How To WRITE Awesomely

How to WRITE PERSONAL CHARACTER REACTIONS

How to WRITE PERSONAL CHARACTER REACTIONS

We all anticipate that reaction from our beloved characters. How will Lois react when she finds out her brother is secretly dating her best friend? What will Ron do when he sees Harry snogging his sister?

Character reactions are just as important as character actions-if not, arguably, more important. What makes me say that? After all, character actions usually headline the story. When you look at a book cover, the character is always doing something. Wielding that sword. Kissing that dude. Running from that killer. So where are all these important reactions I'm going on about?

Well, we must figure out how to make our characters reactions realistic to they characteristics. Would it make sense for a hot-headed thug to accept his sister dating an aristocratic player? Of course not! There would have to be something catastrophic to happen for that to ever happen! And that's where this chapter comes to play. I'll help you figure out to make reactions towards your characters more real, believable, and totally original.

When we humans face a sudden threat or danger or stress, when we experience sudden fear, anger, anxiety, pain, embarrassment, shock, or even extreme pleasure, some pretty predictable responses are triggered. We react in four possible ways, and in a specific sequence, in order of which reaction happens fastest. These four stages of response are:

1) physiological/visceral,

2) physical/reflexive,

3) emotional/reflexive,

And 4) mental/rational-in that order.

#1: Physiological

The first thing that happens to every human being in response to a problem or danger, and anything really, is physiological. This is the body's visceral, involuntary way of reacting to and even coping with external stressors and fear. These physiological reactions include:

Sweating, shivering, shaking, goose bumps, pulse racing, heart pounding, increased blood pressure, adrenaline rush, nervous tic, rapid blinking, pupils dilating, eyes widening, face/skin flushing or blushing, chest/throat constricting, stomach clenching/nausea, muscles tightening, jumping at being startled, and heightened or redirected senses.

Without getting too technical, these reactions are the human body's adrenal system readying itself for fight or flight-our natural response to stress. None of these are responses we humans can control, and because they're involuntary, they must always happen first, before any other response.

(External link: http://penultimateword.com/editing-blogs/characterization-in-fiction-writing-realistic-character-reactions/)

#2: Physical

Less than a second after the body's physiological response comes a physical reaction. This is an instinctive, reflexive reaction that is entirely unpremeditated, a knee-jerk fight-or-flight response. It could be a scream, lashing out (like swatting a fly away from one's face), shielding oneself from perceived injury by covering one's face, chest, or abdomen, jumping back in terror, or fleeing.

#3: Emotional

A split-second later, a human will react with another reflexive response, but this time it will be emotional. In your fiction, this can be portrayed as a thought or spoken utterances such as sighing or cursing-"Damn!" or "Oh my god!"-again, knee-jerk responses that are largely unpremeditated. This type of reaction can also be physical; for example, a kick or a punch or a slap, but it's not to be confused with the physical response I mentioned in #2, which is a few degrees more instinctive than a physical response triggered by emotion.

There's a very fine line between the two, so it's best to either use one or the other, not both.

#4: Mental

This is the thoughtful, measured, controlled response of the brain, and it may take seconds or even minutes to occur, after your POV character has considered a response.

(When I apply these principles of human reaction to myself, I have to admit that sometimes it takes me hours to come up with an appropriate, rational response.) It may be a verbal answer such as "Okay, here's what we have to do next," or a mental decision on the best course of action to take under the new circumstances. It can and often should still involve the primary emotion (fear, anger, etc.) to some extent.

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• The first sentence is the trigger event or stimulus, followed by the four types of reaction-in the wrong order. Without reading further, examine it closely and see whether you can identify the errors:

The intruder crashed into the room, clumsily brandishing a laser gun-the lethal kind Miranda knew so well. "Damn you, nooo!" she yelled, before he could even take aim. She whirled, her arms up to shield her face. A shudder ran through her, and she felt a surge of adrenaline as blood pounded at her temples. Then she realized who he was. Furious, she delivered a damaging kick to his shins. The traitor collapsed to the floor, moaning. "Lying bastard," she said before grabbing his gun and pointing it back at him.

- Here is the scene reconstructed with the POV character's reactions in the correct order that they would naturally occur. While you may think the differences are subtle, if there are too many such errors of sequence in your characters' reactions, readers may begin to notice something is amiss -

The intruder crashed into the room, clumsily brandishing a laser gun-the lethal kind Miranda knew so well. A shudder ran through her, and she felt a surge of adrenaline as blood pounded at her temples. She whirled, her arms up to shield her face. "Damn you, nooo!" she yelled, before he could even take aim. Then she realized who he was. Furious, she delivered a damaging kick to his shins. The traitor collapsed to the floor, moaning. "Lying bastard," she said before grabbing his gun and pointing it back at him.

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Although there are some good ways to present reactions, there are some you may want to avoid due to the clichédness of them. (Is that even a word?)

• jumped out of her skin

• his mind was reeling; head was spinning

• butterflies in his stomach

• stomach churning; stomach in knots

• heart leaped into her throat

• heart knocked against her ribcage

• lungs were about to burst

• gasping for air like he's drowning • eyes cast to the ground

• eyes darted about; eyelids fluttered; eyes popped, bulged

If you use physiological and reflexive responses, use a mixture of showing and telling your original descriptions.

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Omg! Sucess! I think chapter is very descriptive on telling you how to make appropriate character reactions. Remember, Physiological, then Physical, Emotional and then Mental reactions.

I hope I helped you all with your character reactions, and remember, depending on your character, the reaction will be slightly different. One character may be nauseous, while the other may be slightly nervous. Be creative but also scientific! (Winky face).

Bye!

- Absolutely_Positive ♥