Right now I’m reading Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, and one thing that’s really stood out to me in the book is the portrayal of emotions. Scarlett’s emotions feel so real, Mitchell portrays those difficult, confusing teenage emotions perfectly. 🤩
13:00 -- the whole town coming out to hold lit candles that she sold them? I wouldn't consider that melodramatic at all. I think that's tear-jerkingly beautiful, but still well within the realm of being realistic.
It's like the ending of "It's a Wonderful Life", where the whole town of Bedford Falls shows up to help George Bailey after all of the things he did and you hear the bell rings signifying that Clarence finally got his wings.
Me neither. Maybe cheese, but not melodramatic. But it's a celebration; you can afford the cheese. I find most personal celebrations to be cheesy, but that's what gives it emotion. People committing to being cheesy for the sake of someone else, because it's worth it.
wow. I've been watching writing videos on youtube for a year now, and applying them to my writing as best I can. But this video just struck a chord with me. I think its the missing piece in a lot of my writing. Thanks so much!
As much as I agree wit the notion that there should be emotional up and downs, but I think they should not always just oscillate between two poles, since that would become predictable, when sometimes something going bad followed by something much much worse to break the expectations that something good should happen now and thus making it much more impactful.
Oh what a great addition, I certainly agree that there should be a high point and low point, though not in a cyclic high point low point fashion. I sort of believe we should deserve the high points and the lowpoint are essencially reflections of character flaws.
I would say it can help to think of emotions as not just positive and negative but extremes in different directions. It's easy for people to think of depression as a low, but mania which can be viewed as the opposite of depression isn't necessarily a high point. Our emotions can be complicated with highs and lows at the same time. Like that moment before a vacation when you're both aware of how good a time you're going to have and how quickly it's going to be over and you're going to be back.
This is what I was thinking as well. But it's also a bit of what he implied, in that emotional swings should break expectations. Set up expectations, and break them. Though that doesn't apply to everything, since you shouldn't break promises you make, which can overlap with expectations.
I love to set my readers on an emotional roller coaster. Years ago, someone asked, "How do you show emotion in your work?" My answer, I must lay my beating heart before you, and open up my word for all to see. Knowing you may trample it in rejection, but honesty alone will set me free. Walk softly where I open myself to you, for I reveal my hopes and fears and dreams. Go past the bright facade I show to others, to where my life is tearing open at the seams.
A good example of alternating bad things and good things is every sad character backstory in One Piece. Oda basically starts every tragic character with a sad childhood, and then they experience something good and positive, but then that thing gets crushed and they're left off worse than before, until the present day when they triumph over their past.
There had to be a point where it's just mentally exhausting to conceive right? Just doing the same thing over and over. He write a morally irredeemable person then the next day tell us to sympathize with them cause boohoo sad backstory
There's a book called The Gilded Nexus of Prosperity, and it talks about how using some secret techniques you can attract a lot of money, it's not some bullshit law of attraction, it's the real deal
I downloaded that book yesterday, and after five minutes of reading, I had to take a shower because my mind was blown away.. It's terrible how the elite are hiding the truth from us about gaining wealth
This is my go-to channel for finding books and other resources on writing. Bookfox has his own pool of knowledge, but also shows us what tons of other writers are saying as well while giving them full credit for it. It's exactly what I was looking for 🎉 Keep up the good work sir.
The clarity of your teaching style is so easy for me to digest and use in my writing praxis! I always come away with at least one thing I can immediately try or apply.
This is by far the most helpful content I’ve watched about writing. So tired of hearing the same advice that we get washed up by technical stuff, when telling stories at the end of the day is all about making someone relate and feel anything and think about things. Thank you! ❤
This spoke to me on so many levels! I always always always start my writing (novels, short stories, poems, whatever) with emotions and vibes. I actually struggle with plotting because everything is being driven by raw emotion rather than external factors. I also use personal writing/journaling to process my own emotions, which I feel really helps strengthen my fictional works! I will definitely be ordering the book you linked, and I would love more videos in this same vein. For example, taking those emotional outlines and hooks and translating them to plot structures, that is where I always go sideways!
Your presentations are always helpful, and worth watching more than once. I appreciate how you detail writing craft concepts with clear examples, and show pros and cons. I have definitely read novels where 'things just happen plot-wise', but I don't feel that bond with the character(s). There are others where I might think about them for weeks after I've finished the book.
I’ve had this book for years. Thanks for this revisit and reminder of how good it is. The emotional arrows and character changes is a brilliant method.
A few years ago (2018 or 2019) I went to a day long workshop by Maas on this very topic and it was one of the best things I ever did for my writing. I still refer to the notes I took that day. I didn't realize it was a book. I will have to pick it up ASAP. Great video!
Donald Maas is indeed fantastic. He's written two other books that I've used to improve my writing and always recommend to authors looking to improve their fiction. The one that got me into him is called "Writing the Breakout Novel" (which has a workbook you can use) where he talks about what makes popular fiction sell and some of the tips he gives have made my writing much stronger. The other one I use is "The Fire in Fiction" where he talks about the basic blocks of fiction (characters, plot, dialogue, conflict, theme, etc) that authors stumble over and how to make your writing stronger. Even if your intention isn't to write the next Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings or whatever, I've found his books very helpful in tightening my writing.
Enjoy your examples. It's the best way for me to learn. For me, the best books on writing are those which show examples of bad writing and how to fix it. Where it went wrong and how to turn it into good writing. Real world examples. Thanks and keep up the great work.
I like this channel because it gives advice I haven't gotten elsewhere, and I can see it implemented in my writing right away. Hope 2025 brings the attention you and this channel deserve.
Great video. Definitely gonna flag this one to re-watch. One thing I might do to get in better touch with emotions is in my "nightly pages" (10 min of free writing every night) pick an emotion and riff on it, including recounting times when I felt that emotion intensely.
I started writing after I fell ill (which ended up being chronic) and in the first part of my book I could really put my story of dealing with illness into it because my main character was locked up and feeling trapped inside his body. But after he escaped the building he was locked in I found it hard to write. Soon I discovered it was because I was writing event after event, but hadn't plotted out anything on emotional level. Once I started doing that, I loved to write again
Your teaching videos are helping me to better craft and explain the deeper messages from my "dream drawings" (done in colored pencil), which I plan to sell online. Thank you!
The zig-zag thing you mentioned reminded me of the book Anatomy of a Bestseller, where some businessmen plugged the entire text of best-selling books into an algorithm to try and see what they had in common. Eventually they decided to try Fifty Shades of Grey, because they all agreed that the book is terrible and that they didn’t understand why it was a bestseller 😂 What they found was that what it DID have in common with bestsellers was the zigzag. Things would be great (or framed as great), and then they would be absolutely horrible. Repeat. So any readers who somehow weren’t put off by the relationship were kept hooked. Proof that even if a story is bad, if it’s successful, someone was doing something right.
