All the Feelings: Bringing Emotion Into Your Personal Story

Oh, Nantucket – was a collaboration with Peter M. Browne and Mark Graham Communications

Consider the last book—or movie, song, or other narrative content—that brought up strong emotions in you. Maybe a tear formed at the corner of your eye as you listened to a singer croon about his children growing up. Perhaps you felt genuine anger for the main character in a novel as you read a scene between the character and her overbearing, abusive boss. In a darkened movie theater, you might have put your hands over your eyes, heart racing, as you watched the killer draw near the next victim.

If you’ve felt such emotions, then the creators of these works did their jobs. When a story brings up strong emotions, the audience is much less likely to tune out. We’re held captive by our emotions, and the last thing we’re going to do is shut the book, turn off the radio, or walk out of the movie theater.

For novelists, memoirists, and even those writing nonfiction such as business or personal growth books, emotion is key to engaging and retaining readers. If you’re not convinced, think about the last dry, factual textbook you had to read for a class. Even if it was decades ago, you likely remember the experience: looking ahead not because you’re eager to discover what comes next, but rather to know how many more pages you need to drag yourself through before you’ve finished your required reading for the night.

Textbook authors are required to lay out the facts, and nothing but the facts—but for authors of other types of books, the possibilities when you tap into emotion in your writing are endless. Not only do you want readers to feel the “big” feels—thrills, rage, heartache—but you also want to include emotional resonance in the small moments that make the overall narrative memorable.

Not sure how to do it? Here are some ideas:

  • Determine what you want readers to feel. Different books bring up different emotions. In memoirs, readers want to feel the emotions that you (as the subject of your own book) were feeling. To tap into that, recall what the experience brought out in you. How did you feel when you went through it? As a memoirist, you want readers to feel that, too. In contrast, if you’re writing a business book and using a story to make your advice more engaging, you likely want readers to feel inspired and empowered to take the next steps in their own careers or entrepreneurial endeavors.
  • Avoid “reporter-style” language. While it’s important to get the facts down, particularly in a first draft, expanding this factual-style language in later drafts to include emotional details that resonate with readers will go a long way toward making your book memorable. In business and personal growth books, factual content can be balanced with periodic storytelling-style content to keep readers engaged.
  • Use your senses. Details that involve the five senses put readers emotionally into a scene. While describing what can be seen with the eye is most common, don’t neglect the other senses. Air conditioning that sends a chill along a patient’s bare arm in a doctor’s office when bad news is conveyed, for example, can bring up the same feeling in a reader.

If you’re struggling to get the emotions right in your book, you’re not alone. This is an area in which many writers are challenged. Fortunately, help is available. An experienced editor or ghostwriter can help you flesh out the details in your story and ensure that emotional connections are integral to the narrative. To learn more about how an editor or ghostwriter can help you, please get in touch. We’d love to hear about your story, chat about where you are in the process, and determine how we can be of assistance.