It can be difficult to describe emotion clearly and vividly when writing about your day, or writing a story.You want to paint an image so bright the shades of flowers can't compare, that's why you say you are happy.We will discuss a number of ways to describe emotion and how to include it in your writing.The first step in describing emotion is Step 1.
Step 1: Say it in a physical way.
Imagine seeing someone feel this emotion.Is he hiding his face or his stomach?Is he trying to grab your shoulders and tell you something?The state of the body is the most intimate way to communicate a feeling in narrative.Imagine what it would be like to feel that emotion.How does your stomach feel?The amount of saliva in a person's mouth, heart rate, and stomach are all affected by a strong emotion.Don't overstep your boundaries as to what the character knows."Her face turned bright red in embarrassment" isn't something the character would know.Her face was burned as they laughed and turned away.
Step 2: Dialogue can be used between characters.
The reader can be more involved in the story if they use actual conversation.Dialogue is used in the moment instead of taking a second to narrate the story.If your dialogue is right, it is true to the character.He smiled at how she looked at him.You should say, "I like the way you look at me."It has something to invest in.It feels real and personal.You can use thoughts as well.People can talk to themselves as well.Even though it goes unrecognized, "I like the way she looks at me," has a similar power.
Step 3: It's a good idea to use subtext.
We don't always know how we are feeling or what we're doing.While our eyes are burning with rage or we inhale a sharp intake of breath, we nod and smile.Mention the layers instead of addressing them directly.While she's shredding a napkin, have your character nod and agree.Your story will hold the layers together.Conflict and tension can be alleviated by this.It can help with subtler forms of conflict, like characters who are uncomfortable with emotion, unwilling to open up, or waiting for an opportunity to express themselves.
Step 4: Talk about the character's sense of smell.
Some senses become extra sensitive when we're emotional.When we are home alone, we're more likely to hear every creak and lounge in the scent of a lover.These elements can be used to convey emotion.It's not engaging to say that someone was following her so she quickened her pace.Talk about how she could smell his cologne, how he stank of cold beer and desperation, and how the jangle of his keys quickened with every step.
Step 5: Go for the pathetic fallacy.
It has nothing to do with being pathetic.The environment reflects the prevalent emotions of a scene.If the tension is building between rivals, there should be a window break.A breeze rustles the grass as a student relaxes after an exam.If you're not heavy-handed or trite, it's effective.Use this writing maneuver carefully.It loses its effectiveness if you do it all the time.It can be quite amazing.It's possible to use this literary technique without even touching on emotion.This can set a scene and give a parallel to the reader that they can put together once they've read the book.
Step 6: Talk about body language.
Think about an emotion.Think about it for a long time.Think about what it was like last time you felt it.Start talking about the emotion.What it felt like to be in the world.Take note of your body once you're done with this exercise.What are you doing with your hands?Your feet?Did you have your eyebrows?How does this emotion manifest itself in your body language?When was the last time you walked into a room and could see the person you were looking at?A number of examples have popped up in your head, probably not that long ago.Our bodies do it for us and we don't need to think about it.Take the next few days to notice your friends' and family's expressions.If you weren't paying attention, you would never notice those little fleeting gifts.Those moments can bring your narration to life.
Step 7: Define the situation
Emotions can have causes.If the feeling is due to a hormonal imbalance or repressed memory, you'll only be describing emotions in a vacuum.Take a look at the details of the situation.What is your character reacting to?What parts are they familiar with?In these cases, observable phenomena such as snapping at innocuous comments can convey the mindset and build to an emotion just fine.You can either use these as jumping off points for grander displays or let them speak for themselves.Keep in mind visual or tactile imagery.The character notices what the situation is presenting.If the character is hyper- aware, minute details should be laid out.
Step 8: Your own experience is what you should use.
This is the best raw material if you have felt the emotion you are trying to describe.Where did it come from?Think about what made you feel sad.You weren't thinking, "Oh, I'm sad" as you felt it.You were wondering what you were going to do with yourself.You felt like you didn't need to participate in your environment.You didn't notice your trembling hand; instead, you felt so unsure that you could not stop yourself from shaking.This experience will give you details you can't imagine.If it was the cumulative effect of a particular situation, you may want to describe it as you experienced it, either as practice, or as an end in itself.To recreate the feeling of a single moment or item, use the details from that image.If you haven't felt the emotion, try to approximate it from related feelings or less intense instances.
