Emotional writing should
pack a punch.

Emotional writing is widely used in books, TV shows, movies, and a variety of other writing venues. The idea behind using emotion in writing is pure and simple: it allows for personal connections. As an emotional person, I can say with extreme certainty that by allowing readers or viewers of a novel, TV show, or movie to find and sustain that personal connection makes your writing all that much more powerful, profound, creative, and incredible.

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Whenever I watch a TV show or movie, I yearn to yell out "Aha!" or "Aaah!" or some other such exclamation. I want to be moved enough to laugh until my sides ache, or cry until I have no more tears to shed. You may wonder why this is, but the fact of the matter remains that emotional writing sells. It keeps you hooked. It grabs at the essential elements that matter so profusely to you. You can't imagine life without those epiphanies and tears.

The question is how to capture raw emotion in writing. Keep it simple. Remember that emotional writing relies on just that -- emotions. Let's name some emotions to get us started. We all know the basic ones: joy, acceptance, fear, surprise, sadness, anger, etc. Let's now look at some more intense emotions to be used in writing addictive, intense, compelling tales: being in love, anticipation, awe, exasperation, envy, patience. There are so many more to be named, but I'll let you have some fun thinking of some more emotions on your own. You may also want to consider incorporating sensory details into your writing. This will allow readers to feel more connected to the five senses and to become emotionally involved with your writing. You will be giving them the opportunity to see, taste, touch, hear, and smell your written words (figuratively, of course!).

Now, take a basic emotion and write down what it means to you. Give an example if need be of what gives you joy, what you have found it necessary to accept, why you become fearful, what surprises you, what makes you sad, or the details of an angry moment that you've had. Once you've written down a paragraph or two about these ideas (the more you write, the better!), take a look back at what you've jotted down and see if you've captured any of the more intense emotions through what you had to say in your more abstract paragraph.

Allow your writing to coalesce into something more fitting for your individual style of writing. Make it a poem, a tribute, a eulogy, a commencement speech for the beginning of your newfound writing prowess, a song, a daydream, a monologue, dialogue, or something else entirely. Find what works for you and run with it until you can't think of anything more to say. Then put it down for a while and come back to it so you can write more. Allowing yourself time to percolate and take in all of your surroundings, ideas, and even emotions that come over you while you take time to consider what you've written will give you a fresh perspective that you wouldn't have gotten otherwise.

Emotional writing can be entertaining and enjoyable, or it can bring about sadness and regret. However, despite feeling bad for a bit while you're writing something emotionally challenging, you will be all the better for it when you have poured your heart and soul onto paper and made your writing less generic and more specific to whom you are and how your writing style reflects that.

Grab at the heart of you and find what matters most. Journal writing can be a great medium to help you find inspiration to include emotion in writing. Keeping a journal not only keeps you writing, but it keeps your mind constantly thinking, and words constantly churning as you think up the best way to write your next emotion, attitude, or other creative notion. Looking back on journal entries can also be extremely helpful in remembering the nostalgia you felt at a particular moment when you saw something that reminded you of years gone by. You will remember your feelings all that much more clearly, bringing the power of emotional writing to the forefront of your writing, since your wording will be all that much more precise. After all, you took the time to jot it down in your journal when the event actually occurred.

So, go for it. Emotional writing may be just the outlet that will spark your creative genius and quickly edge you out of your writer's block.

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