In story, you should always be building emotions.
But it’s challenging to get those emotions on the page.
The trick is not to tell us how your character feels, but to evoke emotion in your reader. To make your reader feel what your character feels.
In this episode, we’ll break down 3 techniques for bringing more complex, layered, and potent emotions to your pages.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
Episode at a glance:
[01:57] Learn 3 major common mistakes writers make when portraying character emotion.
[08:22] One of the biggest mistakes writers make is describing emotions from what can be seen from the outside objectively. Learn why staying rooted in your character’s subjective reality is more effective.
[15:32] Sometimes characters suppress their emotions as a form of protection. Discover how emotional restraint on the part of the character can be more powerful than a direct expression of their feelings.
[19:44] Readers can intellectualize concepts like happiness, rage, shame, fear and so on. But unless these concepts are grounded in the physical world, they won’t feel it. Learn how to bring general emotions like grief and love into the world of the real where the reader can feel it.
Rate, Review, and Follow on Apple Podcasts.
“I love Writer Unleashed!” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show. This helps me support more writers — just like you —to bring the story burning in their imagination onto the page. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!
Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast. It’s chock full of writing tips and inspiration every Tuesday. Follow now!