I usually do a segment on writing tips on Wednesdays, and honestly, the topic I've picked for today deserves a lot more attention than the brevity the A-Z challenge suggests. So, this will be an appetizer to a longer post I'll do in May.
Please look at this chart of emotions:
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Think about the books you've read or the movies you've seen that have evoked one of these emotions in you. Why can the death of a loved one in one book make you bawl your eyes out, while another leaves you dry-eyed? Could it have something to do with the author's personal experience?
Think of a time when you felt particularly loved, angry, embarrassed, surprised, or sad. Go through the whole range of senses to help with this: Your first kiss? What did it taste like? How did the other person's hands feel? What was the look on his/her face? Was their music in the background? Could you smell anything? Cologne, flowers, food, perfume, their minty breath? And why did all these things make you feel the way you felt about it?
Now, write about it... :)
16 comments:
Emotions are a KEY in Exciting writing. Without it you left Empty...
Very true, Donea... Love the kids faces.
Nice to meet a fellow A-Zer, I enjoyed your post about emotions :) Hope to see you around! :)
Emotions are why all great writers are tortured. In order to write about emotions, you have to feel them, live them, be one with them. It can be a bit overwhelming.
Dafeenah
Yes! Get those emotions in. Great post. The stronger we write those moments, the more readers will be able to connect to our story. :)
Those cute faces for the emotions is nice. As a romance writer, emotions are key for me.
I like the chart. And yes, you are so right. Emotion equal connectivity, and that connection is what keeps readers reading.
Conveying emotion without stating it outright is the most powerful way to engage the reader I think.
BTW I think I may have not quite grasped the brevity aspect of the A-Z challenge. All my posts have been huge so far.
look forward to the follow up next month.
cheers,
mood
Moody Writing
Hey,
that chart is hanging in my classroom! :) I have children with autism that really need that poster.
I enjoyed the post!
Happy A to Z!
Great teaser post, and I love the chart. I especially like the "jealous" facial expression :) All those kids are adorable.
Yup, if you write about something that has happened to you personally, it always adds a little punch.
Great post, and great poster!
Love those kids and how expressive they are!
Hopefully when I laugh or cry while writing a scene it will come across as funny or sad to the reader. But it ain't easy.
This is definitely true. I don't think I could write without pulling from my own experiences. That being said, I think that empathy (another E word) is a good way to try and get in tough with emotions you've never experienced (maybe grief, sex,childbirth)
And I did a post on emotions too :)
A triple E sensation. Haha, great job and nice read! And the picture is too funny!
Great pointers here! :)
Love the chart! Haha! Emotion is challenging to write. Sometimes I get too Engrossed and wind up Exhausted :D
I completely agree. Emotions are the driving factor for both the characters within the pages and the reader flipping them.
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