or - Writing Believable and Relatable Anger
Everybody gets angry sometimes, and when a character gets angry - at themselves, or at someone else, or a group of people - it can make for great dramatic tension in a story.
However, do bear in mind that you can’t have a character just get angry out of the blue. This is a mistake that’s made in a surprisingly large amount of media - probably because writers do realize that anger makes for great drama, but they don’t really think about the psychology behind anger.
So, let’s start with that.
Here’s one of the first things you need to know - Anger is a secondary emotion.
What that means is that unlike fear, or shame, or happiness, anger is an emotion that is caused by other emotions a person may be feeling. A person doesn’t become angry for no reason. Anger is always - ALWAYS - rooted in something else.
That means that when you write a character who is angry, it’s always a good idea to try and suss out what that primary emotion is, especially if this is going to be a big scene and a source of a lot of drama. Let’s take a look at a couple of examples so you can see what I mean.
Example 1: Anger Rooted in Shame
“Why did you leave me on the bridge?” said Zara.
“Hm? Oh. I guess I didn’t really think of coming to get you.”
“…it’s because you didn’t think I’d be any use to you, isn’t it?” She folded her arms over her chest. “You just thought I’d be in the way, like the last time. Damn it, Daniel. I thought we were past this.”
“Zara, no. It’s not that, I just–”
“Don’t bother making excuses! I can see right through you!”
(Essentially, Zara is ashamed of her past failure and is projecting onto Daniel.)
Example 2: Anger Rooted in Fear
“Why did you leave me on the bridge?” said Zara.
“Hm? Oh, I guess I didn’t really think of coming to get you.”
“But I’m the safety officer. If anything had gone wrong…”
“Nothing went wrong.” Daniel grinned. “I don’t get why you look so upset. What’s the issue, Zara?”
“Because there was a fifty-fifty chance, goddamit!” She slammed her hand down on the file on the desk. “You read the report too. I know you did. There was a fifty-fifty chance of a systems failure and I’m the only one who knows how to reboot the OS if that were to happen. But you didn’t come to get me, because you were in such a goddamned rush…”
(In this case, Zara’s fear and anxiety over what could have happened is making her angry toward Daniel. The vibe is much different.)
Some things that can cause anger include: General Fear, Worry or Anxiety, Fear of Abandonment, Feeling a Loss of Control, Lacking Information (Especially w/ a Partner Who Doesn’t Offer Information), or Sadness
Different People Express Anger Differently
This should be a given, but I’m going to say it anyway. Different people express anger differently, so your individual characters should have different ways of expressing anger.
Some people will become very expressive and vocal, while others will shut down and become very silent. Still others will shut down the people attempting to communicate with them, effectively cutting off any chance at continuing a dialogue. Some examples:
Ex. 1: “What the hell do you mean by this?” Kaylee said as she stormed into the room, slamming the door closed behind her. “I just heard from that scumbag Franklin that you’re making Adamson your second-in-command when you promised me the position. What’s the deal, Captain?”
Ex. 2: Everybody turned to stare at Genevieve, who stood stock still, staring down at Vera. They were waiting for a some response, anything, but Genevieve just stared, fire burning in her eyes, until Vera turned her own gaze away, ashamed of what she had said.
Ex. 3: “Fuck off.” David crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.
“I just said fuck off. We’re not discussing this any more. The matter is over with. I’ve made my decision. I’m not going. End of. Now get away from me.”
Body language is a Big Deal when it comes to writing anger. You can probably find extensive lists detailing how people express themselves when they’re angry so I won’t be going into that here.
What I will say is that you should be careful that the body language should be appropriate for the type of anger your character is feeling and the way your character typically expresses anger.
A very expressive character, angry and feeling ashamed of themselves, is more likely to slam a fist into a wall than your regal elf character who is haughty and full of themselves and whose clan has been offended by a bumbling orc.
Then again, when that regal character becomes so, so, SO pissed off that they let their usually cool demeanor slip and they DO slam a fist into a wall… now that can be a pretty badass angry moment. Just be sparse when and if you use moments like these.
Writing anger is fun and interesting, but you’ve got to do it right, because it can really ring false in a story. I’ve seen that happen far too often. Consider these tips and be sure to ask me any questions about this or other writing topics if you’ve got them!
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