People rarely feel a solitary emotion. Rather, we are a cacophony of feelings and thoughts all happening at the same time.
Take, for example, a woman walking at night. Suddenly she hears footsteps drawing closer. Is she frightened? Sure. But what else does she feel? Is she:
- overconfident because she’s got a 9mm strapped to her waist?
- excited because she’s finally going to confront her stalker?
- angry at herself because she didn’t listen to her bestie and take an Uber?
- angry at society that that as a female, she’s seen as an easy target for violence?
- ashamed that she’s afraid of the least little thing?
- sad because the noise only emphisizes her solitude in life?
To get the most emotional impact out of a scene, dig beyond the primary emotion Ask yourself what else the character is feeling, and then ask yourself again. Take a good look at this third, deeper emotion. What does this emotion feel like physically and mentally? What does this emotion say about your character? Why does he/she feel justified in feeling this way? Why is it the only possible feeling they could be feeling?
By showing this third, deeper emotion and the character’s justification for feeling it – in detail – you let the reader soak in the moment. This is far more impactful than simply portraying a surface emotion.
Adapted from THE EMOTIONAL CRAFT OF FICTION by Donald Maass.
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