𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐒 ━━ 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘴

⠀⠀¹⁵ writing emotional scenes

          Whether we realize it or not, we are all striving to write the "quintessential delivery system" for the feels. Even if we're purposefully attempting not to do so. The main reason we do this is "because that's what drives us to tell stories in the first place." At one point or another, you and I have both read something that hit differently; that made us go, "Oh. I know that feeling. I've been there too."

          This causes the question of, What can I, as a writer, do to elicit more empathic reactions from your readers than detached ones?

          As always, I'm going to be forthright with you — writing emotional scenes and dialogue has less to do with the scene at hand, itself, and rather more to do with tapping into "universal experiences" and the feelings/emotions that come with them. You can describe the setting, atmosphere, and baseline feelings all you want, but that won't do much except cause your reader to skim and lose their train of thought; they will stop paying attention to the story you're telling.

          Not everybody, or anyone at all, will have experienced the "exact scene you are writing and be able to connect to it." But everyone has experienced some sort of loss, grief, disappointment, triumph, failure, anger, love, and sadness. With that being said, those personal experiences contribute to the creation of an individual's empathy and the bond or connection they make with your story. If you, as the writer, find yourself empathizing with the scene you're writing, chances are that you will be able to manufacture an empathetic bond with your story and your readers as well.

          Now, here is a list of step-by-step tips to help write emotional scenes when you'd really rather not:

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟭. Take a step back. "If you find yourself in a scene that is so much bigger (emotionally) in your head than it is coming out on the page, take a step back. Identify the emotion you are going for, then recall the last time you felt that way yourself."

           ➳❥ Example: Feeling despair for failing at something.

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟮. Commit to not identifying the emotion (or its synonyms) by name in the scene. Commit to not using the words despair, sadness, hopelessness, etc. Gosh, this is so hard to not do. Talk about a struggle. However, it's important to at least attempt. "The reason being, when you tell the reader what they're supposed to feel, the reader may subconsciously feel trapped and resentful that they weren't allowed to form their own reaction."

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟯. Identify a time in your life when you felt the same emotion. You don't have to be too on the nose with this, but find a time when you felt the exact emotion you're trying to write.

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟰. Write about the/that personal experience. For this step, keep in mind step two. For this particular step, there are a few things you should focus on when thinking back to your own personal experience(s):

           ➳❥ How you learned that you'd failed something or someone.
           ➳❥ The sights/sounds/visceral sensations you experienced when hearing the news, receiving the backlash, or where you were/who else was around (e.g., the sound of whispers around you, others' shouts of joy, tears from others; etc).
           ➳❥ How others reacted (e.g., pats on the back, sympathetic murmurs, unhelpful clichés from family members).
           ➳❥ How you felt/reacted to others' reactions (e.g., trying to smile and be happy for them; shrugging off their attempts to make you feel better).
           ➳❥ What you instantly worried about (e.g., friends talking behind your back; what your parents would say/how would they react).
           ➳❥ How you protected yourself from the feelings (e.g., skipping school, avoiding people or particular settings or conversations; isolating yourself; faking happiness; etc).
           ➳❥ Fallout or the fallout you imagined would happen (e.g., being out of the loop; cut off socially; people being angry or disappointed; heated arguments that wouldn't end well; etc).