In a post on the Killzone blog, James Scott Bell says writers need to offer something special if they want to stand out on crowded bookstore shelves. Bell says that emotional intensity is one way to do it.
“There’s an axiom attributed to Robert Frost: No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader,” Bell writes. “That is another way of saying you must feel deeply as you write your story, and transfer that feeling to the readers.”
So how can you go about it?
First, Bell says you have to feel for yourself what your characters are feeling. As practice, recall a time when you felt the emotion you’re trying to portray. “Get in a quiet place and recreate the memory with all its sensory data,” Bell says. “As you recall these sensations, you will discover that the emotion wells up afresh within you. With a little practice you’ll be able to call up emotions as you need them when you’re about to write a scene.”
Bell also suggests some improv for your characters. Imagine your character in a setting or scene that may or may not appear in your story. Watch what they do and how they behave. Have the character address the audience and say exactly what she wants in this scene. Introduce another character and watch what happens between them. Follow the emotions.
Your subconscious can also help. Bell recommends paying attention to odd images that may pop into your head. He shares a story about E.L. Doctorow, who was inspired by a sign reading “Loon Lake” while traveling the Adirondacks. “He liked the sound of the words together, and then a flood of images washed over him—a private train at night going through the Adirondacks; gangsters onboard; a beautiful girl holding a white dress in front of a mirror,” Bell writes. “He had no idea what the images meant, but started writing about them anyway. Improvisational images will lead to story material pulsating with emotion.”
