Summary
"The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression" by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi is a comprehensive resource designed to help writers effectively convey emotions in their characters. The book emphasizes that emotion is at the core of every successful novel, driving the plot and connecting readers to the characters. It provides techniques for showing rather than telling emotions, which is crucial for creating an immersive reading experience.
The authors highlight the importance of nonverbal communication, which includes physical signals (body language and actions), internal sensations (visceral reactions), and mental responses (thoughts). Physical signals are how bodies outwardly respond to emotions, while mental responses offer insight into a character's thought process. Internal sensations are the most powerful form of nonverbal communication, triggering instinctive body responses that readers can connect with on a primal level. However, the book cautions against over-relying on internal sensations to avoid melodrama and cliché.
The Emotion Thesaurus addresses common writing problems such as telling instead of showing, using clichéd emotions, and creating melodrama. It provides examples of how to rewrite scenes to effectively show emotions through sensory details, similes, specific verbs, and body cues. The book also stresses the importance of avoiding clichés by observing real people and understanding that individuals express emotions differently. It advises writers to balance emotional intensity, ensuring that descriptions are fresh and engaging.
The book guides writers in using the thesaurus to identify root emotions, utilize the setting, and avoid overusing cues. It encourages brainstorming unique emotional responses and twisting clichés to create fresh and individual ways to show a character’s emotional state. The authors suggest exploring related emotions for inspiration and focusing on visceral reactions that have a physical "tell" to maintain the point of view.
The thesaurus section provides detailed entries for 75 different emotions, each including physical signals, internal sensations, mental responses, cues of acute or long-term effects, and cues of suppressed emotion. Each entry also includes a writer’s tip. Sample emotions include Adoration, Agitation, Amazement, Amusement, Anger, and many more. The entries are designed to prompt writers to think beyond the basics and create authentic, compelling emotional expressions.
The book concludes with recommended reading and encourages readers to explore other descriptive thesaurus collections. Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi offer this thesaurus as a starting point for writers to brainstorm unique ways to express character emotion, ultimately enhancing their storytelling and connecting with readers on a deeper level.