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Being able to understand the emotional state of others and predict what they may do next is a skill that is called Theory of Mind. This can be a difficult skill to learn, but this Padlet will help you grow that skill.

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This video introduces what theory of mind is in a fun way and shows how it changes as you get older.

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Why Should I Care About the  Emotional State of My Characters?

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Why Should I Care About the  Emotional State of My Characters?

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This website talks why it is important to talk about the emotional state of your characters in your book and how it can help the reader feel connected.

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Live Write Thrive | Insights, inspiration, and practical advice for writers

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Today's guest post is by Becca Puglisi.
Do you know how many books are on the market today? Neither do I; I can't count that high. I do know that in 2015 alone, over a million books were published.

This is awesome for readers, but it creates a problem for authors looking to create a fan base. Not only do we need customers to find our books, we need them to love them-enough to finish them and go on to consume everything else we have to offer.

To make it in this crowded space, we need to attract readers who are obsessed with our work. We want them staying up late and oversleeping because they couldn't put our book down, texting friends to tell them how awesome it is, and running to the computer when they're done to see if there are more coming out.

Basically, we want raving fans-customers who read all of our stuff and do the word-of-mouth marketing for us. But how do we get this kind of response to our books?

We do it by generating empathy.

When readers start to care about the main character, they're going to be invested in what happens to him. And they're going to keep reading to make sure everything turns out okay.

This means we have to get readers feeling as they read. And the best way to do that is by conveying the character's emotion in a way that evokes emotion in the reader. Let me give you an example from the (newly released) second edition of The Emotion Thesaurus:

Jason tapped on the door frame. The battle-axe didn't look up, just kept slashing through numbers on her sales report.

"Um, Mrs. Swanson?" No response. He shifted his weight, wondering how to proceed. He couldn't mess this up. He couldn't miss another of Kristina's games.

Jason shuffled half a step into her office. "Um ... about this weekend? I know your email said I needed to work, but ... Well, I kind of already have plans-"

"Cancel them," she said in a tone that was as forgiving as her Sharpie. When he didn't answer, she looked up.

His gaze dropped to the rug.

In this example, it's easy to see what the character is feeling without it having to be stated. The body language cues (the tentative tap on the door, his shuffling steps) combined with his speech hesitations and unsettled thoughts convey uncertainty and nervousness. This is an example of emotion that has been shown rather than told, and it works for building character empathy for a few reasons.

It Makes the Reader an Active Participant

Showing emotion is effective because it pulls the reader in close to what's happening. When readers are simply told what the character's feeling ( Jason was nervous), they're not involved; they're put at a distance, just sitting back and listening to someone tell them what's going on.

But when the character's emotions are shown through body language, vocal cues, thoughts, and dialogue, readers are able to infer what's happening for themselves.

This process of figuring things out is part of what makes reading such a satisfying experience. We don't want everything explained to us; it's rewarding to be able to follow the clues and put the pieces together, even if we don't know that's what we're doing. Showing emotion gives readers that opportunity.

It Engages the Reader's Emotions

Emotions are universal-meaning, whatever your character is feeling, the reader has most likely felt it too. When we're able to show that emotion in an evocative way, it can evoke a hint of that same feeling for the reader, because they've experienced what the character is going through.

Readers who feel a sense of doubt or fear or elation are going to be far more engaged than ones who sit back and watch other people feeling those emotions.

Showing Emotion Creates a Sense of Shared Experience

When readers recognize the character's emotional state as one they've experienced in the past, it creates a sense of shared experience. Readers will connect with the character, even on a subconscious level, because of this thing they have in common. This is a common way for empathy to begin.

When we master the art of showing emotion, readers become active participants in the story, their emotions are engaged, and they feel a sense of kinship with the character. All of this can lead to increased empathy and the reader being invested enough in the character to keep reading. If we can accomplish this in all of our books, it just might result in customers who keep coming back for more.

