Emotional Writing

There are three kinds of feelings when reading a story: boredom, interest, and wow! To become a successful writer, you must create the wow feeling on as many pages as possible, and this requires writing that engages the reader emotionally. In his best-selling book, screenwriter Karl Iglesias explored the working habits of A-list Hollywood scribes. Now, he breaks new ground by focusing on the psychology of the reader.

While writers might disagree over showing versus telling or plotting versus pantsing, none would argue this: If you want to write strong fiction, you must make your readers feel. The reader's experience must be an emotional journey of its own, one as involving as your characters' struggles, discoveries, and triumphs are for you. That's where The Emotional Craft of Fiction comes in. Veteran literary agent and expert fiction instructor Donald Maass shows you how to use story to provoke a visceral and emotional experience in readers.

UPDATED 2022 EDITION! These two bestselling writing and editing handbooks, “The Writer’s Guide to Character Emotion” and “The Writer’s Guide to Character Expression” have been updated and combined to create one remarkable single volume! This comprehensive edition contains descriptive writing tools to help writers craft a riveting novel that instantly grabs a reader’s attention. Writers will gain the essential skills needed to craft realistic emotions, visceral responses, and body language to deepen characterization that you can easily and quickly apply to your own writing. ...

Most writers struggle with creating a captivating story. The fastest way to improve your writing skills is by applying the Deep Point-of-View technique, which can transform your storytelling into riveting prose. This fiction writing guide includes hundreds of amazing ways to use “show don’t tell” to submerge readers so deeply into a scene they will experience the story along with the characters. Plus, this useful author resource includes a thesaurus with inspiring word choices! Writers will learn to: Revise Shallow Writing Deepen Characterization Craft Realistic Visceral Reactions ...

From Attorney Ryan, the most well-known labor lawyer in America, the complete guide to workers’ rights that your boss doesn’t want you to read Life for working people is getting harder and more expensive. While employers clamp down with return-to-office mandates, productivity trackers, and...

Learn to Improve Emotional Descriptions, Create Believable Settings, and Craft Powerful Descriptive Writing. This guidebook is a companion to the first volume in the Fiction Writing Tools series, "The Writer's Guide to Character Emotion" on descriptive writing and Deep POV, with Immersive Writing Techniques. Within this in-depth writing craft book are practical tools on how to apply descriptive writing to create realistic settings, visceral responses, and lifelike characters. Included are lists and advice on: Setting Descriptors Character Personality Traits Character Development Descriptive...

This lucid, compassionate audiobook has introduced tens of thousands of listeners to expressive writing, a simple yet powerful self-help technique grounded in scientific research. Leading experts James W. Pennebaker and Joshua M. Smyth describe how taking just a few minutes to write about deeply felt personal experiences or problems may help improve our mental and physical health.

Friendship is the love story you can count on. Remy is lucky. Her debut novel, based on her three best friends, became an instant bestseller when it was released, and her agent and publisher are clamoring for a follow-up. But just as Remy’s creative inspiration seems to leave her, so too do...

As seen on Good Morning America's SEPTEMBER 2020 READING LIST and FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2020! "We need to read stories about folks who have been through hell and kept going... Fascinating." —Glennon Doyle, A Favorite Book of 2020 on Good Morning America "Gildiner is nothing short of masterful—as...

The Blank Page A short novel of magical realism about two writers connected by letters that defy time and silence, and united by a destiny they never expected. An unexpected storm. A shared taxi. And a blank page that won’t stay empty for long. Abril and Tomás are two writers at different—yet equally uncertain—moments in their lives. What begins as a simple exchange of letters quickly transforms into a correspondence that sets memories, silences, intuitions… and something more into motion. 🌬️ Sometimes, the words we most need don’t come from within us. Sometimes, it’s the ...

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.

Unlock the Power Within: Transform Your Life and Reclaim Your Voice with Coercive Relationships: Find the Answers You Seek. Discover the truth behind abusive relationships and break free from the cycle of pain and control. Through personal anecdotes and expert advice, this book will guide you towards healing and empowerment. Gain clarity and understanding as you learn to recognize the signs of abuse Find solace in knowing that you are not alone in your struggle Take back control of your life and break free from the chains of manipulation Release feelings of guilt and shame as you connect ...

Learn Fun and Creative Ways to Enhance Your Descriptions! The advice, tools, and reference lists in this writing guide for fiction authors will inspire writers to create original and vibrant descriptions of characters, locations, weather, and mood that can greatly enhance anyone’s storytelling, whether you’re writing adult fiction, young adult fiction, or children’s books. Fictional and real settings are much more effective, dramatic, and evocative when they’re visible, auditory, olfactory, and tactile. Character depictions are much more imaginative, lifelike, and vivid for readers ...

KEEP A DIARY Journaling is a technique that can relieve anxiety, organize your thoughts, and unleash creativity. We will see in this book the many reasons why keeping a diary can be beneficial from the emotional side, intellectual development and the psychological reasons why having a diary improves our existence. We will see who has used a journal and also the many ways there are to keep a journal: morning pages, art journal, goals and ideas journal, among many others. You will discover that keeping a diary is already a very different exercise from the one you may have carried out in your ...

Escape the turbulent cycle of disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD) and say goodbye to mood swings and emotional turmoil with the practical and evidence-based strategies in this groundbreaking book. Written specifically for parents by a natural health expert and father of a child with DMDD who knows, this definitive guide provides a roadmap to help your child overcome DMDD using natural solutions. Discover what factors cause DMDD and how your child’s brain processes emotions, sensory input, social cues, and situations differently than neurotypical children. Get practical advice ...

"Narrators [Megan] Crais and [Connor] Wicks bring the Byrds to emotional heights, perfectly capturing the adult voices of thirtysomethings Wren and Ellis." — Library Journal An emotional, irresistible second-chance romance filled with sparkling humor, big feelings, and "melt your face off...

You’ve always wanted to write your life story—but something keeps getting in the way. Maybe the memories feel too painful. Maybe the words don’t come. Maybe you’re afraid of what you’ll uncover—or what you won’t be able to let go. You've thought about trying EMDR therapy—but you can't find a therapist, you feel intimidated or skeptical, or you simply can't afford to pay for sessions right now.

Some characters feel alive Others feel arranged The difference usually isn’t talent It’s emotional clarity. Writing the Heart of the Character: A Guide to Emotion-Driven Storytelling is an invitation to slow down and look beneath action, beneath plot twists, beneath dialogue — and ask a quieter question: What is this character feeling… really? In this guide, we explore how emotion shapes behavior, how internal conflict creates tension, and how small psychological truths often matter more than dramatic events. Inside, we talk about: • Building characters from emotional foundations ...

"Sumptuous prose and a mind-blowing twist will make sure that readers don't forget The Professor's Wife, an unsettling psychological thriller wrapped in a provocative dark romance." -IndieReader Carl Bingham is a lonely British Literature Professor who has sworn off love and sex since an affair with a student at Skidmore College almost lost him his tenure and reputation. Camilla is a young artist who sits in his classroom, mesmerized by his voice and appearance. Despite their age difference, they fall in love, marry, and feed each other's physical and emotional needs. But when secrets and ...

Looking to write a romance novel your readers will devour in one sitting? Look no further than How to Write Compelling Romance Novels, the must-have guide for any writer who wants to create page-turning love stories! With its insider tips and practical advice, this guidebook will take your romance writing to the next level. You'll learn how to create emotional beats, build sexual tension, and craft conflict that will keep your readers hooked until the very end. And with detailed analyses of emotional stakes, subtext, and internal conflict, you'll have all the tools you need to craft a ...