I totally agree about The Emotional Craft of Fiction, such a great read. I personally got it from Writer's Digest, not Amazon, so maybe its buyers are more spread out - shop wise - compared to other books on the topic.
1. The Core Idea Connecting with readers happens through emotions, not just plot, characters, or writing quality. A writer’s goal is to make readers experience their own emotional journeys, as emotions are the essence of fiction. 2. Three Ways to Evoke Emotions 2.1. Inner Mode Convey emotions directly by telling readers what the characters feel. Example: “She had been sad earlier, but now she felt happy.” While simple, it’s a common technique for beginner writers and can still effectively create intimacy and vulnerability. 2.2 Outer Mode Show emotions through the characters’ actions, letting readers infer what they’re feeling. Example: John Wick smashing his basement floor with a sledgehammer conveys his rage without a single word. This is the most effective and widely used mode. Pro Tip: List the character’s emotions and corresponding actions to portray them visually. 2.3. Other Mode Make readers feel something different from what the characters feel. Example: Life is Beautiful contrasts the protagonist’s optimism with the horrors of the Holocaust. This advanced technique is rare but deeply impactful when executed well. 3. Common Pitfalls to Avoid 3.1. Lack of Intimacy Characters must be emotionally vulnerable and open with readers. Example: In The Fault in Our Stars, Hazel shares her feelings directly, creating a strong bond with the audience. Tip: Include moments where characters "spill the beans" and reveal their deepest emotions. 3.2. Mono-Emotions Don’t focus on a single emotion (e.g., fear in horror or love in romance). Incorporate small emotions like boredom or melancholy to add realism and prepare readers for major emotional shifts. 3.3. Overuse of Negative Emotions Balance dramatic emotions like anger and fear with positive ones like kindness and forgiveness. Examples: Katniss volunteering as tribute (The Hunger Games) or hiding a Jewish man in The Book Thief. Positive emotions provide contrast and give readers room to breathe. 4. Five Strategies to Deepen Emotional Impact 4.1. Emotional Plot Focus on emotional conflicts, not just external events. Example: In Die Hard, John McClane’s estranged relationship with his wife adds emotional stakes. Tip: Treat plot events as opportunities for emotional growth. 4.2. Emotional Hook Engage readers emotionally from the start. Example: The Stranger begins with, “Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday.” Introduce emotional friction early to intrigue readers. 4.3. Emotional Rollercoaster Alternate emotional highs and lows to maintain reader engagement. Example: The Red Wedding in Game of Thrones shocks after moments of hope and celebration. Tip: Balance positive and negative events to heighten emotional contrast. 4.4. Emotional Mapping Map the emotional dynamics between characters. Draw arrows between characters to show emotional influences. Tip: Ensure your protagonist has multiple connections affecting and being affected by others emotionally. 5. Risk Melodrama Don’t shy away from big emotional moments, even at the risk of melodrama. Example: In Candles on Bay Street, the town honors a dying woman with a candlelight vigil, creating a deeply moving moment. Tip: It’s better to risk melodrama than leave readers indifferent. 5.1 The Emotional Work of the Writer The most important work in writing is self-reflection. Understand your own emotions, contradictions, and strongest feelings through introspection or therapy. Quote: “To create emotions on the page, you need a black belt in your own emotional state.” Conclusion The Emotional Craft of Fiction emphasizes that emotions are the heartbeat of a compelling story. By mastering the three modes of emotional evocation, avoiding common pitfalls, applying practical strategies, and delving into self-awareness, writers can craft stories that resonate deeply with readers.
create emotions ? some of the best emotions in people are suppressed emotions...people who suppress their emotions are people who we recognise as very emotional
Avoid mono-emotions. Thank you! In my writing I've been trying to lean into the things other media and Ai can't do as well, so that means I'm exploring my characters emotions. I like to keep in touch with them. It's also an easy way to tie them into earlier chapters. One character is still feeling guilt over a bad outcome from the previous chapter though it was several months ago and the other character who wasn't affected doesn't really care. It makes their interactions a little richer I think.
I'll give this book a read. Emotion is one of those things I struggle with conveying to the reader - though I have noticed an uptick of readers preferring being told what a character is feeling over going through the emotional states. Instead, I've taken to going through the emotional states, then adding a line (at the advice of my editor) that says: Maggy is sad. I feel terrible including the clear emotional statement only because it feels like I'm talking down to the reader. That said, I wonder to what point do we adapt our writing to new readers who prefer 500 word chapters, and shorter books, simple 'see spot run' style sentences. I think I'm thinking too hard on this, new writers will come in and their writing will resonate with the newer generation, leading to new styles of story telling. I should be focusing on the stories I love to read and the way I love to consume stories, and mimic those.
Maggy lowered her eyes, a tear ran down her cheek. The lesser word sentence of Maggy was sad, doesn't give the reader what you are seeing in your mind.
@@mahoganydoormadmindstories Thank you for attempting to clarify. However, I can write a simple sentence such as you pointed out - which i feel is sufficient in conveying that Maggy is sad. Yet I've noticed among readers that is not enough for them to understand that Maggie is in fact sad. Why? *shrug* I have long since taken a step back and just acknowledged that what's clear in my head, isn't always clear to the reader. Past editors have advised me to include the line 'Maggie is sad' or equivalent to reduce reader confusion. Now that I write this out, it might not be so much that Maggie is sad, but why is Maggie sad that's the real source of the confusion. But that's a whole other problem.
@@OldMooney I am no editor, but I know that Bookfox has said (more than once) that readers are smart & don't like having everything explained to them. "Maggie is sad," is so incredibly on the nose... But it depends on your target audience, I suppose. I (try to) write mostly mature grimdark fantasy targeted towards adults who can appreciate prose that is elevated over what most other authors in this niche genre typically write...they would hate if I told them flatly, "Maggie is sad." Your editor (possibly) knows what your target audience is looking for / expecting.
Then there is the other other mode. The one where readers have strong feelings, just totally different from what you intended. The flawed hero readers see as a villain. The morally grey act of violence you add to make your hero flawed only to find your bloothirsty readers cheer him on. The story can still work, even if it is a bit frustrating.
on this thing about emotion: i remember vividly the feeling of disgust for simply old people while reading Brave New World, such was the world built in my mind by the book. Ezra Pound would say poetry takes a few lines to create the same effect a piece of fiction would take 10 pages, though... and e.e. cummings said something about poetry being a form of embodiment of language. all of which is though simply ways to get that emotion to the reader. emotion that, in the words of Fernando Pessoa (v. "Autopsicografia") is never known what would be when it gets to the reader, for the reader feels something unique of them own, different from the emotions that made the writer write, different from what is actually written and read.
