Emotions...How are your characters affected by them?

Posted by Lola7384 at 7:58 AM Friday, March 16, 2012
TGIF!

Whoot! Whoot!

Happy Friday Readers!

Sooo...What is everybody doing for St. Patty's Day?

Today's post is about emotions and how what you're feeling can affect your characters.

I don't know about you guys, but I'm big on emotions and feelings when it comes to my writing.

Professionally too.

As an agent and reader, I want to be able to feel your character. I want to cry with them. Laugh with them. And fall in love with them. Unfortunately some writers fall flat on conveying the emotions needed to make a novel work. Granted, every one who reads a book has a different opinion and approaches the novel with a different view, but ultimately I think this true for everyone, we all want to feel something when we read.

Now, we all know that we are not our characters. We all know that even though we create them, that they have their own personalities and they we as the writer might not do some of the things they do, but I do think it is important for writers to ask themselves a few things when trying to breathe emotional life into our characters and here are few tips that help me.

1. What mannerisms, actions, smells, or even tastes affect my character? What does it remind them of?

2. Strong characters vs. Weak characters. Honestly I don't care what anybody says I find redeeming qualities in both types of characters. You know why? Because they're relate-able. No two human beings are alike.Some are stronger than others. Some are weaker. But what's important when breathing life into the type of character is authenticity. A weak, type of character wouldn't do some of the things a strong type of character would do, so its important to know which type of character you're writing and stick to that.

3. Feelings. This is sooo important. I ask myself 'how would this make Hadley feel'? (Hadley happens to be the MC in the adult romance I'm currently working on so I'm using her as an example.)How does a look, a touch, a kiss, a smell, make her feel? What kind of things make her happy, sad, disgusted...etc. I could go on with that list forever.

In closing I'm sure most of you understand how to effectively convey emotion in your characters, but I hope some of these tips help you if you don't.

Cheers!

Have a safe and Happy St. Patty's Day!
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7 comments:

  1. Brenda Drake said...:
    March 16, 2012 at 8:06 AM

    Your tips always help remind me what I should be watching out for when writing. Thanks for this wonderful post! <3

  1. PK HREZO said...:
    March 16, 2012 at 9:30 AM

    Nice reminders, Lauren. I've learned that's what truly makes a book good--the author's ability to make me feel.

  1. Kelly Hashway said...:
    March 16, 2012 at 10:47 AM

    Great post, Lauren! I'm writing my YA contemporary romance and it's making me tap into my emotions to the point where I'm crying while writing it. It's tough to get that into the emotions, but I think the story is better for it.

  1. Jenny S. Morris said...:
    March 16, 2012 at 10:51 AM

    I'm celebrating my anniversary this weekend so that should be fun. I want to feel the characters emotions too but find as a writer it's harder for me to show their emotion without becoming repetitive. I'm working on it though. Emotion is what draws you into the story. Puts into their head.

    Have a great weekend.

  1. SF said...:
    March 16, 2012 at 6:13 PM

    Good tips! I think this is one of those things that I need beta readers for, however. It's hard for me to tell on my own whether the emotions are reading...

  1. Jolene Perry said...:
    March 19, 2012 at 11:01 AM

    Great post.

    I also love how different characters notice different things. Some love colors, some smells . . .
    Characterization is my favorite part of writing.

    I'm still trying to get over being sick, so nothing interesting's happening around here . . .

  1. Cassie Mae said...:
    March 19, 2012 at 5:12 PM

    I want to feel something with every character I read. I know I've found a good book when the hubs finds me laughing my butt off one second, then bawling my eyes out the next. Also gasping so loud it scares the pants off him, lol.

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