HURT DEFINITION:Suffering mental pain; feeling wounded or aggrieved PHYSICAL SIGNALS AND BEHAVIORS: Eyes widening, yet the brows are furrowed Swallowing hard Lowering the head, the neck appearing to shrink A slow, disbelieving headshake A trembling chin The mouth falling open Flinching, starting Color draining from the face SayingHow could you?as an accusation Verbalizing betrayal in a strangled tone:Leave me alone! Hunching over, as if choking down a sob Pressing a fist to the lips Biting down on one’s bottom lip Gripping a fistful of one’s shirt at the chest level Holding a hand up, warding others off Clutching the stomach The body crumpling in on itself A hitching chest Drooping shoulders Weakness in the knees An uneven step Displaying poor balance and coordination A hand pressing against the throat or breastbone Stuttering, choking out words Letting out a whimper Eyes that water The mouth opening but no words forming Sending someone a long, pained look and then breaking eye contact A hanging head Retracting the arms, bringing them close to the torso Stumbling back a step Retreating or spinning away A grimace that lingers Offering a cutting remark:Wow. Family doesn’t mean much these days, does it? Clutching at oneself, elbows pressed to the sides INTERNAL SENSATIONS: Dizziness The stomach hardening Nausea A painful tightness in one’s throat Constricting lungs, making it hard to breathe One’s heartbeat seeming to slow or stop momentarily Weakening muscles A trembling in the limbs Spots flashing in one’s vision MENTAL RESPONSES: The sense that time has stopped Thoughts spinning, focusing inward Shock and disbelief Dredging up history, trying to understand how it led here Questioning one’s beliefs and relationships (disillusionment) ACUTE OR LONG-TERM RESPONSES FOR THIS EMOTION: A sense of betrayal that rocks the mind to the very core A collapse in body posture Tears, sobbing Running away Reacting with anger (screaming, slapping, hitting, hurling insults, etc.) SIGNS THAT THIS EMOTION IS BEING SUPPRESSED: Visible swallowing Unnatural stiffness Pinching the lips tight to keep them from trembling Tensing the body to ward off shaking Lifting the chin Forcing oneself to maintain eye contact or offer a frozen smile MAY ESCALATE TO:Depressed,Anguish,Betrayed,Anger,Rage MAY DE-ESCALATE TO:Confusion,Stunned,Insecurity,Self-Pity ASSOCIATED POWER VERBS: Argue, attack, collapse, crumple defend, dissolve, fight, flinch reject, shout, shrink, sob squabble, tremble, whimper, withdraw yell WRITER’S TIP:A natural way to describe a character’s appearance is to show them interacting with their environment. A sense of movement also allows this type of description to flow with the scene as it progresses.