With Feeling! (cont.)

If you loved the teddy bear when you were very small, will you describe its button eyes as blank? Probably not. If you grew to fear that flyswatter, would you describe it as lacey? Not unless you use its being lacey as a point of contrast with the sharp sting a flyswatter can inflict. If you hate playing the piano, the keys could look like cruelly grinning teeth. If you love playing, their smooth surfaces might beg to be stroked.

Write your description—it doesn’t need to be a long one—and then share it with a couple of readers. Ask them how they think you feel about the object you described and how reading about it makes them feel.

Did you get your feeling across? If you didn’t, how might you revise your description to make the underlying feeling come through more strongly?

In writing, especially in writing stories, feelings are important. In fact, most readers turn to stories precisely because they know a story will make them feel. And part of that feeling comes through your description.

So, one more time . . . with feeling!

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