Step 9: Know how your character would respond.
Emotions are abstract concepts that can be different for different people.While one person might deliver a Shakespearean sonnet to convey their personal torture, another might say "I don't want to talk about it" through their teeth and an averted gaze.The two could be saying the same thing.You don't need to describe the emotion in some situations.You can describe the scene, another character's face, or the next thoughts."The world faded away, drained of all color but him" is exactly how the character feels without explicitly saying it.
Step 10: Show, don't tell.
You should be painting a picture in your work.They should be able to emerge from your words with an image on their backs.You have to show them what's going on.Let's say you're talking about the dangers of war.You wouldn't talk about the strategy each side is using.The burnt socks, the heads of dolls, and the stream of screams are all mentioned.This is an image and a feeling that your reader will feel.
Step 11: Don't be afraid of simplicity.
There are shades of grey in this article, but you shouldn't state an emotion explicitly.Only novel and pertinent information should be communicated in this way, but a rare, simple statement can be better suited to some descriptions.Don't be afraid to say less.A character thinks to themselves, "I am sad."It is a very moving thing.It could be inferred from those three words that there was a moment of emotional awareness.Some characters may experience emotion in soliloquies, some in three short words, and some not at all.No way is incorrect.
Step 12: You have to cut every time you name an emotion.
When you talk about a character being sad or happy, cut it.You don't need it.It isn't giving your story any traction.It is possible for these things to be made clear in other ways.Unless it is in dialogue, it needs to be scrapped."Why are you so sad?" could be asked by another character.The character wouldn't explore their world if they were given titles to emotions."sad" or "miserable" are just words.It would mean the same thing if we called them "gobbledegook".These terms have no meaning.
Step 13: If you want to change your first draft, use a simple action or image.
It is a good start for your first draft."she was happy" is a step in the right direction.Right now, you just need something to hold it together, because this will evolve and grow over the course of your writing.This is just the beginning of your story.It's purpose is to hold the story together.Once you have the story together, you'll change everything.
Step 14: Get more detailed for your second draft.
Why did she smile?What was she thinking to herself?She might have thought that the boy in the corner was cute.She wondered if he reminded her of anyone.The motivation for the emotion was not known.Take a look at the techniques discussed.Your audience will feel fully engrossed in the story if you paint an image through dialogue, subtext, body language, and the senses.Your audience will know how she feels, instead of being told she was happy.
Step 15: Stock phrases and cliches can be avoided.
They're too trite to drive your story forward."I was so happy I could die" or " I felt my world falling apart" are just two examples.If your character is happy, you can have her hug someone and then laugh.Say what happened if you were upset.If you describe the emotional impact of a major event, people will understand what it does to the people involved.Don't end a description of an emotional event with a cliché.You've done the job of communicating the emotions.It's not necessary to summarize.Stay true to who you are.Don't end it how it normally ends, the personality you're working with may be the cliché type.People don't say cliches when they're being genuine.After explaining how your character feels and after her hug, have her say, "I'm so happy I could just poop a rainbow!"It might be appropriate.Again, only if she's that type.
Step 16: It's appropriate to stay appropriate.
You should be as tactful as the rest of your piece is.Use metaphors and images that fit thematically with the content, and make sure the language you use fits the character.There was no talk of crossed wires in the Old West.As your companions make you feel, be as vague as possible.You should keep the character in mind when you're in that situation.The ability to react, think, or process emotion may be affected by outside factors.
Step 17: Listen into the emotion you're writing about as you near the end.
Listen to music, read poetry, or read stories of authors that write on similar themes.Go back and read your story when you're immersed in the emotion.Does your feelings align with what you are feeling?There are some incongruencies.Is anything disingenuous?Get back to the drawing board if that is the case.Give yourself time if you are feeling a particular emotion.Take note of your senses, thoughts, and body when you run into that emotion again.This will allow you to get as close as possible to the truth of this emotion.First-hand experience is the best.Your story will be yours.