Why Write About PTSD in Fiction?Trauma adds depth and emotional stakes to a character’s journey. When characters face overwhelming mental struggles, readers rally behind them. Including PTSD in a backstory risks cliché unless you portray emotional consequences beyond occasional memories. Updated July 2025 What Do Writers Get Wrong About PTSD?…
Tag: emotional layering
Deep Point Of View
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Using Defense Mechanisms To Create Emotional Depth In Fiction
Every character has defense mechanisms they default to, some are chosen involuntarily, some they aren’t even consciously aware of. But all of that will show the reader a lot about who the character is and what’s important to them.
How To Write Fiction - Advanced Tips
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How Do I Add Emotion To My Fiction?
Part of the power of deep point of view (I think) is diving deep into emotions in a way that’s both specific and unique to the character and universal to the reader. Some writers focus more on what’s happening than on what’s being felt. I fall into this category. I…
How To Write Fiction - Advanced Tips
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Advice From Jack Sparrow On Building Emotional Connections With Readers
Captain Jack Sparrow, love him or hate him, most people FEEL something for the irrascible pirate. What can Jack Sparrow teach us about creating emotional connections with readers? Lots. Savvy? There are many posts out there on the interwebz for writers looking for advice on how to create emotional connections…
Deep Point Of View
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Create Emotional Connections With Readers Using Deep Point Of View
There are still many many fans of writers like Tolkien, Austen, and Dickens, but contemporary readers (particularly genre fiction readers) are looking for more than entertainment from a book — they want an emotional experience! “By some curious chance one morning long ago in the quiet of the world, when…
Business Of Writing
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3 Tips On Writing Internal Conflict With Emotional Punch
Does your main character have a line in the sand, a personal boundary or belief they will not violate? This internal conflict is central stories written in deep point of view often. What happens if the character violates their belief or boundary? What would they sacrifice in order to avoid…