In a post on Writer Unboxed, Matthew Normal talks about ways to explore emotion in your writing. “Emotion is what makes art so powerful, and, as writers, it’s our job to deliver that emotion as much as we can,” Normal says. His tips include:
- Hit ‘Em in the Heart, Not the Head. As readers, we may often come across books that are technically well-written but still leave us with no emotional connection to the characters or story. “As you write and revise, constantly ask yourself: Is this making the reader think or feel?” Normal writes. “Good writing can do both, of course, just as good writing can be intellectual as hell. But if you’re not skewing toward emotional relevance your reader’s attention will eventually drift.”
- Be Revealing with Your Characters. Your characters should want something and feel strongly about their hopes, fears, and insecurities. “Tap into your reader’s sense of empathy by revealing those things throughout your story,” Normal says. “Regardless of your genre of choice, if done well, that work is sure to pay off.”
- Pack Your Prose with Emotion. “As you write and revise, find ways to write yours such that they tie back to emotion,” Normal writes. Add emotional description to your characters’ actions and reactions. One trick is to place the heaviest emotional lines at the end of a paragraph or scene, hitting your reader in the gut when they’re least prepared.
- Tap Into Your Own Emotions. Use your own fears, regrets, hopes, insecurities, and joys in your writing. In other words, write what you feel. “You are your own best emotional source material,” Normal says. “And because your readers are probably human, too, the deeper you dig and the more vulnerable you get, the more hearts you’ll break. And your readers will love you for it.”
