How to Make a Scene Re-Readable (Writing Emotion: Amazement)
The Writing Emotion series observes one emotion at a time in a story that does it well. This is so that we can understand better how to do our most important job as storytellers (no matter the genre): make readers feel.
The objective of these posts is less about learning to convey a specific emotion (joy, sorrow, anxiousness, etc.) and more about studying what is going on underneath a scene that makes the emotionality of it more compelling for the characters and the reader alike—
It’s about learning to write emotion.
Emotion: Amazement
Story: Yesterday
Amazement: a feeling of great surprise (mild astonishment or shock at something unexpected) or wonder (surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable)
Scene from the story:
Lesson 1: In on it
Isn’t it fun to be in on something?
To get the inside jokes or to know the special secret. Part of what makes this story so fun is that the audience is in on it. Jack is one of only a handful of people in the entire world that remembers the Beatles.
But so do we.
Because we’re in on it, we feel added engagement and emotion. We can be amused by the ignorance of Jack’s friends. We can laugh when Carol says Jack is full of himself after calling Yesterday one of the greatest songs of all times.
An audience who is in on the joke/information/secret is more privy to feeling pride, humor, whimsy, or connection (expansive emotions). On the flip side, an audience being kept in the dark is more likely to feel things like tension, curiosity, anxiety, or concern (tense emotions).
It all comes down to being intentional and effective with how you choose to deliver a scene…and how you want to involve the audience.
Lesson 2: Slide down the spectrum
I like to think of emotion as a spectrum. You have the heavy side of things (outrage, terror, grief—the things you might find in a drama) and then you have the light side of things (humor, joy, excitement—emotions more likely to be found in a comedy).
An emotion like amazement could easily feature on either side of the spectrum, so it’s important to consider where the scene lands.
Heavy or light?
Once you know, you can lean into it. Because Yesterday is a comedy, and this scene in particularly is on the light side of the spectrum, the writer leans into additional light emotions, especially humor.
However, as was discussed in the post on Outrage, it’s important to not have a monotony of emotions. You want the primary emotion to be vivid and bright, which is helped when you incorporate emotions that land on the other side of the spectrum, and therefore make it stand out.
In this case, emotions like wonder and feeling touched or moved. The scene begins a bit heavier and then moves into its levity.
Lesson 3: Out of place—with layers
Every story has already been told. You’ve certainly heard this before.
But this is precisely why it’s so important to create opportunities to snag a reader’s attention.
As was discussed in the post on Joy, sometimes we can snag attention in big ways by doing something like upending major convention. Or sometimes, as was discussed in the post on Unease, we can snag attention in little ways by having tiny details that don’t add up or that put the reader on edge.
Another way to snag attention is through pieces in a scene that feel just a bit out of place. This can be especially useful if a scene is heavily relying on tropes or well-worn ideas.
For example, in this scene Jack is playing one of the most poignant songs ever written. All while, as his friend points out, looking like a cartoon character.
Even more, this tiny detail that feels a bit out of place actually works in layers.
Yes, there is some humor in Jack’s appearance. At the same time, he is playing a deeply emotional song that soothes him—and has helped soothe millions of others—in a time of personal turmoil that goes deeper than his outer appearance. On the surface, our attention is snagged with the humor. But as we let the scene surround us, we can feel the poignancy of this moment actually helped by Jack’s current predicament.
Bonus Lesson: Double down
This scene is really helped by the fact that both parties are feeling amazement.
Jack’s friends feel amazed as they listen to Yesterday for the first time, and Jack feels amazed as he discovers the fact that none of his friends have ever heard of the Beatles.
This set of amazement from different perspectives plays up the emotion and gives the scene more dimension.
How can you play up your scene’s primary emotion by allowing different versions of it (for different reasons) in the playing characters?
Want more insight into behind-the-scenes story magic & writing emotion? Click on one of the buttons below.
The fastest way to write a strong story is with an effective outline that plots your novel’s beating heart.
In Outline Your Novel, you’ll learn exactly what these beats are (step-by-step), why they matter emotionally, and how to plot them quickly to make your story sing.
