Creating an emotion map for character behavior

Creating an emotion map for character behavior is a useful tool in character development, especially for writers, screenwriters, game developers, or anyone involved in creating rich, emotionally complex characters. It helps visualize and track a character’s emotional state, reactions, and interactions across a story or situation. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to create an emotion map for character behavior:

1. Identify Core Emotions

Start by listing the fundamental emotions that can drive your character’s behavior. While there are many different emotions, consider focusing on core ones like:

• Happiness

• Sadness

• Fear

• Anger

• Surprise

• Disgust

• Trust

• Anticipation

These core emotions can be broken down further into more nuanced feelings (e.g., joy, contentment, frustration, despair, etc.), depending on how complex you want the map to be.

2. Determine Emotional Triggers

Emotional triggers are events, actions, or situations that provoke an emotional response in your character. These can include:

• External triggers: Something happens in the world around the character (e.g., a conflict, loss, betrayal, or achievement).

• Internal triggers: These come from the character’s personal beliefs, memories, desires, or unresolved issues (e.g., a past trauma, a recurring fear, or a deep desire for success).

For each emotion on your map, identify what could trigger that emotion for the character.

3. Map Emotional Reactions

Consider how your character reacts when they experience these emotions. Different characters will react differently to the same emotional triggers, so think about:

• Physical responses (e.g., clenching fists when angry, tears when sad)

• Behavioral responses (e.g., isolating themselves, confronting others, seeking comfort)

• Cognitive responses (e.g., rationalizing their feelings, doubting themselves)

Be mindful that the emotional reaction could change based on the character’s personality, background, or past experiences.

4. Timeline of Emotional Shifts

Emotions are often not static. As the story progresses, characters might go through various emotional shifts. This timeline can help you track how their emotional states change over time, especially in relation to key plot points or turning points in the narrative.

• Before the event: What is the character feeling initially? Is the character optimistic, fearful, or indifferent?

• During the event: How does the character react in real-time to the event or conflict?

• After the event: How does the character process the emotion after the fact? Do they feel relief, regret, anger, or confusion?

You can use a line graph or progressive chart to visually represent the rise and fall of these emotional shifts over time.

5. Mapping Relationships with Other Characters

Relationships are crucial in shaping a character’s emotional responses. For each significant character in the story, map how your character’s emotions change in relation to them. For example:

• How does the character feel about others? (e.g., love, trust, resentment)

• How do those feelings shift over time based on interactions? (e.g., trust turns into betrayal)

• How does one character’s emotional state influence the other’s behavior?

This can be done in a more detailed chart where the axes represent different characters and the emotional states you’ve tracked.

6. Visualizing the Emotion Map

There are several ways you can visualize your emotion map:

• Bubble Chart: Each emotion is represented as a bubble, with size or color representing the intensity of the emotion. You can track how the size of each bubble changes as the story progresses.

• Mood Wheel: A circular map with various emotions on the perimeter, showing how the character shifts between different emotional states.

• Flowchart: A flowchart that links specific events with emotions, and how those emotions influence the character’s actions or reactions.

• Timeline Chart: A simple line graph showing the progression of emotions over the course of the plot.

You can create these visual representations by hand or using tools like Excel, Google Sheets, or design tools like Canva or Figma.

7. Assess Consistency and Depth

Once your map is complete, review it to see if the character’s emotional responses align with their personality and story arc. Does it make sense for the character to feel a particular emotion at a certain time? Is the emotional range believable and well-developed?

You can also use this map to deepen your character’s arc:

• Start with a strong emotional foundation. What emotion dominates your character at the beginning of the story? Is it fear, anger, sadness, or hope?

• Allow for change. Does the character learn to manage, change, or face their core emotions over time?

• Emotional resolution. How does the character come to terms with their emotional journey by the end of the story? Do they overcome fear, find happiness, or become consumed by a negative emotion?

8. Test with Scenarios

To ensure your emotion map works, put the character in various situations and check if the emotional responses are realistic and coherent. Try the following:

• Conflict scenarios: How does the character respond to confrontation or challenges?

• Relationship scenarios: How does the character respond to love, betrayal, or loss?

• Victory and failure: How does your character feel and react to success or defeat?

This testing can also help adjust the intensity of emotions in certain moments, making the character more dynamic.

Example of a Character Emotion Map:

This example chart helps map how the character evolves emotionally with specific triggers.

Conclusion

An emotion map is a visual tool that helps deepen a character’s emotional complexity, providing insight into how they evolve, react, and grow throughout the narrative. By understanding the emotional landscape of your character, you create a richer and more relatable experience for your audience.