Writing a short story, a book, or even a poem can be a daunting task for seasoned authors. Even the most experienced writers face certain challenges. One of the main goals of a writer is to evoke emotion in their readers. That is much easier said than done. If you’re like me, you’ve poured through countless books on writing and about how to unleash emotion in your story telling, but no matter how many books you read on the topic it never seems to get easier. Maybe the reason is because it’s so hard for many of us to share those most personal moments and lessons that we’ve learned. We value our emotional privacy maybe a little too much.
One thing we want to avoid in our writing is unemotional and dull writing. A story that feels “flat” won’t keep a reader interested for very long, and characters that don’t exhibit honest emotion in the midst of their turmoil will come across more like robots than people. Writing for emotion needs two elements. The first is there needs to be a cause, some sort of event or stimulus that calls for an emotional reaction. The second is a strong character with an honest and believable emotional response. The response has to be well timed, too. A scene that has a subtle stimulus may slip past the reader and the emotional response may be confusing. It’s also important to avoid being cliché or melodramatic in order to seem honest to the reader. After all, honesty in our storytelling is the most vital way we connect with our readers.
If you still have reservations about opening up so much of your emotional and personal side when it comes to your work, perhaps this would be a good time to reflect on the infamous words of Ernest Hemmingway when he said, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”
We have so many great writers in our guild. Feel free to share advice on this topic in the comments below.
One thing we want to avoid in our writing is unemotional and dull writing. A story that feels “flat” won’t keep a reader interested for very long, and characters that don’t exhibit honest emotion in the midst of their turmoil will come across more like robots than people. Writing for emotion needs two elements. The first is there needs to be a cause, some sort of event or stimulus that calls for an emotional reaction. The second is a strong character with an honest and believable emotional response. The response has to be well timed, too. A scene that has a subtle stimulus may slip past the reader and the emotional response may be confusing. It’s also important to avoid being cliché or melodramatic in order to seem honest to the reader. After all, honesty in our storytelling is the most vital way we connect with our readers.
If you still have reservations about opening up so much of your emotional and personal side when it comes to your work, perhaps this would be a good time to reflect on the infamous words of Ernest Hemmingway when he said, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”
We have so many great writers in our guild. Feel free to share advice on this topic in the comments below.
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