’s so much more to work with.

how to show emotion, show don't tell, character emotions, character expressions

A hand splayed across the chest, shoulders bowing momentarily before stiffening, shaky fingers reaching up to rub the lip…showing this as a character receives a hard-won accolade as his peers look on will clearly show gratitude. Put yourself in the character’s shoes and imagine the scene. Let yourself feel what they do, then set out to describe it.

Thoughts 

Thoughts are an excellent way to show emotion, as long as they adhere to the rules of POV. When swept up by emotion, our thoughts follow certain patterns. Worry has us jumping to conclusions and imagining the worst case scenario. Skepticism has us poking holes, looking for proof that our intuition is right and something’s rotten in the litter box. Scorn goes further, revealing those ugly, judgey-judge thoughts we have about someone else. Flavor your character’s thoughts with emotions and not only will a character’s voice shine, readers will also be drawn right in.

Internal Sensations

Internal sensations are those immediate and uncontrollable reactions we have to emotion and the fight, flight, and freeze instincts. That tight heat of arousal at just the right touch (desire), the spike in heart rate when a streetlight suddenly goes out (fear), a rock that manifests in the gut after noticing a ambulance in the driveway (dread)…these sensations are immediate and forceful. Use them with care when you’re in the character’s POV but do use them. Readers recognize these sensations and have felt them all before. Remember less is more because while powerful, too much sends description into melodrama land.

Posture

Individual expression can shown through posture as well. Not only does it paint a better image of the character for readers, it can show what they are feeling. Are they a wall of tenseness, or more fluid, relaxed, easy? Is the chest thrust out (confident) caved (struggling or upset) shielded by crossed arms (closed off, impatient, irritated) or openly (welcoming, caring)? Does the character lean in, or away? Do their feet point toward someone (engaged) or away (escape)?  The body is a road map that we can use to show readers exactly what they are feeling.

Personal Space

Introvert, extrovert, or in between, all characters have a bubble of personal space that allows them to feel safe. This area may widen or narrow, depending on how the character feels. Does he let people into his space or keep them at a distance? Does he enter the space of others? We can see indicators of how he feels by his willingness to engage and be vulnerable (or not).

Dialogue

Dialogue is a great way to show emotion as long as it mimics the real world. People rarely state their feelings directly—they beat around the bush. They don’t say “I’m angry,” instead they rant or vent about the thing pissing them off. What a character says (and what they avoid talking about!) show their inner emotional landscape to readers and other characters.

Vocal Cues

Along with what a character says is how they say it. Are they speaking fast (nerves, rushing, impatience) or slow (careful, thoughtful, tentative)? Does their voice rise in pitch, showing they can’t quite keep a lid on what they are feeling, or go lower, revealing they are in control, or trying to rein themselves in? Do they hesitate, emphasize certain words, fumble around and go on tangents to show their discomfort about a topic, or interrupt themselves to change the direction because they are revealing too much?

Decision-Making & Actions

Okay, my psychology geekiness is showing, but one of the BEST PARTS of emotion is that it constantly messes up a character. Emotions (and their amplifiers) are great at destabilizing decision-making skills. When people act out of fear, or anxiety, defensiveness, or even out of love or desire, they do things differently than they would if they were feeling centered and rational.

Every action has a consequence, and emotion-driven actions can create conflict fallout, which is great for storytelling…and shows what emotions are pushing a character’s buttons.

Voids

Every character has empty spaces they carefully maneuver around if we look hard enough. These are danger zones where they might come face to face with an emotion they are uncomfortable experiencing, usually because it is tied to an emotional wound that leaves them jaded and questioning their on self-worth.

Voids can be used to indicate these painful emotions simply by showing things that are out of character, like them ignoring something right in front of them because it makes them feel uncomfortable, or how they steer conversations away from something that nudges painful feelings.  This void can be resistance, like showing them do something the hard way because he’s avoiding the logical choice as it’s chained in negative emotions. Imagine wanting to ask a older brother for help because he’s the expert, but refusing to because he slept with the character’s ex the day after the two separated. Because voids hint at deep emotions and complicated situations they should be treated like the proverbial “smoking gun.” In other words, if you show friction between brothers to the extent that one will go to great lengths to not seek out the other’s help, that emotional sore spot eventually must come to light so the void makes sense.

Contradictions

We’ve all said to a relative, “Of course you can stay with us this weekend!” when they ask. But sometimes, inside, we are a hodge-podge of emotion: we’re swamped at work, the house is a mess, and we have no time to host big dinners and provide the entertainment which goes with family visits. Yet we smile and nod as we speak….except our shoulders sag a little, or we swallow and hesitate before forcefully flooding our voice with enthusiasm. Basically, with contradictions, a character may try to fake it but body language doesn’t lie.

Tip of the iceberg!

There are more ways to show emotion–so many more. Anyway, the big takeaway?

With emotional expression, go beyond what is obvious. Use a variety of techniques, drawing from different description wells.

