Some of you are likely too young to remember the song, Sentimental Journey. Les Brown and Ben Homer wrote the song, and Homer wrote the lyrics.

Here’s a recording featuring Doris Daysinging Sentimental Journey,the song her first hit in 1945.

The song’s melody and lyrics set the tone for the word “sentimental.”

 

 

sentimental | adjective

1 a : marked or governed by feeling, sensibility or emotional idealism
  b : resulting from feeling rather than reason or thought sentimental attachment> <a sentimental favorite>
2 having an excess of sentiment or sensibility

Most often the sentimental person tends to sugar-coat things, to be lovey dovey, cloying, soupy or corny.  All this meaning characterized by a tendency toward the romantic or nostalgic.

Source: Dreamworks Studios
Source: Dreamworks Studios

This image from the movie, War Horse, reflects an expression in the young actor’s face of sentimental feelings toward his horse.  The knowledge that his horse may be taken from him to serve in the military’s cavalry creates feelings of nostalgia, emotions related to love for his animal, and loss.

 

 

Steps back in time, memories, photographs, letters from special
friends or family can all evoke sentimental responses. Keeping these in mind as you
write in your sentimental character will make it easier
to develop that character’s persona.

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