Becca Puglisis is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of books for writers-including her latest publication: a second edition of The Emotion Thesaurus, an updated and expanded version of the original volume. Her books are available in multiple languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers -a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.

Want to master the emotional craft of fiction?

In this course, you'll be given tools to show emotions in your characters. You'll be given techniques to help spark emotional response in your readers. What is going to bring it all together for you is practice. Study and practice. And you'll have exercises in this course to help you put into practice what you learn.

There are two facets of emotion in fiction: conveying what your character is feeling and evoking emotion in your reader. We'll look at these two facets separately and in de pth. Yet, they are intrinsically connected.

Emotional mastery requires writers to set up the dynamics of a scene in such a visual, textural way that readers can't help but feel what they are meant to feel. Understanding that emotional mastery requires a twofold approach- the emotional landscape of both the character and the reader -is the first step.

Want to learn how to become a masterful wielder of emotion in your fiction? Enroll in my new online video course, Emotional Mastery for Fiction Writers.

You'll get lifetime access to all the videos and more than three dozen downloadable assignments. And with a 30-day money-back guarantee, you have NOTHING to lose by jumping in. Sign up NOW.

This course will challenge you to become an "emotion master." Are you ready and willing to go on this journey deep into emotional territory? If you want your characters to move your readers, take the plunge!

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The Connection between Character Emotion and Reader Empathy | Live Write Thrive

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Today's guest post is by Becca Puglisi. Do you know how many books are on the market today? Neither do I; I can't count that high. I do know that in 2015 alone, over a million books were published. This is awesome for readers, but it creates a problem for authors looking to create a fan base.

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One way to help grow your theory of mind skills is the think about the different emotions. Then for each emotion you think about what makes you feel that way. Then you can see if any of those things have happened in the story you are writing. You can also think about what you do when you feel that way to help predict what the character might do.

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It can also be hard to describe how a character looks when they are feeling a certain way. You can look at pictures of different emotions and then describe what they look like. This will help you describe what your character is doing when they are feeling that way.

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This article talks about multiple ways that you can show the emotional state of the characters in your book. Along with examples.

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Effectively rendering emotion is challenging, but it's a necessary skill if you're a fiction writer.

Readers want to be moved and never forget what reaches their hearts. If we writers don't carefully, masterfully evoke emotion, we fail as storytellers.

There are three main ways you can reveal emotions in your characters:
1) Using body language (revealing internal sensations) 2) Naming the emotion 3) Via the character's thoughts
Writers often use a combination of these, and each has its merits and drawbacks.

Let's look at the challenge of "showing" emotion-and it's more than throwing into a scene a clenched fist or a pounding heart.

Need help writing your novel? Click here to download Jerry's ultimate 12-step guide.

Emotions Are Often Hard to Detect

A person's body both feels and reveals emotion. It can be felt internally without any outward sign. Conversely, emotions might be shown by body language without a person being conscious of the emotion.

Physical tells can be powerful. Humans are keenly responsive to subtle gestures-a slight movement, even a flicker of the eyes can say so much. Intense emotions such as grief and fury can be revealed in barely noticeable expressions. We writers should take note.

What makes it challenging is that your POV character might talk and think in ways that show she's clueless to what she's feeling or what her body language is broadcasting.

Just because I see you sigh or cry doesn't mean I know what you are feeling. Body language can only go so far to effectively convey a character's emotion.

It's All about Your Character

Don't feel the need to let the reader know the emotional state of everyone in every scene.

Everything in a scene is shown through your POV character's eyes-what she notices by paying attention at that moment. She may not notice others' body language or be aware of her own emotions.

Have you ever suddenly realized you were grinding your teeth, white-knuckling your steering wheel, or breathing fast? Often, someone else points out that we're exuding emotion. We mostly pick up in ourselves a bodily sensation, not a visual.

