by PeggySue Wells @PeggySueWells
Recently I watched Disney’s animation movie, The Jungle Book, with two of my grandchildren.
When the Bengal tiger, Shere Kahn comes on the scene, the six-year-old stated, “I don’t like him.”
Though a fictional character, meaning Shere Kahn is not real, the author created the main antagonist of Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book with skill. For the animation feature film, the actor who voiced the character did such a good job that my young viewers had an emotional reaction to the tiger.
That emotional response can run the gamut from dislike (as in the case of Shere Kahn), to affection. Viewing the animated Jungle Book film, my grands and I felt:
- Dislike for Shere Kahn
- The warmth of family connections through Raksha and Rama, the wolf parents
- The weight of responsibility through Bagheera the Panther
- Joy and appreciation for life through Baloo the Bear
- Wonder for future possibilities through the village girl
- Fun through King Louis the Orangutan when we recognized his voice as the singer Louis Prima whose song is among the many silly tunes this Mimi often sings around the house, Yes, We Have No Bananas
By making an emotional connection with the reader, an author gives the reader reason to keep turning pages. The reader has a personal investment in the story, an interest in seeing what will happen to the character the reader cares about as well as what will happen to the antagonist the reader does not like.
Some interests include:
- Will the protagonist get the goal?
- What will be the personal cost to the main character?
- Why is the antagonist behaving that way?
- Will the unlikable character change?
- What will be the consequences for the antagonist?
Among the essentials for a story is a character the reader cares about. As a writer, how can you incite an emotional connection between your characters and your readers? What qualities of the protagonist and antagonist will the reader find relatable? Compelling? Off-putting? Revolting?
Emotions your characters, plot, setting, and dialog can elicit in your reader include:
- Admiration
- Agitation
- Anger
- Annoyance
- Anticipation
- Betrayal
- Bliss
- Calm
- Compassion
- Conjecture
- Curiosity
- Delight
- Determination
- Disapproval
- Discovery
- Disgrace
- Disgust
- Disturbed
- Doubt
- Eagerness
- Elation
- Empathy
- Encouraged
- Envy
- Excitement
- Expectancy
- Fear
- Flustered
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Happiness
- Hatred
- Hope
- Horror
- Impatience
- Incredulity
- Inspiration
- Jealousy
- Joy
- Loathing
- Melancholy
- Misery
- Offense
- Outrage
- Perturbed
- Pride
- Purpose
- Redemption
- Regret
- Remorse
- Revelation
- Sadness
- Satisfaction
- Sentimentality
- Shock
- Speculation
- Surprise
- Suspicion
- Sympathy
- Thrilled
- Trust
- Wonder
The list of possible emotions a reader can feel is potentially endless which is great news for the writer. An author is not limited to eliciting only basic or simple emotions. Consider the literary and film characters that elicit strong feelings for you. What makes you connect with a character? What makes you feel repelled? What about the way the information is shared brings about a fresh consideration of the topic?
Writing is the art of telling story in a fashion that engages the reader. Even better, engage your reader by making your writing an experience that generates a variety of responsive and reactive feelings.
TWEETABLE
No comments:
Post a Comment