Character writing, therapy or both?

I’m learning what makes a character real. I fill out character sheets on each character. I think about them when I'm driving. I watch and listen to strangers for ideas.  But now I have found a new source for character building--my emotions.

This week has been a roller coaster ride of emotions for me that literally drained my body and brain.  I didn't want my experience to go to waste so I decided to chart my emotions in a spreadsheet (oh how I love spreadsheets). I wanted to take a closer look at my "feelings". 

After seeing my emotions on paper (or computer screen) I learned two things: I'm an emotional person AND I can use this chart to create more complex characters. A little pain, a little gain.

This is what I did:

1. Opened a spreadsheet 
2. Created headings:  Emotion, cause, my reaction and other people's response to my emotion
3. Filled in the blanks at the end of the day
4. Studied the spreadsheet and used the information to help my characters

You can use a chart like this to determine how your character's emotions might push he or she closer to a goal or hold them back. Charting your own emotions can be a reference tool to help you understand and build your characters. It's fun, productive, and also great journaling therapy.

Do you use a spreadsheet for writing? How?  

First image source here