Funnily enough, one of my more recent story ideas involves a major character specifically being unable to feel emotions; a person to whom fear, sadness, anger, pleasure, pain etc are complete unknown on a person level and are only known intellectually. So, in a way, the advice on how to avoid pitfall #1 would constitute advice on how to get into a pitfall. Now, admittedly, there's a long difference between successfully achieving your goals and other people liking the fact that you did it; but we all know at least one story that tried to please everyone and ended up pleasing nobody, don't we.
An odd reaction to one of the things you highlighted: "from late 18th century: from Italian melodramma, from Greek melos ‘music’ + Italian dramma ‘drama’." A play where one breaks into song at key places, like an opera or a musical! Funny, but what could be more ridiculous than a scene, a touching scene perhaps, when one of the pair begins a love song. Hard to take, but some celebrated musicals are so pleasant to watch and hear, one endures the absurdities. I do not think melodrama IS melodrama unless it is detectable. Overacting is the hallmark of famous actors, but no one would accuse Merryl Streep or Spock of overacting! Ha!
How to write an emotionally stilted character? How do you have a character 'spill the beans' when that character refuses to admit any of that to themselves?
That character is likely haunted by some form of trauma, leading to such behavior. How do you make them spill the beans? Have them go back and confront that moment, so that they grow as a character and can, indeed, confront themselves on what they refused to admit before.
@@KnugLidi Not dealing with his emotion doesn't mean he doesn't have them, and it doesn't mean they don't shape his behavior. It just means he'll avoid them as much as he can. If you're gonna write him, you'll have to figure out how he does that, how that works for him, and how it doesn't.
Have a moment where the character does something irrational and unusual because of emotions that are hidden to other characters but have been discovered by the reader through context clues.
Read an interesting reaction in A Court of Thorns and Roses. In it, the MC taunts another person but a side character is describe has holding his hand up to his mouth. If this were a reaction to anything else it might seem different like a cough or a sneeze but considering it was a taunt, i saw the emotion as this side character was holding himself from laughing
I think this is one of the best channels about writing on TH-cam, if not the best. However, although I bought the book because of this video, I feel like the video could have included more examples of how books actually achieve this on the page. There are examples from movies, sure, but I would love to see how these tips are applied in the text itself, to have a more practical reference and avoid things feeling too vague, you know? I mean, a lot of what the book talks about I’ve also read in other books on writing. The difference is that this one focuses more on the emotional side of the craft. But to avoid making it seem like the book is just saying the same thing with different words, or advocating for methods that are even more abstract/vague than others (and, being honest, I find emotions difficult to understand and quantify), wouldn’t it be better to provide truly concrete examples of this? Things like this here, 4:57, is what I'm saying. Either way, great video!
The book had some helpful parts, but there are excerpts he uses that are graphic and immoral. Just a heads up for anyone interested in checking the book out.
Such great advice. For most of my life I’ve felt like I’ve had stories I want to write but at the same time I feel like a fraud because I have no idea what those stories are in the slightest. Any advice? Does this happen to others? Has what I’ve written here even made any sense?
"Best way to write emotions is to understand your own emotions." 😂😂😂😆😆😖😖😖😣😣😣😫😫😫😫😩😩😩😭😭😭😭😭😭 My alphabet soup of neuro-trash-ness is telling me "Good luck with that, Sucker!" 😭
This advice is fine as it goes, but it assumes too many things will be in place: i.e. the author has an interesting idea, compelling character, non-linear narrative, optimal outline, purposeful plot points, seductive setting, and tantalising theme. This is before considering the extra complexity required by the sci-fi / fantasy / alternate history genres: i.e. with synthetic science, mysterious magic, and credible conflicts creating context. A lot of the time new authors will be lucky enough to have what their consider to be an interesting idea (otherwise why write?), and then they will start working and write by the seat of their pants, perhaps following the advice of Stephen King in having some characters who are put through challenges and conflict and change as a result yielding a conclusion. Except what is more likely to happen to these new authors is that they go into their story blind and have a crisis mid way through the story as they can't either see what the ending will be, or the ending they wanted would require their characters to act out of character. Rather than remedy this by excising a whole character from the story and injecting into it another better suited to facilitating the desired dramatic denoument, which basically entails rewriting every word from scratch in what amounts to an entirely new book, it is more efficient and far less demoralising to not have to kill your brainchildren, because you never let them gestate into a malformed monstrosity unfit for your fiction. This is why it is important to recognise that the reader will encounter aspects of your fiction in the opposite order to how you ought to approach the fabulation of those same aspects. Let's just assume you successfully completed your novel, and got an editor, and an agent, and a publisher, and it ends up in many bookshops, and it is promoted, and it marketed with a cool cover, and it sells some copies (because your name is unknown, and you haven't won any major literary awards, and there is a lot of competition from big named award winning authors and the classics also on the shelves). You now rely on word of mouth, perhaps boosted through book clubs, but then friends can evangelise how excellent their last great read was to each other and come to be trusted to have similar subjective taste to their friends (which is of more utility than the jaded opinion of some pretentious literary critic).. This only happens if the novel in question had a dramatic denoument, that was a cathartic conclusion, and the reader had reason to think about the novel for days after they finished it, so they did not forget about it by the time they met with their friends for coffee.. Consequently, it makes sense to work backwards from this intended effect: i.e. and contrive a conclusion with the characters that it would need in the world that would need to exist to support that being a credible cathartic conclusion for at least one of those characters (usually the protagonist). This is where I prefer John Grisham's advice to Stephen King's as he advocates for having an optimal outline where the essential goals for each chapter are defined in only three sentences. He iterates through this lightweight structure many times so he knows how to credibly carry his characters through dramatic pinch points in the plots that can challenge them and force them through that conflict to change into how they need to be to be fit for a subsequent chapter. It doesn't have to be that Chapter 1 directly influences Chapter 2, only that Chapter N influences a subsequent Chapter M which could be the next one, or several chapters subsequent, or the last one. Obviously, this assumes a chronological narrative, so a non-linear presentation needs to take this outline of cause and effect plot points and make any mysteries arising from its garbled flashback/flashforward/memories/letters exposition capable of being made sense of by the end, if not of one book, then certainly by the final episode of a multi-part saga. This complicates storytelling considerably, and so is not recommended for new writers. A chronological narrative outline expressed as a chronological story with a causal chain of consequences arising from compelling characters changing as a result of challenging conflict which is optimised to accelerate its pacing towards the ending (by front loading all exposition prior to any midpoint, so you aren't stalling the final scene with some belated lore dump, and with