In a post on Writers Helping Writers, Becca Puglisi discusses how to use amplifiers to bring emotionally reserved characters to life on the page. “Some of the most challenging characters are those that are emotionally stunted in some way; they’re unable to experience a full range of emotions, or past trauma has forced them into a guarded position that shields them from uncomfortable feelings,” she writes. “If they’re unwilling or unable to be emotionally vulnerable, they’ll never face their past, work through their issues, and reach that place of healing and fulfillment.”
So, how do you pull these characters out of their shells? Puglisi recommends an emotion amplifier. “An emotion amplifier is a specific state or condition that influences what the character feels by disrupting their equilibrium and reducing their ability to think critically,” she explains. Some examples include illness, exhaustion, addiction, confinement, hunger, and boredom. “These states heighten the character’s emotions and make them more volatile, pushing them to act or respond in ways that often create more difficulty,” Puglisi explains. Layer these amplifiers onto your character, and sooner or later they will explode or hit rock bottom, forcing their emotional reckoning.
Puglisi finds this tip helpful with characters who fall outside normal emotional boundaries:
- Sociopaths and Psychopaths. Even characters who lack empathy need to eventually lose their cool under pressure. While common triggers won’t work on them, pain, arousal, or danger can cause them to act rashly.
- Emotionally Numb Characters. Characters who have experienced upheaval or certain kinds of mental illness may feel numb to their emotions. “Using an amplifier can nudge them toward volatility, producing feelings readers can recognize and relate to,” Puglisi notes. Even when the character cannot express exactly what they feel, the reader can see the cause and effect of the explosion.
- Highly Traumatized Characters. Characters with significant trauma can retreat emotionally to protect themselves from further harm. When an amplifier adds more stress, they might detach, dissociate, or avoid their thoughts and other people, creating a vicious cycle that prevents them from moving forward. An amplifier can push them out of that cycle and force them to take different action.
