Why is Showing Emotions So Hard? – [Day Two of Five Day Series] ~ Limited Word Selection
5 Day – Emotions in Writing Challenge ~ Limited Word Selection
Q: WHY is showing emotions in writing so difficult?
A: Limited Word Selection
Demonstrating emotions in writing can be difficult for several reasons.
There are five main reasons why we encounter challenges in conveying emotions in our writing. Over the next three days, I aim to continue addressing each of these reasons with the intention of shedding some light on why emotions can be hard to write and offer you some insights on how we can enhance our writing by effectively harnessing these emotions into our writing.
Let’s look more deeply into these subjects being the five reasons showing emotions in writing
- Lack of Nonverbal Cues (face-to-face – Covered here – Day 1: Yesterday)
- Limited Word Selection (Revealed – Day 2 – that’s Today)
- Interpretation Variability (to be revealed next blog – Day 3)
- Cultural Differences (to be revealed next blog – Day 4), and
- Fear of Vulnerability (to be revealed next blog – Day 5).
Today, we will focus on Limited Word Selection.
Mastering Word Selection for Emotional Writing Strategies. It is important to select the right words to effectively capture and convey emotions in writing. We need to enhance our vocabulary and use descriptive language.
Prompt: Use the photo and write what you see…
Writing ideas – write about what the woman is thinking. Study the photo. Write what you see. Write what you think might be happening. Write about her nails. Write about her hair, her eyes or her skin complexion. Did she enjoy her day or not? Is there something about to happen that no-one could comprehend would happen to this woman? Write, write, write... then keep writing!
Why is this difficult?
Because in writing we have a limited use of our words. Writing, whether we know it or not imposes constraints on the number and selection of words available to convey our characters emotions. It can be challenging to find the precise words that accurately capture the intended emotion. The richness of emotions we experience in real life can be difficult to replicate in our writing. But we must rely solely on words. Words alone can entertain, illicit strong feelings or make us feel pain for our character as the writer makes things happen to them.
Readers want to feel what the characters feel. They want to be present on the page. Ultimately the reader wants to be lost in the moment(s) of reading your work. When was the last time you lost hours or days due to a riveting read or a movie? Time and space cease to exist in those wonderful moments.
So, what can we do about this?
The Art of Word Selection: Painting Emotions with Precision
Words hold incredible power in evoking emotions. As a picture historically is said to paint a thousand words so you as a writer much draw on any of those thousand words but and that is with a major BUT – you have to use the correct most appropriate word to describe the picture you are painting with your words. It’s not easy but it’s wonderful when you get it right.
Skilled writers can employ various techniques to convey emotions effectively: These may include the use of vivid descriptions, engaging the senses, employing metaphor and simile, using dialogue, and developing well-rounded and relatable characters.
Practice, feedback, and an understanding of the audience can also help writers improve their ability to express emotions in their writing.
Now, go have some fun and see what you can come up with 🙂
~Zak~
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