lore/worldbuilding you need to know more than you reveal by following the Iceberg theory, not to procrastinate by having fun creating details of a world that won't be drawn upon by the telling of the story particularly more so than if it were set in an unremarkable contemporary world, but so you the author of what are basically lies can lie with such consummate ease and confidence that the reader will willingly suspend their disbelief as there is nothing unsure or suspicious to break their immersion and everything has a sense of verisimilitude and truth. This outline frees you from finding you don't know how to get to the final chapter as you write this chapter initially in reverse chapter order, and then beyond the start of the book to include chapters you need defining the biographies of your characters and the details of the setting/science/fiction/politics you need and chapters beyond that for the deep lore so you know how your fictional world originated, even if it doesn't come up in the book(s). You then write the final chapter from your outline and copious notes having deferred your prose and dialogue until you can't stand to delay it any further and feel 100% confident you know all the technical and structural and pacing and worldbuilding and characterisation questions, and are sure you have zero plot holes. This is where you are free to write this final chapter by the seat of your pants, with lots of latitude afforded to you in how you get your goals for that chapter that are three sentences in the outline completed. You then write the previous chapter. You then write the previous chapter. You keep this up until you are past where you intend your story to start - note: every book starts _in media res._ This is the first draft focused on fabulating from files of notes, diagrams, equations, illustrations, maps, conlangs, glyphs, biographies, ( fake) histories, etc. Don't fret about style, spelling, grammar or correct usage. As you wrote it backwards you haven't ever read it forwards. Now read it and keep a general note of all the high level flaws, pacing issues, and exposition creeping in past the midpoint. Do you come off as confident? What kind of storyteller were you? Could the exact same story be told better? How? Really analyse this. The second draft should NEVER BE AN EDIT OF THE FIRST IN A WORD PROCESSOR. This is lazy and will lead to cut&paste nonsense continuity errors where you think you had said something but it was moved later or deleted or cut but not pasted.. Unfortunately, to avoid this you will have to write the whole second draft from scratch, but can do so in the order in which it would be read.. The third draft should be in longhand to slow down your thought process and focus on the prose and giving each character a different voice in the dialogue so it doesn't all sound like the same person. Take care to keep things light and expedite matters so that a chapter can be read in one session and hook the reader into wanting to read the next balancing a sense of some intermediate conclusion of some cross Chapter cause and effect events, with more of a tease so the tease is not unrelenting to the point of annoyance.. What I mean by this is to not make every chapter drive the reader to compulsively read the next due to it ending on a cliffhanger. You need some chapters to feel that they were themselves the satifying conclusion to a story, perhaps by being the conclusion of a sub plot or minor side character's story arc. Without this you provide no "food" to sustain the reader on their long journey from set up to pay of and from the speculative to the profound on the underlying thematic argument level. Where theme is the secret _modus operandi_ for why the author is writing their story, as it is (perhaps subconciously) what it all means to them (when they get a handle on what their subsconcious concern were with the Art they had in drafts they didn't understand revealed their moral/philosophical/political concerns (or just an obsession with etiquette).
You mean "Experience." Emotions are cheap and second hand reactions. They come from part of the brain that is reactionary, judgemental, and maybe corrupt. Experience is vastly greater than emotion.
I remain unhappy with the English translation of the opening line of The Stranger. Nothing quite works for “maman.” “Mommy” is too childish, “ma” sounds too doltish. But “mother” is too emotionless and has an even worse impact on the story than either of those.
Good summary of the book's main points. The book is focussed around a set of exercises which get . These are useful but get a bit repetitive; and overlap so it's difficult to see how they apply at different scales and where you might employ them beyond learning exercises in the drafting of a work. Also ends up a bit God and apple pie at the end, but then he is Amerikan.
King's book sucks. Its not helpful at all to new writers. It only tells the reader how he does it and not how it can and should be done. Larry Brooks' book, Story Engineering, is far better for new and old writers alike.
Nice to see another writer who doesn’t hold On Writing on a pedestal. It isn’t a writing craft book; it’s a memoir. Great reading if you’re a King fan, but I’d never recommend it to someone as an instructive book.
Personally I like Chuck Palahniuk's 'Consider This' way more. It's also part memoir, but Palahniuk gives actual good advice pertaining to the writing itself, which weirdly, you don't actually get too much from books about writing.
It's probably just me, but I find heavily emotional novels or even scenes boring. I'm more interested in ideas and events. That's not to say the characters should be emotionless, but it should definitely be a sub theme, or I start skipping.
Thanks for actually telling us how to do things and not just that we should be. You’re one of the best writing channels for actual improvement
I appreciate that! I'm certainly doing my best.
This.
Your teaching/communication and subject matter are honestly some of the best, most valuable content I've found on TH-cam
I can’t agree more.
Thanks so much! Glad I could help you along the journey.
Hard agree. Thank you so much for your videos!
Right now I’m reading Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, and one thing that’s really stood out to me in the book is the portrayal of emotions. Scarlett’s emotions feel so real, Mitchell portrays those difficult, confusing teenage emotions perfectly. 🤩
Spoiler Alert: The narrative at the end as Scarlett contemplates the profound role of Melanie in her own life is moving prose at its best.
13:00 -- the whole town coming out to hold lit candles that she sold them? I wouldn't consider that melodramatic at all. I think that's tear-jerkingly beautiful, but still well within the realm of being realistic.
It's like the ending of "It's a Wonderful Life", where the whole town of Bedford Falls shows up to help George Bailey after all of the things he did and you hear the bell rings signifying that Clarence finally got his wings.
Me neither. Maybe cheese, but not melodramatic. But it's a celebration; you can afford the cheese. I find most personal celebrations to be cheesy, but that's what gives it emotion. People committing to being cheesy for the sake of someone else, because it's worth it.
wow. I've been watching writing videos on youtube for a year now, and applying them to my writing as best I can. But this video just struck a chord with me. I think its the missing piece in a lot of my writing. Thanks so much!
Awesome to hear that!
As much as I agree wit the notion that there should be emotional up and downs, but I think they should not always just oscillate between two poles, since that would become predictable, when sometimes something going bad followed by something much much worse to break the expectations that something good should happen now and thus making it much more impactful.
Oh what a great addition, I certainly agree that there should be a high point and low point, though not in a cyclic high point low point fashion. I sort of believe we should deserve the high points and the lowpoint are essencially reflections of character flaws.
And having a few good things happen in a row can make the eventual bad thing (especially if it’s really bad) even more devastating.
I would say it can help to think of emotions as not just positive and negative but extremes in different directions.
It's easy for people to think of depression as a low, but mania which can be viewed as the opposite of depression isn't necessarily a high point.
