I have a ton of trouble with describing what a character is feeling. Seriously, I couldn't do it for my life. It always ends up being the same phrases, the same words, the same everything. I need new ways to describe them and actually probably more efficient, not so plain, straight forward stuff. I usually use things like "So-and-so fumed, burned, smoldered" usually some kind of heat inside of them. I'm really struggling with conveying anger in particular, obviously. I can't come up with any creative ways to do it, so I'm looking for any and all advice you are able to give. How do I become more creative and unique in my way of giving off emotion? (Specifically anger, but I do need help with any emotion as well, so don't feel like it has to be about anger)
Ever try to make the reader mad, instead of showing how the character is angry. Mike pushed his way into the diner. Kelly sat in his usual seat. Anger burned and welled up in Mikes stomach, making his muscles warm. He clinched his fist and gritted his teeth and yelled all angry as he hit Kelly with a pipe. Mike pushed his way into the diner. Kelly sat in his usual seat, where he fucked waitresses after hours, and counted cash while sipping cognac. A new girl sat across from him, like always. He hadn't even bothered to move his wedding ring. Some people have no fucking sense of loyalty. Not to a wife, and not to a brother. Mike's fingers tightened around the pipe he found in the dumpster. He met Kelly's gaze, and that piece of shit had the nerve to smile like he didn't steal food out of Mike's daughter's mouth. Bit of oregano stuck to Kelly's gold tooth. Bit of tomato sauce on his bib. Mike lunged.
Generally speaking one of the best ways to write better is to read more. Take notice when you read a passage that really captures describing the emotion and imitate it in your own words. Can't say I'm the best person to be giving advice on this though, since the only expression my characters seem to have is glaring. They glare more than a camera flash on glass.
This is really good advice, but I fail to follow it most of the time lol Another related thing I do so sometimes is to *not* describe how a character is feeling at all. Take a book like The Lord of the ring : we're rarely told how the characters feel, but the descriptions of the landscape they go through are always in sync with their inner state ! Tolkien doesn't say "They were hopeful despite the fact that this was definitely a suicide mission, because of their stern determination", instead he writes a beautiful description of vines growing on a defaced statue giving it a new living crown, and tells us how that vision is fleeting and the vines too will die.
You can also convey that feeling in the character's voice. Examples: John's voice shook with suppressed anger. There was a hint of excitement in Julia's voice.
I don't even remember if I finished it (I tend not to finish audiobooks because I don't drive enough), but I had a pretty good Audible book called "The Girl King" by Mimi Yu. It's probably the best reference book on this topic, because she has this weird writing style. Through most of the book, she will just tell what the character's emotions are. Anger burned in his stomach kind of stuff. But when she gets to a climatic scene, she mostly stops doing that, and instead relates the characters thoughts as exposition to try and get an emotional reaction out of the reader. IMO and experience, this was super effective because I'd kind of slip unknowing into the dramatic scenes, not expecting to suddenly be brought in like that, but when I was, I'd lean in and really listen. Anyway, if you check out "The Girl King" you'll see two main ways of doing it.
