Always Write from the Heart
Many writers tell me they have difficulty expressing powerful emotions in their writing.
They assume that revealing these raw and visceral thoughts will make them come across as crude or uncivilized. Or drawing from painful memories makes them appear insecure and weak.
These assumptions are incorrect. Being candid can give life to your fiction and make readers connect with you more than when you dance on the emotional surface or omit crucial information from personal descriptions.
Always try to be open
...especially in your first drafts, you can always edit out whatever you don't need later. Not only will this add more depth to your writing, but it may even help you feel better afterward.
There are many reasons people like to read. It is entertaining, and it is a way to escape the ordinary. But reading, especially something written well that is open, vulnerable, and honest, can be incredibly healing for the reader.
In that act of reading, they too can feel a cathartic release, see an example of how to solve their own complex problem, find a role model to follow, and renew their hope.
An excellent writer owes it to their readers to be as human as possible.
A very common exercise I gave to my therapy clients back in the day was to have them keep a journal.
It was a useful tool for any client struggling to identify times when they were having the most difficulties with their emotions. Or it was a safe outlet for them to express something truly painful or traumatic.
I’m not suggesting you go this far, but I know that when I’ve written about bad things that have happened to me, or that I have done, I felt better.
It is healing to offload unnecessary baggage that might be subconsciously clogging the creative processes.
Go on, take a chance. Write the most terrible thing you’ve ever done. Include everything. How you felt. Why you did it. Describe the physical sensations you experienced before, during, and since.
You don’t have to show it to anyone.
I have done this exercise a few times and sometimes shared the results with a friend or family member. They often said that it was a good way for them to understand what I’d been through—how awful I’d felt. Most of all, they were grateful for the courage I’d shown in letting them read it – giving them access to something so personal or embarrassing.
I felt a great surprise and was deeply moved.
Plus, I’d been finally able to let go of something that had troubled me for years. And yes, some of that material has ended up on the pages of manuscripts.
Try it yourself. It works as a great writing exercise and as a powerful therapy technique. You might be surprised by what you discover.
Eric Myers
Send a sample of your work for free editing and critique. Submit One Thousand words to:
submissions@warpspeedediting.com
Responses are usually within twenty-four hours.