Let's look at a passage from my drama Intended for Harm. Note the gestures, small actions implying emotion-both what the POV character notices in others and what you, the reader, notice in him:
Jake grabbed Simon's T-shirt at the neckline. "Never meant what? Where is Shane?" He didn't need to hear their answer; the guilt saturated their faces, unmistakably. Tears pooled in Levi's eyes. "When Sh-shane came back to town about a w-week later, we arranged to m-m-meet him ... up where he'd t-t-aken ... taken Dinah ..." Levi gulped, closed his mouth. Jake saw him fight back those tears, knew he held them in not from embarrassment but from wanting to validate, not decry, his actions. Simon stamped his foot, clearly did not want Levi to tell, but Jake would get it out of them. Levi drew in a long breath that quavered. He continued. "We b-beat him up. But I guess we ... got c-carried away." Jake opened his mouth but nothing came out. All his energy drained, and he wobbled on his feet. The words fluttered out his throat, like moths winging to flame, to their doom. "You killed him ..." Levi looked at the floor, but Simon met his gaze. "We carried the body to his car, then pushed it off the cliff. No one will find it-" Jake's knees gave way, and he collapsed on the concrete garage floor. He buried his face in his hands, disbelieving. "Oh, God ... oh, God ..." Jake groaned, unaware and uncaring whether his boys were standing there or had left. The moment muddled, miring him like quicksand, sucking him down, down. He heard Levi's voice hovering near him. "Dad. It'll b-be okay. There's n-no way anyone can p-point to us. We wore g-gloves. No one knew Shane r-raped Dinah-no one b-b-but us. There'd be no r-reason for anyone to think we h-had anything to do with it-even if they f-find the c-car. They'll think he d-drove off the cliff. He had d-drugs in his blood. They'd blame it on the d-drugs, Dad." The room went silent. "Just get out," Jake said. He listened but heard no footsteps. He raised his head from where he lay curled up on the ground, looked at Simon, who stood there, thinking. "What about Joey?" Simon asked, his voice thick with disgust. "What about him?" Jake asked. "How are we gonna get him to keep his trap shut? He blabs about everything, and he'll tell someone." "I'll talk to him," Jake offered. Simon snorted. "Like that will shut him up? You know how holy and righteous he is. He feels it's his God-given duty to report all sin. To make sure evildoers are punished for their crimes-" "I said I'll talk to him!" Jake yelled through his dry throat, parched like the rest of his body, thirsting for relief but knowing not a single drop would be found. "Levi, let's go," Simon said, stomping toward the garage door.
Jake observes emotional tells in his boys. He doesn't try to name the emotions his sons are feeling other than the obvious guilt on their faces, but these tells indicate they are distressed-tears, gulping, stomping, snorting.

Jake, also, becomes aware of some of his own bodily sensations, visceral reactions to what he witnesses. He feels the energy drain from his body, he wobbles, his knees giving way as he falls.

Then there are the words and phrases that show Jake's body language, implying emotion: burying his face in his hands, groaning, yelling.

3 Ways to Show Emotion

Here we see three facets of showing emotion via body language or sensations
1) What the character observes in others 2) What the character senses in his own body 3) What the author shows in the character, from outside the character's direct perspective
With this third component, your POV character has to be aware that he's showing these physical tells. Jake would be aware he's yelling. But I've pointed out to my husband that he's yelling, and he doesn't realize it. Some don't realize they're crying until they notice their face is wet. Sometimes we don't know we are groaning, crying, moaning, sighing, gasping, or even clenching our hands or jaw.

Does it matter whether your POV character knows he is emoting? That depends on your purpose for showing it. Is it for the reader to sense emotion in the character? If your character is grasping his child's shirt collar so hard he's nearly strangling him, it may serve your scene to have the character not realize it until someone pulls him away.

You have to be careful here, because everything in a scene is coming through your character's senses when you're in deep POV. You can't truly be in his POV if you show something he isn't aware of. So while a character might not be paying attention to his fists clenching, on some level he has to be aware he's doing that.

