After my weekend, my emotions are all over the place. I had a great one with my family. With writing--not so much, and I'm not going to go into detail. Do you cry during movies, books or TV shows? If so, what makes you cry?
C'mon admit it. The character, the story . . . maybe the combo. Before I was a mom, I didn't cry much at anything. I wasn't a very emotional person. Okay, maybe a depressed one, but entertainment usually didn't make me cry. After I had my monsters, I can cry when a butterfly lands on a flower. Sometimes, I have no control. There are certain movies that I watch over and over and I cry like a baby (How To Train Your Dragon and Tangled). Seriously, I cry. But why?
The writer created a character with emotion. Something they did plucked an emotional string in my head. Sure, in movies there are factors of dramatic music and the actors voice, but somehow they pulled you in and made you care.
There is a book that turned on my waterworks--THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green. You may have heard of it. The thing is--I love books with voice. Lots of voice. I loved being pulled in to see what this character sees, to feel what they feel. Yes, it must be technical (follow the grammar and plot rules), but without voice and emotion, there's nothing but scenes flipping like a slideshow. So what did John Green do?
He made me care about the character. He gave that character emotion. He showed us what she felt by making us feel it (making me cry). Complicated? Yes. To write emotion is not easy. Trust me, I'm still working on it. You have to put yourself in your characters shoes and ask yourself how would they react at that moment? Feel it.
I haven't found the right formula, but I'm getting there.
Check out this link for some info:
The Writers Store.com-- go here to check out the post on The Emotional and Psychological World of You and Your Characters
Also, check out CREATING CHARACTER EMOTIONS by Ann Hood
Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting Dynamic Characters and Effective Viewpoints by Nancy Kress
Do you have any thoughts on creating character emotions?
Any self help guides of web pages you would recommend?
Have a great day!
