PEA OF FEAR

Stories, whether they are a 150-word PSLE composition or 100,000-word novel, are driven by plot or by characters.

Typical plots that arise regularly in the PSLE include:

* fire

* drowning (or threat of drowning)

* crime (robbery, theft, kidnapping, drug trafficking, smuggling)

* road accident

* accident (fall, injury)

* quarrel (between siblings, friends, neighbours)

* bullying

* breaking of school rules (cheating, smoking, extortion)

* being kind and gracious (giving up seats on the bus/MRT, helping older folks or young children)

* animal attacks (bees, dog, snake; if I’m not mistaken, there was even one year when there was a picture of children being chased by a goat (or is that the question of a particular school?), although in the Singaporean context, encountering a monitor lizard or wild boar would be likelier)

* special occasions like birthdays

In character-driven stories, the emphasis is on the characters, their emotions and the conflict that motivates them. Most children do not opt for character-driven stories in the PSLE. To be honest, writing character-based stories require a certain level of maturity.

That said, good stories require a mix of both plot and character motivations. A child who is more interested in developing a gripping plot could also add in elements of the characters’ emotions as the story unfolds. Likewise, a story that is centred on a character also requires some conflict (plot).

So I have decided that for the run-up to the PSLE English Paper, I would run a weekly article on emotions (fear, anger, sadness and happiness). Then we’ll move on to other components of writing. For this post, we’ll focus on fear.

To describe the emotions of a character, you can use the PEA of emotions.

PEA is an acronym that stands for:

* Physical reactions aka body language

* Emotions; the description of the emotion itself

* Actions; any action(s) the character takes in response to the emotion

Physical Reaction of Fear

The Physical Reaction is how the character’s body responds to the emotion he is feeling. A lot of it is what is known as body language. Many times, people don’t have to tell you how they feel. You can get a hint of how they feel from their expressions and other mannerisms. You can describe such body language in your stories. They will make the stories more realistic.

When a  person is frightened, he may:

* turn pale

* shiver/quiver/tremble

* freeze

Or:

* his pulse races

* his heart pounds

* goosebumps rose on his arms

Emotion (Description of Fear)

Of course you can just write ‘He was frightened when he heard the knock on the door.’ But the previous sentence is rather plain. It is possible that your story is spellbindingly interesting and such a simple sentence works fine in the story. The brutal truth is that it is difficult to weave an original, unique and gripping story in 150-500 words, the normal range of a PSLE composition. So you’re doing yourself a favour when you use more vivid language that stands out.

I must highlight that the language must be used accurately and correctly. Between using simple language correctly and bombastic language incorrectly, the former is preferable. If you’re not certain, go for the simpler word, or the simpler sentence.

However, it is better to master a wide range of vocabulary that can be used at your disposal. So I’ve provided a list of phrases that describe feeling frightened:

* An icy shiver/tingle ran down my spine.

* A wave of horror swept over me.

* An immense terror seized me, wiping my thoughts clean.

* My hairs stood on end.

* My blood turned to ice.

* My heart missed a skip.

Actions

A character may respond to his fear in different ways. He may:

* run away;

* gather his courage and confront whatever is frightening him;

* be so overwhelmed by his fear that he simply blanks out.

EXERCISE

Part One

‘Turning pale’ is a very common sentence and we often use it to show that the character is frightened.

Use a thesaurus to find synonyms for the word ‘pale’. Click here for the answers.

Other phrases you could use to replace the simple phrase:

* He turned as white as a sheet.

* His face turned as white as chalk.

* He looked like he had seen a ghost.

* The blood drained from his face.

Another way is to use the word ‘pale’ as a verb.

* He paled instantly.

* He blanched instantly.

More notes:

There are also many ways to describe how a person freezes in fear:

* Immobilised by fear, I stood stock still and pricked my ears for any tell-tale sounds.

* When I saw the figure, a helpless paralysis overcame me, rooting me to the ground.

* I stood as still as a statue, transfixed by what I was seeing.

Part Two

Note that it is not only fear that has different intensities. Most emotions have a range of intensities so you have to make sure that you use the right word for the right circumstance!

The answers to the Exercise can be found on the Answers to Exercise Page.


Likewise, previously, I've set up a Resource Page on which there are more information on how to describe fear. The Resource Page will be updated as we cover the different types of PEAs in the coming weeks.