Our emotions can be complicated with highs and lows at the same time.
Like that moment before a vacation when you're both aware of how good a time you're going to have and how quickly it's going to be over and you're going to be back.
This is what I was thinking as well. But it's also a bit of what he implied, in that emotional swings should break expectations. Set up expectations, and break them. Though that doesn't apply to everything, since you shouldn't break promises you make, which can overlap with expectations.
I love to set my readers on an emotional roller coaster.
Years ago, someone asked, "How do you show emotion in your work?"
My answer, I must lay my beating heart before you, and open up my word for all to see. Knowing you may trample it in rejection, but honesty alone will set me free. Walk softly where I open myself to you, for I reveal my hopes and fears and dreams. Go past the bright facade I show to others, to where my life is tearing open at the seams.
A good example of alternating bad things and good things is every sad character backstory in One Piece. Oda basically starts every tragic character with a sad childhood, and then they experience something good and positive, but then that thing gets crushed and they're left off worse than before, until the present day when they triumph over their past.
There had to be a point where it's just mentally exhausting to conceive right? Just doing the same thing over and over. He write a morally irredeemable person then the next day tell us to sympathize with them cause boohoo sad backstory
There's a book called The Gilded Nexus of Prosperity, and it talks about how using some secret techniques you can attract a lot of money, it's not some bullshit law of attraction, it's the real deal
I downloaded that book yesterday, and after five minutes of reading, I had to take a shower because my mind was blown away.. It's terrible how the elite are hiding the truth from us about gaining wealth
I used some techniques from that book to make money, and I can truly say I'm earning more now
This is my go-to channel for finding books and other resources on writing. Bookfox has his own pool of knowledge, but also shows us what tons of other writers are saying as well while giving them full credit for it. It's exactly what I was looking for 🎉
Keep up the good work sir.
Thank you! Happy to draw from the great pool of wisdom as well as contribute some of my own ideas.
The clarity of your teaching style is so easy for me to digest and use in my writing praxis! I always come away with at least one thing I can immediately try or apply.
Probably one of your best ones honestly
This is by far the most helpful content I’ve watched about writing. So tired of hearing the same advice that we get washed up by technical stuff, when telling stories at the end of the day is all about making someone relate and feel anything and think about things. Thank you! ❤
This spoke to me on so many levels! I always always always start my writing (novels, short stories, poems, whatever) with emotions and vibes. I actually struggle with plotting because everything is being driven by raw emotion rather than external factors. I also use personal writing/journaling to process my own emotions, which I feel really helps strengthen my fictional works! I will definitely be ordering the book you linked, and I would love more videos in this same vein. For example, taking those emotional outlines and hooks and translating them to plot structures, that is where I always go sideways!
Your presentations are always helpful, and worth watching more than once. I appreciate how you detail writing craft concepts with clear examples, and show pros and cons. I have definitely read novels where 'things just happen plot-wise', but I don't feel that bond with the character(s). There are others where I might think about them for weeks after I've finished the book.
This feels so valuable, as any of your other videos tbh
It feels totally like what I needed
12:43 i think you're right, because just hearing it made me cry.
Thanks for this video! It gave me, midway through, the inspiration for the stakes, theme and resolutions for the project that I’m working on!
This is some of the best advice on writing I have come across on TH-cam. Thank you!
The Emotion Thesaurus is an amazing resource for physical responses that align with emotions- written by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi
I’ve had this book for years. Thanks for this revisit and reminder of how good it is. The emotional arrows and character changes is a brilliant method.
Whenever I watch your videos I feel reassured about my book. That settles it: It's a masterpiece!
A few years ago (2018 or 2019) I went to a day long workshop by Maas on this very topic and it was one of the best things I ever did for my writing. I still refer to the notes I took that day. I didn't realize it was a book. I will have to pick it up ASAP. Great video!
Donald Maas is indeed fantastic. He's written two other books that I've used to improve my writing and always recommend to authors looking to improve their fiction.
The one that got me into him is called "Writing the Breakout Novel" (which has a workbook you can use) where he talks about what makes popular fiction sell and some of the tips he gives have made my writing much stronger.
The other one I use is "The Fire in Fiction" where he talks about the basic blocks of fiction (characters, plot, dialogue, conflict, theme, etc) that authors stumble over and how to make your writing stronger.
Even if your intention isn't to write the next Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings or whatever, I've found his books very helpful in tightening my writing.
Yeah, Writing the Breakout Novel is great (and so is the workbook). Haven't read his Fire in Fiction book -- I'll check that out.
@@Bookfox Hey Ma! I'm famous!
In all seriousness though, I do hope you enjoy "The Fire in Fiction" and find it as useful as I have.
Enjoy your examples. It's the best way for me to learn. For me, the best books on writing are those which show examples of bad writing and how to fix it. Where it went wrong and how to turn it into good writing. Real world examples. Thanks and keep up the great work.
I like this channel because it gives advice I haven't gotten elsewhere, and I can see it implemented in my writing right away. Hope 2025 brings the attention you and this channel deserve.
I LOVE Donald Maas's books. I think all of his books should be must-reads.
Yet again, thanks so much for your valued input.
I'm a huge fan of Maass, and you explain his book almost better than he does!
Great video. Definitely gonna flag this one to re-watch. One thing I might do to get in better touch with emotions is in my "nightly pages" (10 min of free writing every night) pick an emotion and riff on it, including recounting times when I felt that emotion intensely.
Good strategy mayfly, thanks for sharing!
I started writing after I fell ill (which ended up being chronic) and in the first part of my book I could really put my story of dealing with illness into it because my main character was locked up and feeling trapped inside his body. But after he escaped the building he was locked in I found it hard to write. Soon I discovered it was because I was writing event after event, but hadn't plotted out anything on emotional level. Once I started doing that, I loved to write again
Thanks for the video. I think you captured something that I had been thinking, but couldn't put into words.
Really great advice. The examples are so helpful for illustrating how to use these techniques as well.
Your teaching videos are helping me to better craft and explain the deeper messages from my "dream drawings" (done in colored pencil), which I plan to sell online. Thank you!
I wish you success Tony!
The zig-zag thing you mentioned reminded me of the book Anatomy of a Bestseller, where some businessmen plugged the entire text of best-selling books into an algorithm to try and see what they had in common. Eventually they decided to try Fifty Shades of Grey, because they all agreed that the book is terrible and that they didn’t understand why it was a bestseller 😂 What they found was that what it DID have in common with bestsellers was the zigzag. Things would be great (or framed as great), and then they would be absolutely horrible. Repeat. So any readers who somehow weren’t put off by the relationship were kept hooked. Proof that even if a story is bad, if it’s successful, someone was doing something right.
