Jennifer here:
Less is More
Best-selling author Jerry
Jenkins is well known for writing RUE in the margins of his students’ papers:
resist the urge to explain. Don’t tell us what the character is feeling. Show
us how she’s acting. We will relate to that and attach the corresponding
emotion. Now you’ve drawn us in and are letting us actively, emotionally
participate in the story.
When I judge
contests, I see so many writers trying to explain a character's emotions, going
on for several sentences to make sure that I’m understanding what the character
is feeling. But that it just waters it down. Several well-placed words are much
better than sentences. You want to pick just enough words, details,
descriptions, scents, etc. to evoke the emotion in the reader.
Think
about that evocative picture of John F. Kennedy, Jr. saluting his dad’s coffin.
You don’t need to say anything more than that to feel a tidal wave of emotion. You
don’t even really need to see the photo. In fact, if you tried to explain it,
you’d water it down and create less of an emotional punch.
Leave it to their imagination
Stephen King said in On Writing that when he wrote Carrie he didn't describe the main
cheerleader because everyone would picture "that girl" from their
school days. Their cheerleader and all the corresponding emotions they had
about cheerleaders and high school. That’s a much more effective way of
reaching readers' emotions than telling them what to feel.
I dislike when I've pictured
something in my mind and the author is describing it differently. For example,
the layout of the house. If I think the kitchen in on the right and now she
telling me it’s on the left, I can’t picture it. I can't come around to her way
of thinking, and it's a disconnect. It's also why I'm not a big fan of faces on
book covers. It's never how I imagine the characters.
Use details for maximum impact
Give your characters
objects infused with meaning, like a locket or a pocket watch. It could even be
bigger like a guitar or a classic car. We as readers know that particular
object has great meaning. So when the hero takes off in the ‘66 Mustang he
restored with his dad, we know he’s doing more than just taking a drive. Being
in the car makes him feel close to his dad, so maybe he’s looking for wisdom or
peace. As a writer, you don’t have to lay all that out. As readers, we know how
we’d feel in that situation, and pulling on our own emotions will create a deeper
connection than just telling us what to feel.
You want just enough pertinent detail
to pull on those emotions. Glasses can be important if the character pushes
them up when he's nervous. Then you don't have to say he's nervous, you can
just show him pushing up glasses. Or twirling her hair. Or fiddling with her
necklace. When the reader makes that connection, they're feeling that emotion.
And when a reader makes an emotional connection with your characters, the won’t
want to put your book down.
No comments:
Post a Comment