Karen GoatKeeper's Blog - Posts Tagged "describing-feelings-in-writing"
Describing Feelings
People have feelings. Trite but true. Those feelings can make a character come to life if the reader can feel them too.
As I went over my books for next month release, I found myself trying to make the character's feelings real and floundering for a time.
In Edwina Aleta is conflicted. She is 12, angry but trying to be the little adult her father expects her to be. Saying "Aleta is angry" conveys nothing of the depth of her fury and none of her conflict. Instead she grits her teeth reminding herself adults aren't supposed to pound someone else into a pulp. She walks across the field so no one will think she is upset then bashes her way through the overgrown weeds to fling herself on the ground pounding a broken figurine into the dirt.
In Running the Roads Ridge has found his car there on the car lot. He finds himself looking at the flattened oval of a hungry grill and narrowed cat's eyes of headlights. He is drawn to it, running his hands over the hood. Showing it to his mother who must approve of it, he finds himself touching it again.
The feelings of the characters show in their actions. But there is one more step to this.
The actions are false, the feelings are false, the words will read false to the reader, if the writer does not become the character in the scene and feel what the character feels and knows the actions are true to the feelings.
There is a problem with doing this. Leaving writing behind for the day is like leaving a piece of yourself with it.
As I went over my books for next month release, I found myself trying to make the character's feelings real and floundering for a time.
In Edwina Aleta is conflicted. She is 12, angry but trying to be the little adult her father expects her to be. Saying "Aleta is angry" conveys nothing of the depth of her fury and none of her conflict. Instead she grits her teeth reminding herself adults aren't supposed to pound someone else into a pulp. She walks across the field so no one will think she is upset then bashes her way through the overgrown weeds to fling herself on the ground pounding a broken figurine into the dirt.
In Running the Roads Ridge has found his car there on the car lot. He finds himself looking at the flattened oval of a hungry grill and narrowed cat's eyes of headlights. He is drawn to it, running his hands over the hood. Showing it to his mother who must approve of it, he finds himself touching it again.
The feelings of the characters show in their actions. But there is one more step to this.
The actions are false, the feelings are false, the words will read false to the reader, if the writer does not become the character in the scene and feel what the character feels and knows the actions are true to the feelings.
There is a problem with doing this. Leaving writing behind for the day is like leaving a piece of yourself with it.
