This weekend was a whirlwind of emotion in my house. Friday was a late graduation/going away party for my oldest who leaves for college next weekend. It was a reminder that she'll be moving forward with her life and leaving the nest soon. Saturday was a whirlwind shopping spree for back-to-school clothes and items for her and my middle daughter that left me drained and broke. And today was filled with teenage drama and upset as said middle daughter broke up with her first boyfriend.
Needless to say, it's been a roller coaster in our household the past few days. So, I figured why not talk about emotion in this week's blog. Emotion is more important than you might think in writing. Not only do the characters experience a range of emotions, the authors vicariously feel them as they develop their scenes, and the readers suffer the highs and lows that the characters are taken through. A good book can leave one in tears, anger, and joy. A bit of emotional whiplash for lack of a better word.
As I write, I take on the emotions of my characters. When they're happy, you can see my smile; when they're sad, my tears. As I was writing Submerged, the most emotion-filled book on many counts, I would often emerge from my writing sessions irritable and down. The intensity of what Violissa and Sinow were experiencing was too heavy for me to walk away unscathed. As writers, our characters and their story are a part of us. It's as if we are watching our friends or family suffer and it can be very difficult if you're an empath like myself.
That said, when writing a blissful scene, life is peachy. My spirits are lifted, my family is happy that I'm not grumpy, and my characters are happy that they're not suffering for the moment. Like life, books have their ups and downs. We love them, we hate them, we turn the next page to find out what's going to happen next.
I'm hopeful the emotions in my house will calm a bit, just as the emotions of my characters have lately. If not, there's always time for a peaceful walk and some much needed "me time".
Until next time...