Evoking Emotion

Readers pick up nonfiction books to learn something. They pick up novels to feel something: love, fear, joy, grief, elation, frustration, happiness, desperation, anger, despair, determination . . . or all of the above. We write novels to give readers a vicarious emotional experience. They want to weep when our characters weep and rejoice when they rejoice. Most of all, readers want to learn what our characters learn--a memorable lesson to enrich their lives. Angela Hunt explains how novelists can do all of those things and she reveals specific techniques we can use to evoke emotion in the reader. These Writing Lessons, Hunt says, "are brief for a reason—I don’t want you to spend most of your time reading how-to books. I will give you what you need so you can put what you’ve learned into practice. That’s the best way to improve." Enjoy this writing lesson for a fraction of the cost of attending one of Angela's writing classes--your writing will never be the same.