: Re: How do I ensure what I am writing captures what I'm feeling as I write it? If I want a character to respond with anger, I want the reader to understand why the character is angry. I want

@Gail2416123

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Put it down and read it later.

It can hard to tell whether you are properly conveying an emotion while you are writing. You are the author; of course you know what emotion you want readers to experience. Put it down and come back to it. Become a reader of your story rather than the author. Then ask yourself what your writing makes you feel when you read it. Does it still convey the emotion you want it to convey? If not, what do you need to change?

As you reread it, think about why the writing does or doesn't convey the proper emotions. Is it imprecise word choice? Try rewriting using different words. Does the scene not make you feel truly angry? Readers will only be angry for characters or causes they care about. In fact, they likely won't feel much of anything if they don't care about your characters. Does the emotion feel forced? Make sure you have provided enough context to justify the emotion.

Basically, do some editing. When you give your work a little time and distance, you can find and fix this sort of problem much more easily.

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