It can be difficult to describe emotion clearly and vividly in a diary, a story, or even a letter.When you say you're happy, you don't really mean it; you want to paint an image so bright the shade of flowers cannot compare.We'll discuss a number of ways to describe emotion, how to get closer to its source, and what to include in your writing.To begin describing emotion, start with Step 1
Step 1: Say it with strength.
Imagine watching someone feel something.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.Imagine what it would be like to feel this 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 is aware of.The character wouldn't know that her face turned bright red in embarrassment.She had her face burned as they laughed and turned away.
Step 2: The dialogue between characters should be used.
The reader can be much 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 keeps the flow going and is true to the character."He smiled at how she looked at him.""I like the way you look at me."It has money.It feels real and personal.You can use thoughts as well.Characters can also talk to themselves.Even though it goes unspoken, "I like the way she looks at me," has a similar power.
Step 3: It's a good way to use subtext.
We don't always know how we are feeling or what we're doing.While our eyes are burning with rage, 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 helped 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 senses.
Some senses become extra sensitive when we're emotional.When we're home alone, we are 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.
This has nothing to do with being pathetic.When the environment reflects the prevalent emotions of a scene, this is the term.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.Carefully use this writing maneuver.It loses its effectiveness if you do it all the time.It can be a little crazy.It is 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: Don't talk in terms of facial expressions.
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?Do you have your feet?Did you have your eyebrows?How does this emotion manifest itself in your body language?When did you last enter a room and see the person you saw?A number of examples have appeared in your head, probably not that long ago.Our bodies do it for us and we don't need to think about it.Take a few days to notice your friends' and family's expressions.If you weren't paying attention, you'd never notice those little fleeting gifts.The moments that bring your narration to life are those.
Step 7: Define what's happening.
Emotions have causes.If the feeling is due to a hormonal imbalance or repressed memory, you'll only be describing it in a vacuum.The details of the situation can be found here.What is it that your character is reacting to?What parts are they aware of?In these cases, observable phenomena such as pacing or 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, only minute details should be laid out.
Step 8: Your own experience is what you should use.
This is the best raw material to describe an emotion.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 didn't want 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.You will get details never before seen in a raw experience.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.Use details from the image to recreate the feeling if it was a single moment.If you haven't felt the emotion, try to approximate it from related feelings or less intense instances.
Step 9: Know what your character would say.
Different people find and experience different emotions.While one person might deliver a Shakespearean sonnet to convey their personal torture, another might say, "I don't want to talk about it."The two could be saying the same thing.You don't need to describe the emotion in some situations.It is possible to 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 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 your reader will get from it.
Step 11: Don't shy away from simple things.
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 wrong.
Step 12: You should cut every time you name an emotion.
Every time you talk about a character being sad or happy, cut it.You don't need it.It's not giving your story any traction.It is possible for these things to be made clear in other ways.Unless it's in dialogue, it needs to be scrapped.Another character could ask, "Why are you so sad?"The character wouldn't explore their world if they were given titles to emotions."sad" or "miserable" are not words.It would mean the same thing if we called them "gobbledegook."These terms are not relevant emotionally.
Step 13: If you want to change your first draft, use an image or action.
It's a good start for your first draft.Anything that moves away from her is a step in the right direction.Right now, you just need something to hold it together, as this will evolve and grow over the course of your writing.This is the beginning of your story.To be cohesive and hold the story together is its purpose.Once the story is pieced together, you will change everything.
Step 14: Get more detail for your second draft.
Why did she smile?What was she thinking?Was the boy in the corner cute?Did he remind her of anyone?What drove the emotion?You can explore 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.
Step 15: Stock phrases and cliches are not recommended.
They are 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, have her hug someone and then laugh.Tell what happened if you were upset.The emotional impact of a major event can be understood by the people involved.Don't end a description of an emotional event with a cliché.You have done the job of communicating the emotions.It's not necessary to summarize.Stay true to yourself.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 may be appropriate.Only if she's that type.
Step 16: It is appropriate to stay that way.
You should be as tactful as the rest of the piece is.Make sure the language and images you use fit the character, especially in first-person.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, and process emotion may be affected by outside factors.
Step 17: When you're done, pay attention to the emotion in your writing.
Listen to music, read poetry, or read stories of authors that write on the same themes.Go back and read your story when you're immersed in emotion.Is it possible that you were feeling the same?Is there any incongruencies?Does anything seem to be disingenuous?Get back to the drawing board if that is the case.Give yourself time if the emotion is eluding you.Take note of your senses, thoughts, and body when you run into that emotion again.This will allow you to get as close to the truth as possible.First-hand experience is the best.Your story will be your own.