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Show-Don't-Tell Entries for Any Emotion
Name an emotion and the moment it hits. Get the sensations, body language, actions and voice that show it, fitted to your character and scene.
Name an emotion and the moment it happens, and River writes a show-don't-tell entry for it. The entry gathers what the feeling is like from the inside, what other people can see, what the character does, and how it changes their voice. It also covers how the feeling grows from mild to overwhelming and how a character might try to hide it. Every cue is concrete enough to use in a sentence, and none of them names the emotion.
Because you describe the moment, the entry fits your scene rather than offering a generic list. Betrayal at a crowded dinner, felt by someone who hates making a scene, shows differently from betrayal discovered alone at midnight. River picks the cues that suit this character, flags a few overused ones with fresher alternatives, and notes when simply naming the feeling would be the better choice. The result is a short reference you can keep open beside your draft.
If you paste the passage where the emotion appears, River quotes the places where the feeling is stated outright and offers a way to show it instead, labelled as an option. Your passage itself stays as you wrote it. This suits fiction writers and memoirists in any genre, especially in revision, when you notice the same few cues, such as a pounding heart or a clenched jaw, carrying every feeling in the book.
Showing emotion without naming it
Naming a feeling tells readers what a character feels; showing it lets them feel it alongside the character. "Jess felt betrayed" is information. "Jess set her fork down and lined it up with the edge of the plate" invites the reader to notice the effort of holding still. Neither is wrong. The question is which one this moment needs. Important emotional beats usually benefit from showing, while passing feelings can simply be named and left behind.
Emotion shows in several layers at once. There is what the viewpoint character feels in the body, such as a tight throat, cold hands or a sudden tiredness. There is what others can see, in the face, posture and hands. There are the choices the character makes, like what they say, what they avoid and what they do with the objects around them. Using one cue from each of two layers usually works better than piling on many cues from a single layer.
People show the same feeling in different ways. Someone who hates conflict may go very polite when angry; someone used to being in charge may get quieter rather than louder. Personality, culture, history and the people present all shape what a character lets out. That is why a generic list of cues only takes you so far, and why fitting the cues to one character in one moment is more useful than any long list.
How it works
Name the emotion
Describe the feeling and the moment it happens, and paste the passage if you have one.
River writes the entry
Sensations, outward signs, actions and voice, fitted to your character and this particular scene.
Check your passage
If you pasted one, see where the feeling is stated and options for showing it.
Use a few cues
Pick two or three that fit, or ask for an entry on the next emotion.
What you get
- Inner sensations, outward signs, actions and changes in voice for the emotion you name
- Cues fitted to your character and moment, with notes on which suit them best
- How the feeling looks at mild, strong and overwhelming levels, and how someone hides it
- Common cues that are overused in fiction, each paired with a fresher alternative
- When you paste a passage, the places a feeling is stated outright, with options to show it
- A note on when simply naming the feeling would serve the scene better
Common questions
Is this The Emotion Thesaurus?
No. The Emotion Thesaurus is a published writing guide by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi, and River has no connection to it or its authors. This tool writes a new show-don't-tell entry for the emotion and moment you describe, in fresh words. It does not reproduce entries from that book or any other published reference.
Should I use every cue in the entry?
No. Using them all would overload a scene. Pick two or three that suit your character and the moment, ideally from different layers, such as one physical sensation and one action. When the same emotion returns later in the book, choose different cues so the feeling does not show the same way every time.
What about emotions with no obvious physical signs?
Quieter feelings such as contentment, resignation or nostalgia still show, just in smaller ways: a slower pace, a softer voice, attention drifting to an object. River's entry for a subtle emotion leans on behavior and choices rather than dramatic body language, and suggests layering small details instead of reaching for one big gesture.
Is it ever fine to just name the emotion?
Yes. Naming a feeling is efficient in transitions, in fast action, and when the emotion matters less than what happens next. Some narrators name their feelings as part of their voice. Showing earns its extra words in the moments that matter most. Each entry ends with a note on when naming the feeling would serve your scene better.
Will it change my passage?
No. If you paste a passage, River leaves it as you wrote it. In the entry, it quotes the places where a feeling is stated outright and offers a way to show it, labelled as an option. You choose which, if any, to use, and you can ask River to suggest more options for any spot.
Show-Don't-Tell Entries for Any Emotion
Describe what you need, add any files you have, and your workspace opens with the work already underway.