I totally agree about The Emotional Craft of Fiction, such a great read. I personally got it from Writer's Digest, not Amazon, so maybe its buyers are more spread out - shop wise - compared to other books on the topic.
1. The Core Idea
Connecting with readers happens through emotions, not just plot, characters, or writing quality. A writer’s goal is to make readers experience their own emotional journeys, as emotions are the essence of fiction.
2. Three Ways to Evoke Emotions
2.1. Inner Mode
Convey emotions directly by telling readers what the characters feel.
Example: “She had been sad earlier, but now she felt happy.”
While simple, it’s a common technique for beginner writers and can still effectively create intimacy and vulnerability.
2.2 Outer Mode
Show emotions through the characters’ actions, letting readers infer what they’re feeling.
Example: John Wick smashing his basement floor with a sledgehammer conveys his rage without a single word.
This is the most effective and widely used mode.
Pro Tip: List the character’s emotions and corresponding actions to portray them visually.
2.3. Other Mode
Make readers feel something different from what the characters feel.
Example: Life is Beautiful contrasts the protagonist’s optimism with the horrors of the Holocaust.
This advanced technique is rare but deeply impactful when executed well.
3. Common Pitfalls to Avoid
3.1. Lack of Intimacy
Characters must be emotionally vulnerable and open with readers.
Example: In The Fault in Our Stars, Hazel shares her feelings directly, creating a strong bond with the audience.
Tip: Include moments where characters "spill the beans" and reveal their deepest emotions.
3.2. Mono-Emotions
Don’t focus on a single emotion (e.g., fear in horror or love in romance).
Incorporate small emotions like boredom or melancholy to add realism and prepare readers for major emotional shifts.
3.3. Overuse of Negative Emotions
Balance dramatic emotions like anger and fear with positive ones like kindness and forgiveness.
Examples: Katniss volunteering as tribute (The Hunger Games) or hiding a Jewish man in The Book Thief.
Positive emotions provide contrast and give readers room to breathe.
4. Five Strategies to Deepen Emotional Impact
4.1. Emotional Plot
Focus on emotional conflicts, not just external events.
Example: In Die Hard, John McClane’s estranged relationship with his wife adds emotional stakes.
Tip: Treat plot events as opportunities for emotional growth.
4.2. Emotional Hook
Engage readers emotionally from the start.
Example: The Stranger begins with, “Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday.”
Introduce emotional friction early to intrigue readers.
4.3. Emotional Rollercoaster
Alternate emotional highs and lows to maintain reader engagement.
Example: The Red Wedding in Game of Thrones shocks after moments of hope and celebration.
Tip: Balance positive and negative events to heighten emotional contrast.
4.4. Emotional Mapping
Map the emotional dynamics between characters.
Draw arrows between characters to show emotional influences.
Tip: Ensure your protagonist has multiple connections affecting and being affected by others emotionally.
5. Risk Melodrama
Don’t shy away from big emotional moments, even at the risk of melodrama.
Example: In Candles on Bay Street, the town honors a dying woman with a candlelight vigil, creating a deeply moving moment.
Tip: It’s better to risk melodrama than leave readers indifferent.
5.1 The Emotional Work of the Writer
The most important work in writing is self-reflection. Understand your own emotions, contradictions, and strongest feelings through introspection or therapy.
Quote: “To create emotions on the page, you need a black belt in your own emotional state.”
Conclusion
The Emotional Craft of Fiction emphasizes that emotions are the heartbeat of a compelling story. By mastering the three modes of emotional evocation, avoiding common pitfalls, applying practical strategies, and delving into self-awareness, writers can craft stories that resonate deeply with readers.
create emotions ? some of the best emotions in people are suppressed emotions...people who suppress their emotions are people who we recognise as very emotional
Avoid mono-emotions. Thank you! In my writing I've been trying to lean into the things other media and Ai can't do as well, so that means I'm exploring my characters emotions. I like to keep in touch with them. It's also an easy way to tie them into earlier chapters. One character is still feeling guilt over a bad outcome from the previous chapter though it was several months ago and the other character who wasn't affected doesn't really care. It makes their interactions a little richer I think.
I'll give this book a read. Emotion is one of those things I struggle with conveying to the reader - though I have noticed an uptick of readers preferring being told what a character is feeling over going through the emotional states. Instead, I've taken to going through the emotional states, then adding a line (at the advice of my editor) that says: Maggy is sad. I feel terrible including the clear emotional statement only because it feels like I'm talking down to the reader. That said, I wonder to what point do we adapt our writing to new readers who prefer 500 word chapters, and shorter books, simple 'see spot run' style sentences. I think I'm thinking too hard on this, new writers will come in and their writing will resonate with the newer generation, leading to new styles of story telling. I should be focusing on the stories I love to read and the way I love to consume stories, and mimic those.
Maggy lowered her eyes, a tear ran down her cheek. The lesser word sentence of Maggy was sad, doesn't give the reader what you are seeing in your mind.
@@mahoganydoormadmindstories Thank you for attempting to clarify. However, I can write a simple sentence such as you pointed out - which i feel is sufficient in conveying that Maggy is sad. Yet I've noticed among readers that is not enough for them to understand that Maggie is in fact sad. Why? *shrug* I have long since taken a step back and just acknowledged that what's clear in my head, isn't always clear to the reader. Past editors have advised me to include the line 'Maggie is sad' or equivalent to reduce reader confusion.
Now that I write this out, it might not be so much that Maggie is sad, but why is Maggie sad that's the real source of the confusion. But that's a whole other problem.
@@OldMooney I am no editor, but I know that Bookfox has said (more than once) that readers are smart & don't like having everything explained to them. "Maggie is sad," is so incredibly on the nose...
But it depends on your target audience, I suppose. I (try to) write mostly mature grimdark fantasy targeted towards adults who can appreciate prose that is elevated over what most other authors in this niche genre typically write...they would hate if I told them flatly, "Maggie is sad."
Your editor (possibly) knows what your target audience is looking for / expecting.
Top tier video. Thank you!!
Fantastic video as always. I especially like your encouragement to RISK melodrama (or worse) to get that emotion from the reader =)
Then there is the other other mode. The one where readers have strong feelings, just totally different from what you intended. The flawed hero readers see as a villain. The morally grey act of violence you add to make your hero flawed only to find your bloothirsty readers cheer him on. The story can still work, even if it is a bit frustrating.
Top tier video. Thank you, sir!
