Tapping into Reader’s Emotions
Emotions! We all have them. Some
of us try to suppress our emotions, but they are always there lurking just
below the surface. If we are lucky we may be able to control them. The bottom
line is the vast majority of our decisions and actions are based upon emotions.
The results of these decisions and actions are determined by how well or poorly
we handle our emotions.
As a writer of family and relationship
books that address life altering events, based on true stories, I try to transfer
the emotions of each character to the reader. If done correctly, the reader
relates so closely with the character that they are living the experience. They
laugh and cry with the character. They feel the sorrow or joy, hopelessness or
determination. I try to do this by telling the story as if I was speaking
one-on-one to the reader.
For example, my first book When the Wife Cheats, deals with
infidelity, betrayal, and abandonment. These
are very difficult emotions. Since fifty percent of marriages end in divorce,
these emotions have to be addressed if one is going to survive. Very little is
written about how the husband and children deal with the lies, deceit, betrayal
and abandonment when the wife violates the marital vows. I try to follow one
man’s journey as he and his two young daughters cope with the devastation that
occurs When the Wife Cheats.
My third book Inside the Spaghetti Bowl, deals with
the emotions associated with the death of a parent. This is a story that every
person will have to face. With the first sentence, I try to draw the reader
into the hospital room to meet and hopefully fall in love with this family. It is a story about family and unconditional
love. My goal is that the reader will see their own family and the memories
make them smile.
My latest book Five Years to Live, addresses the powerful
and overwhelming emotions of a loved one beset by a catastrophic injury. It starts
with the phone call everyone prays they will never receive. The story exposes
the trauma and the horror that ensues and the love and courage it takes to
initially go on living and then ultimately triumph. I try to make the reader ask
the questions, “Would I have the courage and fortitude to pick up the pieces
after my life, my goals, my hopes and my dreams were instantly shattered or
would I succumb to despair and not even try?”
Emotions shape who we are and how
we act or react to circumstances. Alexandre
Dumas wrote, "Life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the
sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a man
is what you do when that storm comes."
I hope my books help my readers understand what they will do when that
storm comes.
