Here is a writing exercise to help you get to know your characters better and give them more depth:
Perhaps you know your character well. Perhaps you don’t. Either way, our emotions and our reactions to them say a lot about who we are especially when those feelings are particularly potent. Take this list of strong emotions and consider what could possibly trigger each of them in your character:
- Fear
- Anger
- Sorrow
- Pain (Physical or emotional)
- Desire (Sexual or otherwise. It could be greed or a strong craving.)
- Love
- Elation
Write a short scene for each of these emotions. What makes your character feel this way? How do they react? What happens to their body? To their thoughts? Remember that emotions tend to be complex things and are often linked together. Does a particular feeling lead to another? (Example: Does the character get angry when they feel frightened?) What do they decide to do? If it’s a negative emotion, how do they cope?
Can you think of any other emotions that might be provocative? Feel free to leave comments and, as always, make good art!
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