Writing How to Create Life-like emotions.

[CadmarLegend]

Look at the title. Now answer me.

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[Motsu]

You don't create Life-like emotions, they create you!

 

[Agentt]

You really want to? Like I know they sound good but they turn out boring. The audience never wants to see a man being sad for a week just because his parents died. No, they want him to immediately go find a harem.
Okay, if you want to, there are two very easy ways depending on which emotion you are showing.
Anger/hungry/horny: focus on physical attributes more. Like I am feeling really hot, my breathing is irregular, that meat looks so tender, juicy. Portray short irrational thoughts. So short that it seems like a child is writing them. Can I, just take a bite? It is only fair if I do this too. I can't hold it anymore.
Happy: Long sentences, like really long. Don't use full stops, use commas, use lots of synonyms. I felt so happy, my heart feels so relaxed and my head is getting clearer. For the first time in many days, I had that cheerful glee, I couldn't stop grinning.
Sad: There are two types of this
Dejected sad: S/he tries to hide there sadness. They are clearly bot happy, but don't show sad either. They maintain a poker face. Have them talk with someone alone, and they will break into tears. Make them cry, tears rolling, hug the other person, nothing matters anymore.
Accepted sad: people who are sad and have accepted they are sad. They straight up tell strangers that they are sad. Use them for complexes, like inferiority, not having friends, etc. They always maintain a happy face until they talk about there problems.

 

[MoodyFoxCat]

You really want to? Like I know they sound good but they turn out boring. The audience never wants to see a man being sad for a week just because his parents died. No, they want him to immediately go find a harem.
Okay, if you want to, there are two very easy ways depending on which emotion you are showing.
Anger/hungry/horny: focus on physical attributes more. Like I am feeling really hot, my breathing is irregular, that meat looks so tender, juicy. Portray short irrational thoughts. So short that it seems like a child is writing them. Can I, just take a bite? It is only fair if I do this too. I can't hold it anymore.
Happy: Long sentences, like really long. Don't use full stops, use commas, use lots of synonyms. I felt so happy, my heart feels so relaxed and my head is getting clearer. For the first time in many days, I had that cheerful glee, I couldn't stop grinning.
Sad: There are two types of this
Dejected sad: S/he tries to hide there sadness. They are clearly bot happy, but don't show sad either. They maintain a poker face. Have them talk with someone alone, and they will break into tears. Make them cry, tears rolling, hug the other person, nothing matters anymore.
Accepted sad: people who are sad and have accepted they are sad. They straight up tell strangers that they are sad. Use them for complexes, like inferiority, not having friends, etc. They always maintain a happy face until they talk about there problems.

Let's face it, realism is never a good option. Sure there are things that would be better off but no one wants something that is too relatable to the point of being... too realistic. Like sometimes people make stuff to get away from it, not to bring it further in.

 

[CheertheDead]

I have had to put myself in an imaginary situation that forces me to feel thing to actually describe those feelings. I do not know any alternative way and i must say that it's dangerous when you are too immersed into it.

 

[Agentt]

Look at the title. Now answer me.

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I only just realised you are in a tank.

 

[witch_sorrowful]

The short answer is practice.
Try writing short stories. Take a scenario, work on it. Read it. If you are satisfied, as in you have good grasp of the emotions of you character, and have learned to put them down on text, you are good.

The Long Answer is ... some literary theory? Most writing does not try to follow life-like realism; not even the great Realists, such as Chekhov or Dostoevsky, try to present you a truly well rounded character. Instead, the character is nothing but an instrument for the main conflict of the story to get resolved.

As an example, Rodion Raskolnikov from Doestoevky's Crime and Punishment does not in fact represent a complete picture of either a person suffering from mental illness or a person who has committed a murder. He fluctuates between them, morphing the story as he goes. The story reacts to his thoughts, and not vice-versa - which is how we humans live. We react to our surroundings, whereas Raskolnikov's story moves through arcs.

