Wednesday Wisdom for Writers and Those Who Love Them

"Some things are hard to write about. After something happens to you, you go to write it down, and either you over dramatize it, or underplay it, exaggerate the wrong parts or ignore the important ones. At any rate, you never write it quite the way you want to." —Sylvia Plath


Donald Maass reminds us that if it's not written on the page, it doesn't exist. That's important to remember when we're trying to recreate what's in our heads so that others can see what we see.

Sylvia Plath, I think, is talking about emotions. The piece between an event and a reaction. With both fiction and poetry, there are a lot of ways to get those onto the page, and right or wrong, perfectly done or not, the thing with emotions is that they're going to resonate with someone.



It's all better with friends.

For Writers - Feeling Your Way Through Emotions

I'm not going to tell you to show, don't tell. You already know that following that bit of advice more often than not will help your writing come alive and engage your reader on a more intimate level.

It isn't easy. You need to think more, find the right visible detail, and figure out how to translate it to the page.

I read something the other day that really got my attention. One way to make your reader sit up and take note is to have your POV character experience an unexpected emotion. A surprise. Obviously, what that helps do is add depth and fullness to the person your reader is getting to know.

One more thing: imagine that both you and your character are sporting a tight piece of duct tape over your mouths. You cannot tell what that emotion is. Instead, your character must express it visually.

And now I have a great resource for you. Of course you can get this book anywhere, but here's the Amazon link for The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi is a fabulous, well-organized reference tool. The Bookshelf Muse is a connected blog and one you should consider subscribing too.

A random selection from the book:

NERVOUSNESS

DEFINITION: the state of feeling unsettled and being easily agitated

PHYSICAL SIGNALS: 
…Rapid blinking
Rubbing the back of the neck
…Clumisiness
(and many more)

INTERNAL SENSATIONS:
…Nausea
…Dry mouth
(and many more)

MENTAL RESPONSES:
The desire to flee
…Overreacting to noise
(and many more)

CUES OF ACUTE OR LONG-TERM NERVOUSNESS:
Vomiting
…Irritability
(and many more)

MAY ESCALATE TO: (emotions and reference pages are listed)

CUES OF SUPPRESSED NERVOUSNESS:
A pasted on smile
…Not meeting anyone's gaze

WRITER'S TIP: Body movement and external reactions alone will not create an emotional experience for the reader. Pairing action with a light use of internal sensations and/or thoughts creates a depper emotional pull.


Do you have a resource you like for showing emotions? Do you have a resource for developing an emotional experience for your readers?



It's all better with friends.

Bruises

As a writer, I like things to be tense. I appreciate conflict and go out of my way to inflict damage. Interior and exterior bruises are the sweetness of fiction.

As a person, I like smooth sailing. No sharp corners. I don't run with scissors and I put plastic bags in places where they're hard to get to. Boring routine is something to be treasured.

A good friend of mine lost her father yesterday morning. He'd fallen the other day and fractured a hip. According to the doctors, he made it through surgery with flying colors. My friend was flying to San Francisco early yesterday to spend some time with him and spell her sister.

I don't know yet whether she got there in time to speak to him, or if he died while she was on her way. I would write it one way as a writer, and hope for it another way as someone who's trying to keep emotional bruises to a minimum.

Since this isn't part of a story, but real life, I pray for an ease for my friend. For comfort. For minimal bruising that can heal quickly. For solace.



CR: House Rules by Jodi Picoult. (And Shirley, I'm really liking it!)

It's all better with friends.