If you only show emotion through body language, or dialogue, or rely too heavily on the internal thoughts of your POV character, your writing will seem one-dimensional and readers won’t have as memorable of an experience.

Stretch yourself! In each scene, think how some of these might work. Experiment. You might just see your writing jump from good…to great!

Need more help with body language and emotion? We’ve got you covered:

A giant selection of Checklists and Tip Sheets HERE.

Tutorials on showing emotion & utilizing elements of fiction better HERE.

To access the expanded Emotion Thesaurus at One Stop For Writers, activate our FREE TRIAL.

Happy writing!

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

ANGELA ACKERMAN
ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Character Wound, Characters, Conflict, Description, Dialogue, Emotion, Emotion Thesaurus Guide, Experiments, One Stop For Writers, Setting Thesaurus Guides, Show Don't Tell, Subtext, Uncategorized, Writing Craft, Writing Lessons

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. hgf says

    December 19, 2019 at 10:33 am

    This is a good tip particularly to those fresh to the blogosphere.
    Simple but very precise information… Appreciate your sharing this
    one. A must read post!

  2. Nannette Samuels says

    November 23, 2019 at 11:56 pm

    You should be a part of a contest for one of the best websites on the web.
    I will recommend this site!

  3. Jay Hicks says

    July 13, 2018 at 1:28 am

    But before you spend a dime, stop by and see if One Stop for Writers has the Features and Tools you are looking for. This deal expires at the end of July, so grab your code if interested. 🙂

    Can you please tell me about the deal/code? Can’t find anything in the post.
    Thanks.

    • ANGELA ACKERMAN says

      July 13, 2018 at 9:03 am

      HI Jay,
      This post was written awhile ago and there was a special promotion on at the time. It looks like i removed the code, but not this one line–sorry about that.

      However, there’s a 25% off coupon (for any plan) at the bottom of this post here, reviewing One Stop for Writers: https://prowritingaid.com/art/456/Writing-App-Reviews%E2%80%A6-One-Stop-For-Writers.aspx Or, in a few days I’ll be posting something new regarding a free trial on our Facebook page if you want to watch for that: https://www.facebook.com/onestopforwriters/?ref=bookmarks

  4. xproverbs31womanx says

    February 24, 2018 at 5:24 pm

    Great post. How do you describe the body language in the picture below the word posture? Not even Google is helping. I’d appreciate it if you describe the man’s body language.

    • ANGELA ACKERMAN says

      February 25, 2018 at 9:30 am

      There are several pictures—which one do you mean? The key is knowing which emotion the character is feeling. To describe well the author needs to know this so they can ensure that comes across.

      • xproverbs31womanx says

        February 25, 2018 at 11:04 am

        I mean the man wearing the white jacket and a black shirt.

  5. Yvette M Calleiro says

    July 10, 2017 at 4:08 pm

    This is a wonderful resource! Thanks for sharing. 🙂

    • ANGELA ACKERMAN says

      July 10, 2017 at 5:53 pm

      Happy it will help you! 🙂

  6. Glynis Jolly says

    June 22, 2017 at 6:15 pm

    I bought the Emotion Thesaurus several years ago. I use it often and it shows. The binder is worn in places.

    • ANGELA ACKERMAN says

      June 22, 2017 at 10:00 pm

      That’s terrific–I love hearing our books are getting a workout. I hope you are getting all the help you need!

  7. Lisa Orchard says

    June 22, 2017 at 12:55 pm

    Great post! Thanks for sharing!

Trackbacks

  1. How do you feel? Writing emotion – Emily Patrice says:
    June 30, 2018 at 8:20 pm

    […] Keep It Fresh: 10 Ways to Show Your Character’s Emotions by Angela Ackerman […]

  2. Determining a Character's Emotional IQ | Writers In The Storm says:
    June 15, 2018 at 7:16 am

    […] ring true with readers. As with many other areas of writing, the best way to do this is through showing that emotion rather than telling it. But before we can write about the character’s feelings, we need to know how those feelings will […]

  3. Top Picks Thursday! For Writers & Readers 06-29-2017 | The Author Chronicles says:
    June 29, 2017 at 1:23 pm

    […] need to know about your protagonist to get your readers to the end, and Angela Ackerman explores 10 ways to show your character’s emotions, while K. M. Weiland gives 4 reasons you should outline your […]

Primary Sidebar


Welcome!

Writing is hard. Angela & Becca make it easier. Get ready to level up your fiction with game-changing tools, resources, and advice.

Follow Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe to the Blog

Check your inbox to confirm! If gremlins tried to eat it, you might have to check your spam folder.

Read by Category

Grab Our Button

Writers Helping Writers

Software that Will Change the Writing Game

One Stop for Writers

WRITERS HELPING WRITERS® · Copyright © 2023 · WEBSITE DESIGN BY LAUGH EAT LEARN

Cookies are delicious and ours help make your experience here better. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with our cookie use. Cookie settingsGOT IT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. More on our Privacy Policy here.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
 

Loading Comments...