So, being life-like is a detriment. In post-modern novels, this is even more apparent. Waiting for Godot is based in absurdity. In modern Young Adult fiction, the characters are simpler. They are not showing philosophies but usually focus on extraordinary tales. E.g. A Fault in Our Stars.

To be more quantifiable, if a life-like character needs 25 Dimensions, show only the 3 that are changing in the story. Focus on that. You cannot write something like Ulysses where you would go into the consciousness of characters. Make the story react to your characters. Understand why two characters will connect, and why two will disagree and fight.

But remember that each decision is weighed by many different external forces that affect the character - such as their parents, love, desire, hopes, fears and their experiences, or lack thereof.

...
I think my answer is all over the place to be honest.

 

[Agentt]

The short answer is practice.
Try writing short stories. Take a scenario, work on it. Read it. If you are satisfied, as in you have good grasp of the emotions of you character, and have learned to put them down on text, you are good.

The Long Answer is ... some literary theory? Most writing does not try to follow life-like realism; not even the great Realists, such as Chekhov or Dostoevsky, try to present you a truly well rounded character. Instead, the character is nothing but an instrument for the main conflict of the story to get resolved.

As an example, Rodion Raskolnikov from Doestoevky's Crime and Punishment does not in fact represent a complete picture of either a person suffering from mental illness or a person who has committed a murder. He fluctuates between them, morphing the story as he goes. The story reacts to his thoughts, and not vice-versa - which is how we humans live. We react to our surroundings, whereas Raskolnikov's story moves through arcs.

So, being life-like is a detriment. In post-modern novels, this is even more apparent. Waiting for Godot is based in absurdity. In modern Young Adult fiction, the characters are simpler. They are not showing philosophies but usually focus on extraordinary tales. E.g. A Fault in Our Stars.

To be more quantifiable, if a life-like character needs 25 Dimensions, show only the 3 that are changing in the story. Focus on that. You cannot write something like Ulysses where you would go into the consciousness of characters. Make the story react to your characters. Understand why two characters will connect, and why two will disagree and fight.

But remember that each decision is weighed by many different external forces that affect the character - such as their parents, love, desire, hopes, fears and their experiences, or lack thereof.

...
I think my answer is all over the place to be honest.

Your answer makes me feel small.

 

[gaylolis]

i feel that the best way is just be honest with myself and dedicating the stories to someone i trust and care about. that way i can just pour out my everything without any fear of judgmental people. no matter how good and bad it turned out to be, my emotions while writing it is real.

all in all it's enough, if i no longer feel alone when i re-read them :D

 

[Jemini]

The most important thing to keep in mind, don't take your lead form movies. Movies always over-exaggerate emotions. Real true-to-life emotions are not that over pronounced. They are more subtle.

About the best portrayal of realistic emotions I have ever seen in visual media is two specific scenes in one specific episode of Ranma 1/2. I can't remember the exact episode, but I think it's episode 4 or so, or maybe 6. All I remember is it involved Dr. Tofu. The two specific scenes are both anime original scenes that were not in the manga. They are the scenes with Akane by the river throwing stones. (It is more than a little exaggerated on comedic aspects actually, but on the emotional aspects it hits exactly the right notes.) And, the scene were Ranma and Akane are eating burgers. These two scenes do the emotion in the episode EXTREMELY well in terms of the more subtle aspects. I can't really describe it, you just have to see it.

Anyway, that's the idea. Portray the emotions in small actions. Just, things that the character does a little differently from their normal way of behaving. Nothing super over-the-top. You might not get it just right at first, but so long as you keep your mind on the emotion you want to portray and also at reigning it in and not going too over-the-top, that very mental focus will improve the way you portray emotions in general and you will improve over time with practice.

 

[Valmond]

Look at the title. Now answer me.

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This can be a long process. However, I will try to break it down as shortly as I can.

1. Most importantly, is practice. When you do something, you do it the best you can. That is how improvement happens. You make mistakes, and that is fine. Learn from them.

2. A solid plan.

Having a solid plan helps to know when these events will come into place. So you will be prepared to write the scene at hand, and know what type of emotion will come into place.

