Conflict will draw a reader in, but emotionst tug at the heart strings, pull the reader deep into the story and hold them there. Those truthful, down in the gut emotions help us relate to our readers what our characters are going through. A story written without emotion is like an Easter Basket from the Easter Bunny with only cabbage in it. The disappointment we feel, we remember, and the next time you see a sweet little bunny rabbit cross the road, you may just want to run that darn rabbit over with your car.
I can remember my mother telling me a story which took place in the depression. Money was tight and her parents sacrificed to buy chocolate candy for herself and her four siblings. Everyone was excited about the treats left by the Easter bunny. Everyone, but her baby brother, who unfortunately, found an Easter Basket full of wet, bloody kittens on Easter morning instead of sweet, delicious chocolate. Apparently, the family cat had decided to have her kittens in his basket during the night. We can relate with him, not because we have received our own basket of wet, bloody kittens, but because we all at one time or another have felt disappointment.
It is important for you the writer to know that writing with emotion will leave you exposed—for you will open yourself up to reveal your vulnerable side. You will be saying to your reader that you know what you are writing about, because, you've been touched by these emotions sometime in your life. At this point, you peel back and reveal your deepest, most hidden memories when you write. For we often put those emotions that we ourselves have experienced that were intense and sometimes painful into the lives and development of our characters. Writing with emotion will leave you feeling drained, exuberant, and even free. Why else would writing be called therapeutic?
Emotions have their place, timing is very important. There has to be a balance. You have to let your reader come down, rest, and recover for a few pages before you take them on another emotional carnival ride. Writing what your character feels is writing with emotion. Writing what your character thinks is writing with logic, and that is part of the balance.You also need the opposite of each emotion to counter each emotion such as: love vs. hate, good vs. evil. Great charters and a great story need both.
I can remember my mother telling me a story which took place in the depression. Money was tight and her parents sacrificed to buy chocolate candy for herself and her four siblings. Everyone was excited about the treats left by the Easter bunny. Everyone, but her baby brother, who unfortunately, found an Easter Basket full of wet, bloody kittens on Easter morning instead of sweet, delicious chocolate. Apparently, the family cat had decided to have her kittens in his basket during the night. We can relate with him, not because we have received our own basket of wet, bloody kittens, but because we all at one time or another have felt disappointment.
It is important for you the writer to know that writing with emotion will leave you exposed—for you will open yourself up to reveal your vulnerable side. You will be saying to your reader that you know what you are writing about, because, you've been touched by these emotions sometime in your life. At this point, you peel back and reveal your deepest, most hidden memories when you write. For we often put those emotions that we ourselves have experienced that were intense and sometimes painful into the lives and development of our characters. Writing with emotion will leave you feeling drained, exuberant, and even free. Why else would writing be called therapeutic?
Emotions have their place, timing is very important. There has to be a balance. You have to let your reader come down, rest, and recover for a few pages before you take them on another emotional carnival ride. Writing what your character feels is writing with emotion. Writing what your character thinks is writing with logic, and that is part of the balance.You also need the opposite of each emotion to counter each emotion such as: love vs. hate, good vs. evil. Great charters and a great story need both.
Chris Stamp
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