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6 Ways to Touch the Feelings of Your Reader

 

Even though many people see writing as something easy, actually touching your readers’ emotions with your text is pretty difficult. Yes, anyone can write. But not anyone can create powerful and compelling stories that have the power of immersing the reader into that story. When it comes to horror stories and books, doing this is extremely important. If you are not able to entice the feelings and emotions of your reader, the story will pass by unnoticed. 

Making the reader go through the same feelings as the personal character, which in the case of horror books is about fear, suspense, and many more, helps you create outstanding work. Many writers are looking for ways to touch the feelings of their readers. There are some ways you can do this easily. Read on to discover more. 

 

1. Show and Do Not Tell 

 

One of the most common mistakes horror stories writers make is that they tell the reader what to feel. When writing a horror book, it is important to think not only about your plot and the characters but about the readers too. Every human is indeed unique and it is the sum of its experiences. But emotions are universal. Everyone has felt fear, joy, sorrow at least once in their lives. 

 

And horror stories are usually a rollercoaster of emotions, highlight professional essay writers. When you tell the reader what to feel, you kind of take away the pleasure of immersing yourself in the story. Instead of telling your reader how the character feels, show them. Each emotion manifests in different behaviors and actions. Focus on these, rather than on naming those emotions too soon in the story. 

 

For example, describe how the character’s hands start shaking, how he drops the objects and can not open the door correctly. Make the reader guess the emotions of the scene. It is much more satisfactory for them.

 

2. Relatable Characters 

 

But even when you invest a lot of effort into building scenes full of emotions, some people might not be touched by them at all. And this could be for a reason. Because your reader does not identify with the character, says a dissertation writer. When there is a character in the story you do not understand or identify with, you will not be able to feel his emotions. 

 

You should build a character that is sympathetic and you should do this until you reach the climax of the story. That is one of the most interesting parts of the story for a reader, so if they identify with the character, their feelings will surely be touched. 

 

When you observe someone’s progress you start feeling attached to them. And you will care more about the protagonist you have attached to rather than a character whose development you haven’t seen.

 

3. Unrelatable Characters 

 

Building relatable characters is one way to touch the feelings of your readers. But what happens if you build characters that are hateful and mean? The same thing. Horror stories do not necessarily follow a strict structure, but some guidelines should be followed. In many horror stories, you will meet the cruel character, the one that aims to destroy the protagonist. 

 

If your reader feels anger or betrayal regarding your unsympathetic character, then you have managed to touch their feelings. Anger is an emotion and if they feel this, it means that they identify with the protagonist one way or another. 

 

4. Avoid Cliches 

 

Cliches are usually popular choices for beginner writers. Even though some phrases are very popular, it is exactly for this reason why they do not evoke any emotion at all. In some parts of the book, it may be a cliche that best describes your thoughts or ideas. 

 

But if you aim to avoid cliches and use specific words, you could touch the feelings of your readers more successfully. Describe the environment, what the protagonist sees, how they behave, and many more to immerse your reader into the story. 

 

5. Intense Emotions 

 

Making readers feel deep emotions is something challenging to do. This is because creating shallow emotions is easy and everyone can do it. And it does not affect the reader. Why? Because these shallow emotions are easily forgettable. They are overwritten with other emotions and in the end, there is nothing memorable. 

 

On the other hand, deep emotions really cling to your soul. And if you can make the reader feel intense emotions, they will definitely remember your horror story. You can build up the emotion along with the story and then culminate it in the climax. 

 

6. Keep an Emotion Journal 

 

If you want to touch the feelings of your reader, you need to be aware of the entire emotional spectrum and the triggers that might lead to them. There are six universal emotions each human on Earth has experienced. You are feeling emotions during your whole day. Keep a journal where you daily note your emotions, what triggered them, what were actions that you took. You can use this data to build your character. 

 

Many emotions that are presented in a fictional story are based on real-life events, so you can get inspiration from your daily life. A writer needs to be creative to evoke certain emotions and you can always refer to your journal. Do not focus only on negative emotions, take notes about every emotion you will feel. 

 

Conclusion 

 

Touching the feelings of your reader is a challenging thing to do, especially when you are writing horror stories. While some horror books are well acclaimed by the public and critics, some books are not even read. So, what makes successful horror writers so appreciated by the fans of the genre? They touch the feelings of the readers. There are some ways you can do this. 

 

Create protagonists that are relatable and unsympathetic antagonists. Aim to evoke intense emotions and not shallow ones, as the latter ones are easy to forget. Avoid cliches and use specific words when describing something. Get inspiration from your daily emotional life and show your reader rather than tell. 

 

Bio lines: Leon Collier is a blogger and college paper writer from the UK who has vast experience working with Essayontime, an essay writer service. He loves to take on every challenge thrown at him and has the ability to deliver outstanding work regularly. When he’s not busy writing, he loves reading books and playing tabletop games with his friends. Follow him on Twitter @LeonCollier12.