Character Reactions: How To Create Emotion in a Story (Writing Advice)

Main Ideas / Lessons Conveyed

• Stories rely on “action and reaction.” When something significant happens, the audience naturally wants to see how characters emotionally respond.
• Believable reactions keep a story immersive and emotionally consistent.
  • If reactions feel wrong or implausible, the story can become ridiculous and risks alienating the audience.
• A character reaction is fundamentally an emotional response to something that occurs, such as:
  • new information
  • words spoken
  • an event
  • someone’s action
  • an opportunity that arises
• Purpose of reactions: help readers/viewers emotionally connect with characters by:
  • building curiosity
  • improving understanding
  • showing whether we should side with or oppose a character
• Core requirement: reactions must be plausible within the story’s context and match the story’s emotional tone.

Example Used (What “Bad Reactions” Look Like)

• From the horror movie “Barbarians”:
  • A terrifying or tense moment involving an injured fox leads to the character’s response being inappropriate and implausible—played as a comedic/absurd “Quiche!” type reaction.
  • The creator’s intent (e.g., cowardice) is understandable, but the execution breaks tone and disconnects the viewer.

Methodology: How to Write Believable Reactions (4 Steps)

1. Determine the tone of the story (critical first step)

   • Tone signals how characters should react.
   • Examples compared:
     • The Dark Knight vs Guardians of the Galaxy
     • Schindler’s List vs Seinfeld
   • General guidance:
     • Serious tone → reactions tend to be sincere, grounded
     • Comedic tone → reactions can be lighter, broader

2. Immerse yourself in the world/history of the story

   • Worldbuilding creates rules and expectations that govern reactions.
   • Examples:
     • In modern society, someone entering a police station covered in blood with a gun would trigger fearful reactions.
     • In the John Wick world, hitmen in the Continental Hotel would react differently (e.g., no flinch) because that environment normalizes violence.

3. Immerse yourself in the character’s personality

   • Characters must act and react consistently with who they are.
   • Highlight character values, since values shape reactions.
   • Example:
     • Lucy from Fallout is raised idealistic and trusting in an underground vault.
     • When she enters the hostile wasteland, her naive sincerity produces reactions that surprise others.

4. Decide how the reaction affects the plot

   • Keep the reaction tied to a specific narrative function:
     • sometimes keep it simple to support character-to-character conversation
     • sometimes use it to:
       • change the direction of the scene
       • show character development
       • create a dilemma the character must handle

Additional Tips for Strong Reactions (5 Tips)

1. Give characters different reaction styles

   • Avoid everyone reacting the same way → makes the story bland/predictable.
   • Example (Seinfeld):
     • Jerry reacts more logically
     • Elaine is often nervous and outspoken
     • George tends to react anxiously
     • Kramer reacts wildly/unpredictably

2. Avoid unnecessary dialogue

   • Sometimes a facial expression or other nonverbal reaction is enough.
   • Overloading the reaction with dialogue can harm pacing and clarity.

3. Sometimes the obvious reaction is the right one

   • Shocking the audience isn’t mandatory.
   • Example (Harry Potter):
     • Learning he’s a wizard: childlike disbelief and curiosity are endearing and help the audience connect.
     • Later, testing wands and being horrified by damage: reactions feel human and universal.

4. Avoid clichéd reactions

   • Don’t always choose the “cool” stereotype response.
   • Example (John Wick):
     • Asked about fear of death/curse, he answers differently than a typical cliché.
     • The answer adds wisdom and darkens the atmosphere.

5. Shocking reactions can create unique, memorable characters

   • If you’ve already established tone/world, a shocking reaction can subvert expectations and make a character stand out.
   • Example (Friday Night Live):
     • A father’s intense, obsessive reaction after a youth sports mistake is shown through harsh control and anger.
     • This establishes him as obsessive and distinctive.

End Content / Callouts

• The video includes a “Question of the day”: viewers are asked to share their favorite character reaction in the comments.
• The host promotes supporting the channel via books and reviews, and briefly advertises a horror title (“Half-Kills”) plus the usual engagement prompts (like/share/subscribe).

Speakers / Sources Featured

Speaker

• Brandon McNulty (author of Half-Murder; channel for writers)

Films/TV/Books Referenced

• Barbarians
• The Dark Knight
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Schindler’s List
• Seinfeld
• John Wick
• Fallout (video game series)
• Harry Potter (series)
• Friday Night Live
• Half-Murder (mentioned as the author’s work)
• Half-Kills (promoted in the ending)

Other Named Examples / Characters

• Ramsay (character name used in the Barbarians example)
• Lucy (from Fallout)
• Jerry, Elaine, George, Kramer (from Seinfeld)
• Harry Potter
• John (referenced as “John Wick” in the fear-of-death example)
• Friday Night Live example includes a running back and a father (names not provided in the subtitles)