3. Setting/Theme

I group these two together, since well. It is pretty close in all reality. Where the story takes place can also affect the theme. Norse Mythology is a good example. It is a very depressing one, Midgard. The world of misery. Naturally you’d be leaning more towards dreadful emotions, yet inspiring.

So, knowing the setting of the story at least will help to establish a theme.

4. Buildup.

Everything has a chain reaction. Events lead to other events. Which can strengthen the emotions as the story progresses. Try and think about what ties it in. For instance, a more passive character can express anger through their sorrow if the buildup is right.

5. Surroundings.

Not only the story, character themselves, setting/theme. Though the surroundings. Those that are involved in their life can spark emotions. Happy, bittersweet, sad, anger, etc. No matter if they are passive or assertive. Use those that surround them, even the environment to determine the emotion that is expressed. Which can even link to past events.

6. Stakes

If a story becomes more intense, building up to a peak finale. The emotions will be high, which will make it easier to reflect on the characters. So, having a solid plan helps to make this easier.

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That is about it. The rest is more or less learned through practice. So keep at it.

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Restoration-Book 1- More Information on Profile Page

 

[Deleted member 45782]

You don't create Life-like emotions, they create you!

true...i mean...i dont really wanna know how i got created though...

but agree. the emotions and the conflicts we feel shape what we are, who we want to be, and our hopes and downfalls.

---

Practice. I like what @witch_sorrowful said. Start with short stories. Something short and simple to do so it may be easier at first. Then broaden and expand til you can write longer novels.

Create life-life emotions i would suggest think how one would feel if they were in that character's shoes. Granted, it probably is not like the actual experience of those who are going through whatever situation they are going through, but you get a very rough idea of it. Then its sparks and imagination.

 

[Localforeigner]

Look at the title. Now answer me.

................█ (͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ███۞███████ ]▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▃ ▂▄▅█████████▅▄▃▂ I███████████████████]. ◥⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙◤...

The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression (Second Edition): 1 (Writers Helping Writers Series): Amazon.co.uk: Puglisi, Becca, Ackerman, Angela: 9780999296349: Books

Buy The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression (Second Edition): 1 (Writers Helping Writers Series) 2nd ed. by Puglisi, Becca, Ackerman, Angela (ISBN: 9780999296349) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.

www.amazon.co.uk

Very good series of books, describing not only ways to describe external emotions but ways to write internal feelings as wells.

 

[tridetect]

go outside

 

[CadmarLegend]

The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression (Second Edition): 1 (Writers Helping Writers Series): Amazon.co.uk: Puglisi, Becca, Ackerman, Angela: 9780999296349: Books

Buy The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression (Second Edition): 1 (Writers Helping Writers Series) 2nd ed. by Puglisi, Becca, Ackerman, Angela (ISBN: 9780999296349) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.

www.amazon.co.uk

Very good series of books, describing not only ways to describe external emotions but ways to write internal feelings as wells.

Thank you for telling me where you're from.

The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression (Second Edition): 1 (Writers Helping Writers Series): Amazon.co.uk: Puglisi, Becca, Ackerman, Angela: 9780999296349: Books

Buy The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression (Second Edition): 1 (Writers Helping Writers Series) 2nd ed. by Puglisi, Becca, Ackerman, Angela (ISBN: 9780999296349) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.

www.amazon.co.uk

Very good series of books, describing not only ways to describe external emotions but ways to write internal feelings as wells.

But anyway, thanks!

 

[K5Rakitan]

Show the hard parts of life, the parts that nobody talks about:

 

[CadmarLegend]

Show the hard parts of life, the parts that nobody talks about:

Did we really need the pictures...?

 

[K5Rakitan]

Did we really need the pictures...?

A picture is worth a thousand words, and my hands are too full of Baby to type a thousand words.

 

[CadmarLegend]

A picture is worth a thousand words, and my hands are too full of Baby to type a thousand words.

Yet you can link pics....

 

[Ral]

Use this technique: Show, Don't Tell.