Ways to display emotion in your writing

Here are several easy ways to show emotion in your writing that I learned recently and that have helped me:

1. External dialogue—what they say out loud and how they say it

2. Internal dialogue—what they are thinking

3. Physical reactions—jumps, yelps

4. Involuntary reactions —heart beats, tingles

5. State of mind—can't think of nothing else, etc

The more actions and reactions you can include (to a point) the more your reader will be involved with your character.

Focus on one of the seven universal emotions: hate, disgust, fear, happiness, anger, grief, surprise

Emotional responses must be believable: not constant over or under reacting.

If you struggle with showing emotion in your writing, try some of the tips above! Good luck.