How to Make Readers Feel Emotion

on January 30th, 2011 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill and last modified on February 8, 2011 I wrote an article on the importance of creating emotions in readers, but I’ve noticed that writers are looking for specifics on how to accomplish that. So, this article complements that first one, presents practical tips on how to stir the reader’s emotions. Readers like to be touched, moved, by story. Fiction, whether in book or film or games, allows people to not only step into other worlds, but to experience those worlds. Since readers want to immerse themselves in other worlds and other lives, what can writers do to make that experience authentic, to make the fictional world real for a few hours? One technique the writer can make use of to create reality out of fiction is to induce emotion in readers, make them feel something of what the characters are experiencing. But how can a writer accomplish this? 1. This is a major key for rousing reader emotions. 2. Help your readers know your characters.

Understanding Narrative Mode - Pro Writing Tips Good storytelling deals as much with how a story is told as it does with what a story is. The dramatic moments and insight into the characters and their conflicts all come from information gathered about those characters. One of the easiest ways to build that drama is through an understanding of narrative voice. Each narrative mode has its own strengths and weaknesses, and thus each will benefit different types of stories. First Person Though the First Person narrative mode has been used throughout the literary ages, the particular style has recently come back into vogue, perhaps spurred by the rise of two particular genres—blogs and memoirs. With regards to informational limits, the First Person mode is exceptionally restricted. This narrative voice is exceptionally flexible and can go very far to illustrate the personality of whoever is telling the story. Third Person The vast majority of stories are narrated from the third person. Limited Selective Omniscient Objective Second Person

Seven Common Character Types Seven Common Character Types by Terry W. Ervin II Fiction writers employ a variety of characters while weaving their tales. Beyond the standard definitions of protagonist (the main character in a literary work) and antagonist (the main character or force that opposes the protagonist in a literary work), recognizing the types of characters and the parts they play while reading an interesting story can add to the experience. In addition, a fuller understanding of the character types and their uses can increase a writer’s effectiveness in weaving his own fictional tales. Confidante- someone in whom the central character confides, thus revealing the main character’s personality, thoughts, and intentions. Example: In a story, Melvin Sanders is a detective on the trail of a serial killer. In this example Chops is a confidante. Dynamic Character - a character which changes during the course of a story or novel. In this example Ebenezer Scrooge is a dynamic character. Copyright © Terry W.

How to Write a Story: Creative Story Ideas, Tips to Help You Write Your Own Book Get creative story ideas, write your own book! Want to write a good book? Check out these tips on how to write a story that captures readers' attention from beginning to end: How to Write a Story #1: Know Your Market, Get Story Ideas and Outline Your Plot The first step is to know who you are writing for, and what your readers want; this may lead you to novel ideas for stories. Work on your plot and prepare your story outline before you begin writing. How to Write a Story #2: Plan Your Settings Familiarize yourself with your story setting. As you write, add in details as they appear in the story. If you're writing for young children, keep the setting simple; limit the number of locations, for example home, school, playground, friends' homes. Older children, teens and adults, however, require more diversified settings to add interest to the story. How to Write a Story #3: Flesh Out Your Characters Give your characters names; as soon as they're named, these people will come alive for you.

Short Stories: 10 Tips for Creative Writers (Kennedy and Jerz) (Dennis G. Jerz, Seton Hill University) Fiction Writer's Character Chart - EpiGuide.com If you're a fiction writer -- whether you're working on a novel, short story, screenplay, television series, play, web series, webserial, or blog-based fiction -- your characters should come alive for your reader or audience. The highly detailed chart below will help writers develop fictional characters who are believable, captivating, and unique. Print this page to complete the form for each main character you create. IMPORTANT: Note that all fields are optional and should be used simply as a guide; character charts should inspire you to think about your character in new ways, rather than constrain your writing. If this character chart is helpful, please let us know! Looking for more character questionnaires / charts?

FaithWriters Magazine-Christian Magazine and e-zine How do you keep your readers reading? - Pro Writing Tips Mar 2nd, 2009 | By John Roach | Category: Big Picture I’m going to fail you today. I don’t have the answers. I’ve got some ideas. I’ve got techniques for making sure your readers make it all the way to your last sentence, but not the end-all, be-all. Without further ado, here are 10 tricks you can use to keep your readers engaged. Structure A good hook. Style Use the active voice and short, simple sentences. Substance Don’t make statements; ask questions and then answer them later.Let your passion for the topic shine through. What techniques do you use to ensure reader engagement? Related Posts Tags: active, lists, tips, verbs

How to Structure A Story: The Eight-Point Arc By Ali Hale - 3 minute read One of my favourite “how to write” books is Nigel Watts’ Writing A Novel and Getting Published. My battered, torn and heavily-pencil-marked copy is a testament to how useful I’ve found it over the years. Although the cover appears to be on the verge of falling off altogether, I’ve risked opening the book once more to bring you Watts’ very useful “Eight-Point Story Arc” – a fool-proof, fail-safe and time-honoured way to structure a story. (Even if you’re a short story writer or flash fiction writer rather than a novelist, this structure still applies, so don’t be put off by the title of Watts’ book.) The eight points which Watts lists are, in order: StasisTriggerThe questSurpriseCritical choiceClimaxReversalResolution He explains that every classic plot passes through these stages and that he doesn’t tend to use them to plan a story, but instead uses the points during the writing process: So, what do the eight points mean? Stasis Trigger The quest Surprise Climax Reversal

What to do after NaNoWriMo If you found a month madly dedicated to one project exhilarating amidst the exhaustion :-) there are more challenges throughout the year, some lasting a month, some a week, some 3 days, some 24 straight hours. :-) (The NaNoWriMo folks aren't affiliated with any of these except Script Frenzy.) From the I Wrote a Novel, Now What? page at the NaNoWriMo site which might have more challenges added throughout the year (plus a few free contests). (For readers in the future, if you've stumbled across this page during November, the link probably won't work. DecemberNaNoFiMo.org - National Novel Finishing Month (December). Varies or throughout the yearNaBloPoMo - National Blog Posting Month (Year-Round). JanuaryJanNoWriMo - Goal: Write either 50k or your own word-count goal in January. FebruaryFAWM - February Album Writing Month (February). MarchNaNoEdMo - National Novel Editing Month (March). AprilScript Frenzy - NaNoWriMo's sister challenge (April). September3-Day Novel Contest - (September).