Angela Hunt posted this on one of the writer's loops I am a part of...
One of Sol Stein's chief admonitions to novelists is that a novel should provide an EMOTIONAL experience. We read nonfiction to learn; we read novels for that vicarious emotional experience.This is a challenge for novelists who love to teach. We have to overcome our natural reluctance to give the facts and concentrate HARD on providing the emotions.
One of the things the Don taught me was to separate out my scenes (or cards, an Excel chart, or whatever), and then pinpoint the emotional import of each scene. If I'm drawing a blank, so is the reader, so I have to find some way to up the emotional ante.
Angie
This is GREAT advice!
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3 comments:
Very good advice! Thanks for sharing this, Tricia!
This is excellent advice Tricia! I try to read what I'm writing as if it's my first time reading this story. This helps me make sure it's "interesting" and that it does move the emotions.
Thanks for posting this!
I love the spreadsheet idea! Thanks.
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