WHY is Writing Emotions Always Challenging? Day Five of Five Day Series]
5 Day – Emotions in Writing Challenge
WHY is Writing Emotions Always Challenging?
Oh my, here we are at Day 5. I was beginning to think I would bomb out AGAIN! 🙂
We now know that demonstrating emotions in writing can be difficult for several reasons. Over the past five days we have looked at the five reasons why we encounter challenges in conveying emotions in our writing. It has not been easy for this writer. I may have taught myself something along the way.
Hidden Diaries
So, today I am feeling vulnerable having put myself out there – raw and vulnerable – by having tried to address each of the five reasons why emotion is such a hard thing to write. All this done with the intention of shedding light on why emotions can make our writing stand out or relatable to our readers.
– Many Thanks to you Hannah –
So, that’s the five days and here we are at the final day – Day Five.
Here goes for the last time:
- Lack of Nonverbal Cues (face-to-face – Revealed Day 1)
- Limited Word Selection (Revealed – Day 2)
- Interpretation Variability (Revealed – Day 3)
- Cultural Differences (Revealed – Day 4), and
- Fear of Vulnerability (Revealed – Day 5 – Yep, that’s Today)
Today we rip off the bandages and open up to – Fear of Vulnerability:
Becoming Fearlessly Vulnerable – or Embracing Authenticity in Emotional Writing.
The final day of exploration addresses a writer’s greatest challenge:
The Fear of Vulnerability. We delve into the importance of embracing authenticity in emotional writing. Discover strategies to overcome the fear of judgement. Learn how to allow our unique voice to shine through.
We need to create genuine emotional connections with readers thereby leaving an indelible impact through our writing. (At least – hoped for).
What’s so scary about this?
It can be scary because writing can feel more permanent and exposed compared to the spoken word. Most people don’t remember much from a casual conversation, but the written word is there for potentially eternity. Now doesn’t that make you feel unsure. Maybe. Maybe not. I can’t hear your answer, so I can only assume you are brave, you are ready to put your work out there like many other writers before you. And, if you do feel afraid. Don’t. Don’t be. Instead, be brave. This life is the one where you make a difference. Or at least it seems so to me.
~ Thanks Daniel – yes, writing can be scary ~
Reluctance to expose personal emotions.
Now that leads me to “sharing personal emotions”.
See, vulnerability and sharing emotional content is what makes us writers feel vulnerable. Yes, the judgement and the criticism from others is just there over the horizon or it can be smack bang immediate in our face if someone decides to make it so. We should not allow this fear to inhibit our ability to convey emotions authentically but in reality, our fear often wins over, and we restrict ourselves and don’t write at all.
Feedback
Getting feedback can be a good thing – positive or negative. If a person gives you feedback that attacks you as a person and not as a writer, then ignore it. Constructive criticism is valuable. It speaks to the words on the page not the writer. It provides valuable insights and potentially a different perspective that you hadn’t realized. It also helps us to work out what parts of our writing are unclear or ineffective. We can then refine our techniques, strengthen emotional impact, and ensure our intended emotions are effectively conveyed to our readers.
Practice, feedback, and an understanding of the audience as mentioned in yesterday’s blog can help us as writers improve our ability to express emotions in writing.
~ Thank you Andrew ~
Embrace it!
Therefore, we must develop strategies for embracing vulnerability and creating authentic emotional connections with readers.
Again, this topic deserves further research and evaluation. I feel we are only at the tip of the iceberg with this subject. Luckily writing is relatively free of charge and we can go on exploring to our hearts content.
Happy Days – Now go do your thing – Write!
~ Zak ~
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