Writing Emotionally Difficult Scenes in Fiction

Writing is an effective way to process trauma and emotional strain. Whether it’s for personal use or for publication, it’s a cathartic way to express your emotions. However, when writing emotionally difficult scenes in fiction that you plan to publish, it’s worth keeping in mind some guidelines.

Guest blogger of Writing Emotionally Difficult Scenes in Fiction, Amelia Connell, is a University of the Sunshine Coast student. She’s completing a Bachelor of Creative Industries, majoring in Publishing & Creative Writing. Amelia is currently undertaking a 208-hour internship with Gail Tagarro.

Avoid Gratuitous Violence

In my opinion, gratuitous violence—i.e., violence for its own sake—especially gratuitous sexual violence, has no place in quality fiction. I’d recommend only including scenes of graphic violence of any type if it has a major part in your plot. For a minor plot point, consider instead referring to it in a flashback or dialogue.

hand on rainy windowpane for blog writing emotionally difficult scenes in fiction

If you must include a violent scene, be sure to accurately depict the event and handle it delicately. The best way to do this is to write what you know. If you don’t have first-hand experience of what you wish to include, thoroughly research it; talk with people who have experienced it. For example, if you wanted to write about the September 11 bombings on the twin towers in New York from the perspective of someone who was in one of the buildings, your best bet would be to read first-hand accounts or speak to survivors.

Little Details

When writing emotionally difficult scenes in fiction, focus on the little things. If something traumatic is happening to your character, it’s unlikely they’d be able to capture the entire scene perfectly. Rely on the senses, though not all at once. Choose one or two and focus heavily on the effect they have on your character. For example, a character walking across a battlefield after it is over may notice only the smell, or the sudden silence at the end of the battle.

Let Your Reader Imagine

Let the reader’s vivid imagination fill in the blanks. Depending on your character’s state of mind, use short sentences or long sentences—not both. If your character is in the middle of an action scene, use short, sharp sentences. This helps quicken the pace of the scene, stripping away unnecessary details. If your character is in shock, or coming down from an adrenalin high, you could use longer sentences to indicate a lack of focus in their mindset. For example, if you’re trying to show the aftermath of trauma on your character, you could describe sunlight breaking through the branches of a tree that your character is sitting beneath, rather than simply explaining how they ended up there.

Compare Past Events

Something I’ve seen work well in books I’ve read is comparing the traumatic event to something in the character’s past. The past event doesn’t have to be directly linked, or even particularly significant. The traumatic event could unlock a forgotten memory or simply remind the character of their past. For example, in the first Outlander novel, when Claire travels through the stones, she compares it to her memory of waking in the back seat of a car while it’s flipping after an accident. Linking this to a memory will add depth to your description and character development, and make your writing more believable.

A Recap

When writing emotionally difficult scenes in fiction, avoid gratuitous violence. If a graphic scene is a major part of your plot, handle it delicately and research it thoroughly. In your descriptions, focus on the little details and rely on one or two senses at a time. Let your reader fill in any blanks in your descriptions and don’t give everything away. Use sentence length to convey character mindsets, with short sentences for action and focus, and longer sentences for trauma or dissociation. Lastly, link an emotionally difficult scene to something in your character’s past to add depth to your description and your character.

If you find your writing is falling flat even after following these guidelines, it’s time for more research.

Want to read more posts on writing fiction? Try these out: Writing a Fictional Town, Working Your Writing Muscles, and Perky Writing Tips.

Reference

Gabaldon, D 1991, Outlander, Arrow Ltd., US

Photo Credit

Kristina Tripkovic Unsplash

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