One of the best pieces of writingadvice I’ve ever heard is this: if you want to have a character react with anemotion, take a moment and act out that emotion.  For example, for anger, you might thinkreally, really hard about something that makes you angry, so that your wholebody reacts—and then you observe.  Howhas your face moved?  What are your handsdoing?  What are your legs doing?  Your feet? 

 

Now look at an object in yourroom.  That is truly, absolutelydisgusting.  Revolting.  It makes you want to puke looking at it.  What do you do?  Do you stay faced fully toward it, or do youturn away?  Do you want to keep looking atit?  How does the inside of your throatfeel?

 

That is one level of emotion: theimmediate physical reaction.  But thereis another: compensation.

 

Often, with strong emotion, ourreaction is an attempt to somehow get rid of the side effects of that emotionby dealing with other things in our lives that cause a similar or overlappingfeeling.  As for me, when I’m stressed, Ifind any clutter far less bearable, because clutter also makes me feelstressed. When I’m under stress (or an emotion that causes stress, such asfrustration, grief, or even excessive excitement), I tend to go on a cleaningspree.  I may not be able to do anythingto lessen my grief, but by gum, this kitchen is not going to be adding to mystress.  It’s a form of exerting changeon what I can control to compensate for not being able to fix what I can’t.

 

Of course, everyone is different,and so everyone exerts this control on something different: for some people, amessy house is not going to be a cause of stress.  The question is then: what is?  And that comes down to your character’sunique personality.  Perhaps they findimpending deadlines stressful, in which case they might do something to forget,or they might work overtime.  Perhapsthey find decision-making stressful, in which case they might exhibit avoidancebehavior or dump the problem on someone else. In either case, these can be secondary reactions to the emotion that’scausing the bulk of the stress.

 

At the moment, this is alltheoretically, so let’s take a story case study.  We’ll use a classic form:

 

Once upon a time, there was ahumble village out in the middle of nowhere. This village had been at peace for many generations, untouched by the greatevils taking place far away. 

 

Then one day, minions of thegreat evil attack the village, slaughtering the inhabitants.  Our protagonist manages to hide in a cellar,so they don’t find him.  When he finallyemerges, once the attackers are long gone, he finds everything he’s ever knownand loved destroyed.

 

He could have different initialreactions: freezing, running around trying to find people, fleeing, hiding backin the cellar.  This is a good time toshow character and initial shock.  But .. . what about after that?  Does he buryall the bodies and tidy the place up before either leaving or making himself anew home there?  Does he keep running allthe way to the next village?  Once there,does he try to get people to help, or does he pretend not to know about theevent, so he can’t be connected to it? Does he work obsessively to get strong enough to defeat the evildoers?

 

I used this beginning as an examplefor three reasons.  First, it’sreminiscent of the Call to Adventure in the Hero’s Journey.  Second, I actually recently read a ratherdifferent take on it in the beginning of BogStandard Isekai.  Third, I spendthe entirety of Sunday and Monday cleaning my house. 

 

Goodbye, dear Flora.  You were the most wonderful dog.

12/8/2010-1/4/2025