Writing to feel

Us mortals are emotional creatures. We sometimes might like to think that we’re rational, logical, straight-brained beings that can handle decisions based on pure logic and reason, much like a computer (although tell that my battered old laptop who decides that mid-way through writing the best chapter I’ve ever written is the perfect time to crash and perform a total reboot). But the truth is we make so many of our choices based on feeling. Gut feeling, heart feeling, a feeling in your waters – call it what you like – but we can’t help but react to those wacky synapses telling us to do something because we’re upset, or angry, or moved or happy.

That’s why I think injecting emotion and heart into writing is so, so important. Emotion changes minds. Emotion changes opinions, emotion changes – full stop! Emotion changes us. And words are one powerful tool in eliciting emotions out of us.

You can use this to your own benefit if you’re running a business and you want to encourage your potential customers or clients to engage with you. Some might levy accusations of that being duplicitous or manipulative at you, trying to manufacture emotions in people to get them to buy in to your business or organisation. But I don’t think it’s as straightforward or crass as that, so long as the story you’re telling, the way you’re using words and the picture you’re painting, is genuine. So long as the feelings are real. Tell a genuine story. Present yourself through words with openness and honesty, and you’ll endear your readers to you in a real, authentic way. You’ll get them to feel something. And then – if they’re the right fit for the service you’re offering, they’ll find a quicker path to you.

Beyond business though, even just as a writer of stories, I love to inject my words with feeling and emotion because I want to bring good, uplifting feelings to my readers. Ultimately, my stories are about hope and joy and happiness. If I can infuse my words with enough of that, there’s a chance it will pass on to the person who’s reading it. And if just one person reads my writing and thinks, ‘actually, do you know what, I feel a bit better about things after reading that,’ then my work here is well and truly done, because I can’t think of a better achievement.