EMOTION THESAURUS

OBSESSION



Never struggle with Show-and-Tell again. Activate your free trial or subscribe to view the Emotion Thesaurus in its entirety, or visit the Table of Contents to explore unlocked entries.

CHOOSE MY PLAN

HELPFUL TIP:

The inner landscape of your characters (especially your protagonist) is the lifeblood that runs through your story. Emotions, and how they're expressed, are tied deeply to a character’s personality and which positive traits and negative traits will manifest. To bring your readers in deeper through shared experience, consider filtering the setting descriptions through your character’s emotions while also exploring important colors, textures, and shapes through his or her senses.
DEFINITION:
Being excessively concerned about or interested in someone or something

NOTES:
The character's obsession could be a person or group of people (a love interest or sports team), a goal (being elected class president, escaping from a captor), a hobby (a specific exercise regime, scrapbooking), or anything else that holds their attention for an extended period of time.

PHYSICAL SIGNALS AND BEHAVIORS:
Listening with rapt attention (leaning forward, eyes wide, vigorously nodding the head, etc.)
The pitch of one's voice rising
An over-bright, fanatic shine in the eyes
A laser-focused gaze
An unkempt appearance (uncombed hair, wrinkled clothing, bags under the eyes, etc.)
One's words running together as one talks about the obsession
Speaking animatedly (flapping the hands, bouncing on the heels, fingers jittering, etc.)
Monopolizing conversations; talking over other people to voice one's opinions
...

INTERNAL SENSATIONS:
...

MENTAL RESPONSES:
...

CUES OF ACUTE OR LONG TERM OBSESSION:
...

MAY ESCALATE TO:
...

CUES OF SUPPRESSED OBSESSION:
...

MAY DE-ESCALATE TO:
...

ASSOCIATED POWER VERBS:
...