By Michael H. Thompson
Most fiction writers
struggle a bit with “showing” instead of “telling” their reader what’s
happening with their characters. While this subject has been written to death,
I want to talk about a useful took I found to help me figure out how to “show”
not “tell.”
Its title is The Emotion Thesaurus—A Writer’s Guide to Character Expressions. (No, I have no financial interest in this book
whatsoever.)
Here’s a snippet
from the book’s introduction: “All successful novels, no matter what genre,
have one thing in common: emotion. It lies at the core of every character’s
decision, action, and word, all of which drive the story. Without emotion, a
character’s personal journey is pointless. Stakes cease to exist. The plot line
becomes a dry riverbed of meaningless events that no reader will take time to
read … As writers, we must take our innate skills of observation and transfer
them to the page. Readers have high expectations. They don’t want to be told
how a character feels; they want to experience the emotion for themselves.”
The Emotion Thesaurus provides seventy-five emotions to give us
plenty of ways to “show-not-tell” through three different means—physical
signals, mental responses, and internal sensations. The book explains in detail
these three emotional reactions.
From adoration to agitation, and unease to worry, the seventy-five emotions offer
suggestions in the three means mentioned above.
Here’s just one
example: Anxiety. PHYSICAL SIGNALS: Rubbing the back of the neck, crossing the
arms, standing with one arm holding the other at the elbow, fingering a
necklace, adjusting clothes as if they chafe, and twenty more examples.
INTERNAL SENSATIONS: restless legs, increased thirst, accelerated breathing …
and a half-dozen others. MENTAL RESPONSES: self blame, seeking reassurance from
others, replaying the events that caused the anxiety, time feeling like it’s
slowing down, and plenty of other suggested ways to “show-not-tell” about the
character’s anxious mental state.
The Emotion Thesaurus, by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi, is also
full of other helpful writer tips.
I use this book
often, and recommend it to writers. It’ll improve your writing.
Michael Thompson was a successful ad agency owner,
winning numerous national and international awards. After selling his firm in
2011, Michael turned his attention to full-time writing. His latest novel is The Rector, available on Amazon in
print, on Audio Book, and Kindle. Combine
a suspenseful murder mystery with theology and that’s The Rector. “High
stars for a Christian mystery that reads like a thriller.”~~ H.S. Dale, author.
Two graphic novels on the life of David from the Old Testament–DAVID–The
Illustrated Novel came first. (Volume
2-won first place BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL and BEST INTERIOR DESIGN, 2012,
from USA Book’s INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS. Volume 1 won the Silver IPPY
for Graphic Novels in 2011 from the Independent Publisher Book Awards.) Next was a sci-fi thriller (CLOUDS ABOVE) that was
serialized in a monthly magazine for a year. (Out in book in 2016.) Michael
writes Christian novels that entertain, intrigue, and shine a light on his
Jesus. He’s a member of the ACFW, Mystery Writers of America, The International
Crime Writers Association, and the Southern Writers Association. Visit his website, www.michaelthompsonauthor.com to
learn more.