Think of ways to reveal emotion your character might not want noticed. Think of things that might trigger emotion in your POV character. When Jake sees Simon stomp, he knows he's signaling to his younger brother to shut up. Simon doesn't want him to see that.

It's important for POV characters to notice others' tones, expressions, and gestures. And another reason you should use them is that readers can't read your mind.

Keep these tips in mind, and you'll be on your way to emotional mastery.

C. S. Lakin is an editor, award-winning blogger, and author of twenty novels and the Writer's Toolbox series of instructional books for novelists. She edits and critiques more than 200 manuscripts a year and teaches workshops and boot camps to help writers craft masterful novels.

To become a masterful wielder of emotion, enroll in Lakin's new online video course, Emotional Mastery for Fiction Writers, before September 1st, and get half off using this link.

Need help writing your novel? Click here to download Jerry's ultimate 12-step guide.

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How to Masterfully Show Emotion in Your Characters | Jerry Jenkins

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Effectively rendering emotion is challenging, but it's a necessary skill if you're a fiction writer. Readers want to be moved and never forget what reaches their hearts. If we writers don't carefully, masterfully evoke emotion, we fail as storytellers.

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This article talks about the setting can be used to show the emotional state of the characters.

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Although it's easy to become distracted by the challenges of telling a coherent story, it's really the relationship your readers have with your characters that will make or break the tale you tell. Telling the readers what a character feels is boring, and it's not always possible to directly convey character emotions through dialogue or narrative. The setting of your story is fertile ground for conveying a character's feelings without overwhelming your reader.

Convey the Mood

Using the setting of your store to convey the tale's overall tone or a character's emotions works best when a character's mood comports with the setting. For example, in Aldous Huxley's "After Many a Summer Dies the Swan," Joseph Stoyte is terrified of death and this fear dominates his approach to life. He employs researchers to study the secrets of longevity and takes a young lover -- an act that demonstrates his self-consciousness about his mortality. These story elements can help your readers get a fix on what your main character is feeling. Other characters, art, literature, the weather and other elements of the setting can also offer clues.

Show Characters Interacting With Settings

The way a character interacts with the setting provides valuable insight about his mood. Some writers show a glum character getting angry in a utopic setting to demonstrate frustration, while others show characters drawing from their setting and matching their moods to it. Albert Camus' "The Stranger" is an example of the former. The main character, Mersault, becomes embroiled in a murder and trial but remains largely emotionless and stoic throughout the ordeal, despite the stressful and threatening setting. This contrast between the setting and the character helps displays Mersault's detached mental state.

Offer Thoughts on Setting

A character's thoughts on her own setting can provide significant insight into the character's emotions and mood without ever directly stating them. James Joyce's "Ulysses," for example, is built around Leopold Bloom's journeys through Dublin, Ireland. Each character has several lengthy internal monologues about the setting itself and his reaction to it. Through these monologues, Joyce provides information about the characters' emotions, histories and goals.

Rely on Dialogue

Other characters are an indispensable part of your story's setting and can help set the overall tone of the book. Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" is an excellent example of how absurd and intriguing characters can help establish the setting in an unfamiliar land. Alice's conversations with these characters help chronicle her reactions to her new location by displaying confusion, curiosity, fear and a host of other emotions without ever directly mentioning or identifying those emotions.

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How Can the Setting Be Used to Communicate the Emotion of a Character?

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How Can the Setting Be Used to Communicate the Emotion of a Character?. Although it's easy to become distracted by the challenges of telling a coherent story, it's really the relationship your readers have with your characters that will make or break the tale you tell. Telling the readers what a character ...

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When you are just starting to try and show the emotional state of the characters in your book it might be easier to talk about the setting. Describing the setting of where the characters are can help show what the characters are feeling. Describing the setting might easier than describing an emotion.

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You can use this worksheet when you are reading other books to see how they describe emotions. This can give you ideas on how to describe emotion in your writing.