Writing With Emotion

 

Here we are on the first day of the sixth month of the year 2022. How quickly it seems to have arrived! I was a bit emotional as I turned the page on my calendar this morning. June 2022 is a month our family has been waiting for. Our oldest granddaughter is being married on June 25th. Just 3+ weeks away. It seems to this grandmother that she was just a toddler not long ago. She is a high school English teacher and her fiance is a fireman/paramedic. Both are pursuing careers in service to others. I know their wedding day will be one of great emotion for many in attendance.

Emotion in writing is today's topic. It's not given large numbers of pages in books that tell us how to write. Some barely mention it. Being able to write with emotion is what makes a good piece even better. It deserves a lot of space in a reference book on our craft.

The poet, Robert Frost, said "No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprises in the writer, no surprises in the reader." We know he's telling us that we, as writers, must feel the emotion in order for our readers to feel it, as well. That might not be as easy as it sounds.

We often feel the emotion inwardly. Something has moved us, and we sense it but don't succeed in putting that feeling into the words we write. Why does that happen?

I think that sometimes we are afraid of baring our deepest inner feelings. Experiencing it and sharing intimate fervor with the world can be on two different planes. If you're going to be a successful writer, you need to learn to share your emotions in the words you write. One of your goals should be to make your reader feel the same as you do about whatever the situation is. If you were moved to tears, write so that the reader is, too. If joy bubbles forth, put it into words to give the same experience to the reader. 

There are writers who might be reluctant to share their innermost feelings. They might think it is too private, so better to merely mention it, not delve into divulging the true thoughts. It's the writer who can 'bare it all' who will have readers feeling the same emotions. They are also the ones who will get published or win contests.

Don't write "I was happy." and then move on. Show your reader your happiness. Or sadness or anger or humiliation or fear or whatever it might be. Show them your body responses. Did you break out in a cold sweat? Did your heart start beating more rapidly than usual? Did you get a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach? Did you laugh so hard you cried? Did you have the biggest smile ever, or did your forehead wrinkle with the big frown you had? Did you do a little hop-skip or a twirl or some dance move? Was it hard to swallow over the lump in your throat?

Show vs tell has a definite place in getting emotions across to your readers. 

Can you think of a story or a book that made you cry? Credit the writer for the  ability to bring out emotion in you, the reader. Granted, some people are more emotional than others. I am one who can be moved to tears in books, movies, watching a patriotic show, or visiting a moving sight. But, even if you don't actually cry, do some stories make you feel some emotion? What about one that left you feeling very happy? 

Good writing brings emotion to both the writer and the reader. As writers, we need to let our emotions rise to the surface and spill into the words we write. 

Put Emotion Into Your Writing

 

Emotion is an important element when writing fiction or creative nonfiction. Also in a poem. The dictionary definition of 'emotion' is:

a natural instinctive state of mind deriving from one's circumstances, mood, or relationships with others.

The color wheel in our photo today shows myriad words that describe emotions. Using emotion in your writing is not merely a matter of telling the reader that 'Sadie felt sad.' The reader is not going to experience Sadie's sadness by you merely telling her. Instead, the writer needs to show her sadness. Something like: Sadie sank onto the park bench, head down. She wiped tears from her cheeks with both hands balled into fists. She heaved a great sigh, then pulled out her phone and hit Message. 

If you want your reader to feel the emotion, you must feel it as you write. Dig deep and let it bubble forth. When writing creative nonfiction, you're telling a true story, an experience. It's all too easy to keep the emotion suppressed. Sometimes it's because it's painful to let it rise to the surface as if you are reliving the experience. If you want to write a piece that touches your reader, you must not cover the emotions you feel. 

It's not only sad things but also the joyful and the angry and frightened. Let yourself feel those emotions as you write. When I read a story about a man who is frightened, I want to feel the way his stomach clenches, his heart beats faster, the sweat that breaks out on his forehead, and more. Don't just tell me he is frightened. Show me, and I will care more about him/her.

You don't need to name the emotion if you show how the character feels. The reader will 'get it.' 

The way you show character traits can also bring emotion to your story and to your reader. When a character is a nasty person, show me enough about him/her that I will feel angry at him/her. Or give a character traits that will make me feel joy. How you build your character will influence the way the reader feels about him/her.

A story without emotion is like a pancake without syrup. You know something is missing.