Writers Helping Writers^®

Emotion

Introducing The EMOTION THESAURUS

January 24, 2008

Introducing The EMOTION THESAURUS

January 24, 2008

The coffee on the desk is cold. The doorbell’s ringing. Your dog is making those frantic whimpers meaning ‘I want to go outside and maybe pee on something’ has escalated…

Expressing Cardinal Emotions: Masculine vs. Feminine

January 18, 2009

Expressing Cardinal Emotions: Masculine vs. Feminine

January 18, 2009

We thought since we’ve profiled 130 different emotions and their physical and mental cues in The Emotion Thesaurus, we’d take a look at some of the Cardinal Emotions, and some…

Description 911: Over Expressed Emotions

February 28, 2011

Description 911: Over Expressed Emotions

February 28, 2011

Because this blog is all about flexing our descriptive skills, I wanted to touch on something I see from time to time when I critique: too much emotional showing. Emotions…

Frustration: Your Novel’s Best Friend

September 12, 2011

Frustration: Your Novel’s Best Friend

September 12, 2011

You’re thinking that title must be a typo, aren’t you? It isn’t, I promise. 🙂 Frustration is awesome. Sure, as writers, we want NOTHING to do with this emotion. Between…

The Plot Whisperer: Benefits of Plotting in Scenes

August 23, 2012

The Plot Whisperer: Benefits of Plotting in Scenes

August 23, 2012

Martha Alderson (aka The PLOT WHISPERER) is here to share the benefits of plotting in scenes, Some writers write by the seat of their pants. Others prefer to pre-plot first,…

Surprising Emotions: How Will Your Character React?

October 19, 2012

Surprising Emotions: How Will Your Character React?

October 19, 2012

By David McFarland Surprising Emotions When I was thirteen, I met my grandfather for the first time, and he told me about his life in the Mafia. “I ran whorehouses…

Hidden Emotion: Using The “Just Act Normal” Technique

May 8, 2013

Hidden Emotion: Using The “Just Act Normal” Technique

May 8, 2013

As humans, we value honesty, but in truth, to protect ourselves from harm, we often turn to deception, especially where emotions are concerned. We mislead others to think we’re feeling…

How a Character’s Unexpected Emotions Will Draw Readers In

May 15, 2013

How a Character’s Unexpected Emotions Will Draw Readers In

May 15, 2013

When the topic of Emotional Writing came up at a Donald Maass Workshop, he encouraged us to move past ‘expected’ character emotions and try for something deeper, more primal. Something…

Writing Extreme Emotion Without The Melodrama

February 11, 2014

Writing Extreme Emotion Without The Melodrama

February 11, 2014

Finding the right balance of emotion can be difficult; too little and the reader will feel no empathy for the characters, but too much, and the scene becomes melodramatic. Melodrama…

Understanding Character Wounds: A List Of Common Themes

February 27, 2014

Understanding Character Wounds: A List Of Common Themes

February 27, 2014

Characters are the heart of a novel, and within that heart is the Hero’s Inner Journey. The protagonist’s path is much like yours or mine–one that will (hopefully) bring him…