Crafting Characters with Impact: Developing Emotionally Resonant Personages
Ruth Ann Nordin, a self-published author and co-founder of Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors, shares insights on how to create emotionally engaging characters in stories.
Writing with emotion is about more than just telling the reader what a character is feeling or doing. It's about showing, and this can be achieved by allowing your body to react to your character's emotions.
For instance, if your character is mad, you might feel your heart rate increase and your breathing speed up. If your character is embarrassed, your face might get warm. If your character is hungry, you should feel a familiar hunger pain. These physical responses can help convey the character's emotions to the reader, making the story more engaging and impactful.
To understand this concept better, Nordin suggests two exercises. Exercise #1 involves remembering a time in one's life when one was afraid, writing it out in detail. Exercise #2 involves remembering a time of happiness and writing it out in detail. When doing these exercises, write in first person, including dialogue, actions, and feelings, and pretend it is a scene in a book.
Emotion-driven writing involves delving deep within the character and being in the moment. It's about showing, not telling the reader what the character is feeling or doing. By tuning into your body's reactions, you are showing, not telling, the reader about your character's emotions, making the story more immersive and engaging.
When writing, delve into every emotion your character experiences, whether good or bad. Let your body react to the emotions of your character to create a more authentic and engaging story. This approach, Nordin calls, "writing with your heart."
It's also important to note the distinction between head writing (telling) and heart writing (showing). Head writing often results in a character telling the reader about their feelings or actions, whereas heart writing shows the reader through the character's physical responses and actions.
However, it's crucial to approach these exercises with care. If an individual cannot handle Exercise #1 due to emotional distress, it is recommended not to do it.
By following these tips, you can create emotionally engaging characters that readers can connect with on a deeper level, making your stories more impactful and memorable. Writing with your body's reactions helps you write with your heart, allowing you to create a more authentic and emotionally engaging story.
