writers_loft | Once More With Feeling

Once More With Feeling

Without emotion your writing can seem sort of flat and lifeless. Oh sure, you can put in snappy dialogue but what else? There are many ways to show emotion. You can add a character's body language. A young woman with her hands on her hips and a tapping foot will present the feeling of impatience. You can use setting to reinforce the mood. An assassin sneaking up on his victim is the action but the using the setting to assist, like adding, dark, leafless tree branches thrashing around in the wind, looking like they were straining to stab and slash the victim can manipulate the scene by adding creepy or scary ambiance.

I admit, I'm weak at this and I don't put very much emotion in the first draft, it is something that will have to be added in on the second plus drafts.

So, using dialogue, body language, setting or something else, how could you show anger? You can write a paragraph, a scene or snippet if you'd like.