Naming emotions vs. showing emotions.  This touches on the earlier discussion about heaping on emotional content in your story, but let's dig a little deeper.  The bottom line here is to avoid naming emotions in favor of showing them to your reader.  Why?  You want your reader to connect with the story, right?  To do that, it's important that they experience for themselves the emotions of your characters.  Here are 6 areas where you can do just that:

1. Actions - Throwing things, kicking things, turning over tables, breaking dinner plates on the floor, and so on—examples that show the reader the intense anger of your character.  In fact, there's no mistaking it....that girl is seriously enraged.  Instead of naming an emotion, think of how that emotion would manifest itself in an action.  Actions go hand in hand with the next item on our list.

2. Sounds - If you describe the shattering of glass and the sound of chards spraying across the floor, it's a pretty safe bet that the person responsible used considerable force to affect such an end.  Sounds help define emotion.  Let's change from anger to nervousness.  Is your character drumming her fingers on the wooden arm of the chair?  What do her manicured nails sound like on the wood?  Is it a rapid rat-tat-tat?   An unceasing click-click-click?  I certainly hope  it's hardwood or she's going to leave a mark.  This leads quite nicely to our third point. 

3. Result -  Did your character throw the quart of milk into the sink in a blinding rage?  What does the end result look like?  Milk sprayed  across the counter?  A trail of wet footprints across the floor?  You've come this far, why not complete the picture by showing us the end result?  Keep in mind that end results often lead to more dialogue or action.  Now we're rolling.

4. Dialogue - Word choice takes the gold medal here.  Not only is it a superb way to show emotion, it goes even deeper by showing us the true makeup of your character.  I'm talking about the down deep stuff.  Does he have trouble taking direction from others?  Is he immature?  Is he a control freak?  His word choices (and repeated emotional displays) over the course of your story will show that to the reader in a more believable/personal way.  Truth be told, we all know someone like that.  Having someone else call him on it creates even more dialogue and maybe even a little conflict. 

5. Body Descriptors -  Even before your character takes action, or says what they think, their body can betray their intent.  Reddening of the face, clenching of the fists (both noted in an earlier post but back now for a curtain call), biting of the lip, looking away in shame...all physical precursors to that which is about to happen.  Subtle?  Yes.  Effective for showing emotion?  Absolutely.  It's like hearing the train before it comes into view.  When your readers sense what's coming, it's a good they'll stick around to see how it shakes out.

6. Thoughts - Luke Skywalker to Darth Vader in the epic movie Return of The Jedi:

"Your thoughts betray you, Father. I feel the good in you, the conflict"

Ahh..nothing like a Star Wars quote to cleanse the soul.  

But I digress. 

Your characters thoughts DO betray them. How cool is that?  Now we all know what it's like to be a Jedi knight.  Thoughts are a fantastic tool for setting the emotional landscape.  And Luke Skywalker, bless his soul, was nice enough to include the granddaddy of writing components (and one of the Big 5) - conflict.  By revealing Vader's thoughts, we also learn about the dark lord's inner conflict (with apologies to He Who Shall Not Be Named).  Talk about your intergalactic can of worms.  How'd you like to be his shrink? 

All told you have a veritable buffet of tasty treats to feed the emotions of your characters.  So dish them up, pile them high and deep, and let your readers feast!