Thanks Teach! 👋
This is mega important, thank you very much. ❤
on this thing about emotion: i remember vividly the feeling of disgust for simply old people while reading Brave New World, such was the world built in my mind by the book. Ezra Pound would say poetry takes a few lines to create the same effect a piece of fiction would take 10 pages, though... and e.e. cummings said something about poetry being a form of embodiment of language. all of which is though simply ways to get that emotion to the reader. emotion that, in the words of Fernando Pessoa (v. "Autopsicografia") is never known what would be when it gets to the reader, for the reader feels something unique of them own, different from the emotions that made the writer write, different from what is actually written and read.
Funnily enough, one of my more recent story ideas involves a major character specifically being unable to feel emotions; a person to whom fear, sadness, anger, pleasure, pain etc are complete unknown on a person level and are only known intellectually. So, in a way, the advice on how to avoid pitfall #1 would constitute advice on how to get into a pitfall.
Now, admittedly, there's a long difference between successfully achieving your goals and other people liking the fact that you did it; but we all know at least one story that tried to please everyone and ended up pleasing nobody, don't we.
An odd reaction to one of the things you highlighted: "from late 18th century: from Italian melodramma, from Greek melos ‘music’ + Italian dramma ‘drama’."
A play where one breaks into song at key places, like an opera or a musical! Funny, but what could be more ridiculous than a scene, a touching scene perhaps, when one of the pair begins a love song. Hard to take, but some celebrated musicals are so pleasant to watch and hear, one endures the absurdities. I do not think melodrama IS melodrama unless it is detectable. Overacting is the hallmark of famous actors, but no one would accuse Merryl Streep or Spock of overacting! Ha!
Soo helpful, thank you. My favorite topic 👍🏼
This is so good! Def getting the book
Fantastic video! Thank you! I also bought the book.
Great video, thank you
How to write an emotionally stilted character? How do you have a character 'spill the beans' when that character refuses to admit any of that to themselves?
That character is likely haunted by some form of trauma, leading to such behavior. How do you make them spill the beans? Have them go back and confront that moment, so that they grow as a character and can, indeed, confront themselves on what they refused to admit before.
That's your homework for this week.
@@BazColne I don't think so. Not dealing with his emotions are make him what he is. Getting that character to emote, ruins the character.
@@KnugLidi Not dealing with his emotion doesn't mean he doesn't have them, and it doesn't mean they don't shape his behavior. It just means he'll avoid them as much as he can.
If you're gonna write him, you'll have to figure out how he does that, how that works for him, and how it doesn't.
Have a moment where the character does something irrational and unusual because of emotions that are hidden to other characters but have been discovered by the reader through context clues.
Thank you! I just downloaded the book
Hope you like it!
Your latest videos have been hitting
This video helped me so much thank you
You're such a great teacher. I wish I could Like each one of your videos more than once.
Wow, thank you! Glad they've been helping you!
Read an interesting reaction in A Court of Thorns and Roses. In it, the MC taunts another person but a side character is describe has holding his hand up to his mouth. If this were a reaction to anything else it might seem different like a cough or a sneeze but considering it was a taunt, i saw the emotion as this side character was holding himself from laughing
I DIDNT know what was playing and literally thought I was listening to a random news segment ab writing??? 😂
What a useful video!
I love your videos
Thank you!
I’m reading The Emotional Craft of Fiction right now! It… hasn’t quite connected with me yet, though.
I think this is one of the best channels about writing on TH-cam, if not the best. However, although I bought the book because of this video, I feel like the video could have included more examples of how books actually achieve this on the page. There are examples from movies, sure, but I would love to see how these tips are applied in the text itself, to have a more practical reference and avoid things feeling too vague, you know? I mean, a lot of what the book talks about I’ve also read in other books on writing. The difference is that this one focuses more on the emotional side of the craft. But to avoid making it seem like the book is just saying the same thing with different words, or advocating for methods that are even more abstract/vague than others (and, being honest, I find emotions difficult to understand and quantify), wouldn’t it be better to provide truly concrete examples of this? Things like this here, 4:57, is what I'm saying. Either way, great video!
Appreciate the kind words, and thanks for the feedback. I'll consider that for future videos.
I read thay book, and yes, it's good
DIEHARD IS NOT A CHRISTMAS MOVIE AHHHH
The book had some helpful parts, but there are excerpts he uses that are graphic and immoral.
Just a heads up for anyone interested in checking the book out.
Very interesting and helpful, thank you! 😊
Totally unrelated, but I would love to know where I can buy that swirling lamp in the background. 🤩
Could you make a compilation of your short videos? Thanks!
So make sure they want to make fan fiction?
Such great advice. For most of my life I’ve felt like I’ve had stories I want to write but at the same time I feel like a fraud because I have no idea what those stories are in the slightest. Any advice? Does this happen to others? Has what I’ve written here even made any sense?
"Best way to write emotions is to understand your own emotions."
😂😂😂😆😆😖😖😖😣😣😣😫😫😫😫😩😩😩😭😭😭😭😭😭
My alphabet soup of neuro-trash-ness is telling me "Good luck with that, Sucker!" 😭
This advice is fine as it goes, but it assumes too many things will be in place: i.e. the author has an interesting idea, compelling character, non-linear narrative, optimal outline, purposeful plot points, seductive setting, and tantalising theme. This is before considering the extra complexity required by the sci-fi / fantasy / alternate history genres: i.e. with synthetic science, mysterious magic, and credible conflicts creating context. A lot of the time new authors will be lucky enough to have what their consider to be an interesting idea (otherwise why write?), and then they will start working and write by the seat of their pants, perhaps following the advice of Stephen King in having some characters who are put through challenges and conflict and change as a result yielding a conclusion. Except what is more likely to happen to these new authors is that they go into their story blind and have a crisis mid way through the story as they can't either see what the ending will be, or the ending they wanted would require their characters to act out of character. Rather than remedy this by excising a whole character from the story and injecting into it another better suited to facilitating the desired dramatic denoument, which basically entails rewriting every word from scratch in what amounts to an entirely new book, it is more efficient and far less demoralising to not have to kill your brainchildren, because you never let them gestate into a malformed monstrosity unfit for your fiction. This is why it is important to recognise that the reader will encounter aspects of your fiction in the opposite order to how you ought to approach the fabulation of those same aspects. Let's just assume you successfully completed your novel, and got an editor, and an agent, and a publisher, and it ends up in many bookshops, and it is promoted, and it marketed with a cool cover, and it sells some copies (because your name is unknown, and you haven't won any major literary awards, and there is a lot of competition from big named award winning authors and the classics also on the shelves). You now rely on word of mouth, perhaps boosted through book clubs, but then friends can evangelise how excellent their last great read was to each other and come to be trusted to have similar subjective taste to their friends (which is of more utility than the jaded opinion of some pretentious literary critic).. This only happens if the novel in question had a dramatic denoument, that was a cathartic conclusion, and the reader had reason to think about the novel for days after they finished it, so they did not forget about it by the time they met with their friends for coffee..
