Christmas, New Years', too many doctor visits, and endless family activities kept me busy over the last couple of months. Even though I didn't have much time to think, much less to create, I still managed to pull together a few more simple tools.
I've spent a lot of time trying to determine primary character attributes based on their function in the cognitive process. (As opposed to the misguided lexical approach.) And, while I feel I'm definitely getting closer I also thought that (for our current purposes) it's not necessary to reproduce the whole process of evaluations that determine the characters' reactions, but rather the conclusions such evaluations produce--namely emotions.
Inspired, in part, by Panksepp's list, My goal was to cover the greatest range of evaluations and motivations with the smallest list of emotions. My original version included a neutral/satisfied emotion but lacked Disgust. Neutral/Satisfied was --at best-- a very low-level happy emo0tion. When I realized I didn't have any way to represent a character's disapproval or rejection, I dropped the neutral/satisfied option and added Disgust, Disapproval, Rejection, and Refusal.
Most lists include surprise as a primary emotion but I've never considered it one. If by "surprise" you mean startled, then a low-level fear would do just as well. If by "surprise" you mean unexpected, then my Thoughtful, Questioning, Curious, Uncertain, and Skeptical category will do just as well.
Use the Emotion/Mood chart to determine a character’s reaction or set the tone for a new scene. These are broad emotional categories. The degree of strength and the direction of the emotions must be determined by context. The resulting motivations or drives may be weak or strong, the object of the emotion may be oneself, or another, or even a broader or ambiguous situation.
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