Consequently, it makes sense to work backwards from this intended effect: i.e. and contrive a conclusion with the characters that it would need in the world that would need to exist to support that being a credible cathartic conclusion for at least one of those characters (usually the protagonist). This is where I prefer John Grisham's advice to Stephen King's as he advocates for having an optimal outline where the essential goals for each chapter are defined in only three sentences. He iterates through this lightweight structure many times so he knows how to credibly carry his characters through dramatic pinch points in the plots that can challenge them and force them through that conflict to change into how they need to be to be fit for a subsequent chapter. It doesn't have to be that Chapter 1 directly influences Chapter 2, only that Chapter N influences a subsequent Chapter M which could be the next one, or several chapters subsequent, or the last one. Obviously, this assumes a chronological narrative, so a non-linear presentation needs to take this outline of cause and effect plot points and make any mysteries arising from its garbled flashback/flashforward/memories/letters exposition capable of being made sense of by the end, if not of one book, then certainly by the final episode of a multi-part saga. This complicates storytelling considerably, and so is not recommended for new writers. A chronological narrative outline expressed as a chronological story with a causal chain of consequences arising from compelling characters changing as a result of challenging conflict which is optimised to accelerate its pacing towards the ending (by front loading all exposition prior to any midpoint, so you aren't stalling the final scene with some belated lore dump, and with lore/worldbuilding you need to know more than you reveal by following the Iceberg theory, not to procrastinate by having fun creating details of a world that won't be drawn upon by the telling of the story particularly more so than if it were set in an unremarkable contemporary world, but so you the author of what are basically lies can lie with such consummate ease and confidence that the reader will willingly suspend their disbelief as there is nothing unsure or suspicious to break their immersion and everything has a sense of verisimilitude and truth.
This outline frees you from finding you don't know how to get to the final chapter as you write this chapter initially in reverse chapter order, and then beyond the start of the book to include chapters you need defining the biographies of your characters and the details of the setting/science/fiction/politics you need and chapters beyond that for the deep lore so you know how your fictional world originated, even if it doesn't come up in the book(s).
You then write the final chapter from your outline and copious notes having deferred your prose and dialogue until you can't stand to delay it any further and feel 100% confident you know all the technical and structural and pacing and worldbuilding and characterisation questions, and are sure you have zero plot holes. This is where you are free to write this final chapter by the seat of your pants, with lots of latitude afforded to you in how you get your goals for that chapter that are three sentences in the outline completed.
You then write the previous chapter.
You then write the previous chapter.
You keep this up until you are past where you intend your story to start - note: every book starts _in media res._
This is the first draft focused on fabulating from files of notes, diagrams, equations, illustrations, maps, conlangs, glyphs, biographies, ( fake) histories, etc. Don't fret about style, spelling, grammar or correct usage. As you wrote it backwards you haven't ever read it forwards. Now read it and keep a general note of all the high level flaws, pacing issues, and exposition creeping in past the midpoint. Do you come off as confident? What kind of storyteller were you? Could the exact same story be told better? How? Really analyse this.
The second draft should NEVER BE AN EDIT OF THE FIRST IN A WORD PROCESSOR. This is lazy and will lead to cut&paste nonsense continuity errors where you think you had said something but it was moved later or deleted or cut but not pasted.. Unfortunately, to avoid this you will have to write the whole second draft from scratch, but can do so in the order in which it would be read..
The third draft should be in longhand to slow down your thought process and focus on the prose and giving each character a different voice in the dialogue so it doesn't all sound like the same person. Take care to keep things light and expedite matters so that a chapter can be read in one session and hook the reader into wanting to read the next balancing a sense of some intermediate conclusion of some cross Chapter cause and effect events, with more of a tease so the tease is not unrelenting to the point of annoyance.. What I mean by this is to not make every chapter drive the reader to compulsively read the next due to it ending on a cliffhanger. You need some chapters to feel that they were themselves the satifying conclusion to a story, perhaps by being the conclusion of a sub plot or minor side character's story arc. Without this you provide no "food" to sustain the reader on their long journey from set up to pay of and from the speculative to the profound on the underlying thematic argument level. Where theme is the secret _modus operandi_ for why the author is writing their story, as it is (perhaps subconciously) what it all means to them (when they get a handle on what their subsconcious concern were with the Art they had in drafts they didn't understand revealed their moral/philosophical/political concerns (or just an obsession with etiquette).
You mean "Experience." Emotions are cheap and second hand reactions. They come from part of the brain that is reactionary, judgemental, and maybe corrupt. Experience is vastly greater than emotion.
-An idea you formulated in your 🤓-ah brain.
It would be cool for you to make an outro
That's an excellent book, I love the exercises to write emotion ❤
Bird by bird is a good read, but is useless as far as teaching craft goes.
I remain unhappy with the English translation of the opening line of The Stranger. Nothing quite works for “maman.” “Mommy” is too childish, “ma” sounds too doltish. But “mother” is too emotionless and has an even worse impact on the story than either of those.
Which translation did you read?
Why not "mom"? Sounds affectionate enough without being as childish as "mommy"
Mama maybe works better.
Good summary of the book's main points. The book is focussed around a set of exercises which get . These are useful but get a bit repetitive; and overlap so it's difficult to see how they apply at different scales and where you might employ them beyond learning exercises in the drafting of a work. Also ends up a bit God and apple pie at the end, but then he is Amerikan.
an hour ago is crazy
King's book sucks. Its not helpful at all to new writers. It only tells the reader how he does it and not how it can and should be done. Larry Brooks' book, Story Engineering, is far better for new and old writers alike.
Nice to see another writer who doesn’t hold On Writing on a pedestal. It isn’t a writing craft book; it’s a memoir. Great reading if you’re a King fan, but I’d never recommend it to someone as an instructive book.
'I'm finally going to be told how to write gooder ...BY STEVE KING.
Oh wait - I'm still an unpublished nobody? FYou Stephen King! Your book sucks!'
🙄
@@rickdavis2464 I've only published 8 books so far with two new ones in progress, so what do I know?
Personally I like Chuck Palahniuk's 'Consider This' way more. It's also part memoir, but Palahniuk gives actual good advice pertaining to the writing itself, which weirdly, you don't actually get too much from books about writing.
@rickdavis2464 the OP is right. King doesn't actually say much on how to craft the writing itself. Why are you getting all uppity?
First comment?
(Found this on accident, oops)
It's probably just me, but I find heavily emotional novels or even scenes boring. I'm more interested in ideas and events. That's not to say the characters should be emotionless, but it should definitely be a sub theme, or I start skipping.