Writing for Emotional Impact [Paperback]

We tend to make esoteric things harder than they are. But the art of writing is really very Zen-like: You get to a point where you realize you were making things needlessly difficult.

This book does give easy answers to difficult questions, and as you read you'll discover several slap-your-forehead moments, those wonderful moments of recognition when this book's content jibes with your own instinct. You'll discover that you had the answers all along.

It's hard being a writer. Most of us won't survive; we need all the help we can get.

When I think of the writer's life I envision sea turtle hatchlings bursting out of their eggs and dashing for the ocean. To them, that stretch of sand is death itself. Predators abound. The majority won't make it to the ocean, and of those that do, most will wind up in a fish's gullet. But the few surviving sea turtles can live for centuries. I've read cases of some bearing the musketballs of Spanish galleons embedded in their shells.

Karl Iglesias will help you make it to the ocean. Once you get there, however, you're on your own.

Mr. Iglesias' premise is that emotion is the prime factor, the elusive bird of paradise which makes all technical elements cohere and quicken into a living thing. And he's right. By God, he's right. Emotion is what's missing. It's the other white meat.

Let me address some criticisms. One reviewer complains about the formulaic approach to this book (101 ways to do this, 24 sure-fire et cetera) and goes on to gripe that Mr. Iglesias advises us to go about our work willy-nilly. Not true. First, why complain that you're getting a specific number of tools to place in your box? Frankly, I'll buy a book and consider it money well-spent if it gives me even one tool I can use, much less 101. Second, nowhere does Mr. Iglesias advise us to manipulate emotions arbitrarily. From page 227: "It's up to you whether you want [the reader] to feel bored or exhilarated. A great artist has *absolute control* over those responses." (Emphasis mine.) From page 15: "Create the *intended emotional effect* on the reader."

I could keep listing passages where Mr. Iglesias clearly advises us to hold the reigns on our creative stallions. Away with that criticism.

Another reviewer complained of the triteness of Mr. Iglesias' case studies. Casablanca, Silence of the Lambs, Chinatown, et cetera. I grant that these movies are oft-used in screenwriting texts, but...does it really matter? Does it? The principles of fine storytelling rear their heads in every fine Story; in a very real way they're fixed, like the principles of appendix removal. That's one of the fascinating things about Story. The epic Gilgamesh--the first written story--arrayed itself on twelve cuneiform tablets with the principles of classical plot already in place, much as sexual gametes are formed with all their cellular components already in place, much as the embryo which is destined to become an adult female already has the precise number of eggs that that same adult female will ever produce in her lifespan already in place. Besides, that reviewer's complaints are unfounded. In addition to analyzing Chinatown, Silence, et. al., Mr. Iglesias also offers cogent analyses of more or less modern TV shows such as Caroline in the City, Frasier, Gilmore Girls; movies such as American Beauty, Alien, As Good As It Gets, Almost Famous, Annie Hall, The Matrix, dozens more. The naysayer's opinion that Chinatown wouldn't sell today is just that--an opinion. He doesn't take into account that if Chinatown or North by Northwest had not been made, then today's market would be radically different; those movies were bar-raising movies, and if their release had been delayed until today, then they would find themselves appearing on a market waiting for the bar to be raised. And they would raise it. Therefore, Chinatown would sell in today's market, as would North by Northwest.

Sure, the text is vaguely repetitive, but come on...conduct a search of screenplay textbooks. Mine yielded 2,307 results. And given the fact that we're discussing fixed principles, repetition among author-teachers seems destined. Believe me, the repetition isn't bad--what child doesn't delight in having her favorite bedtime story read over and over and over? Repetition is how we learn. Despite treading the occasional familiar ground, there were still plenty of eureka moments. For instance, Mr. Iglesias vastly expanded my understanding of the dramatic irony concept. And he drew some splendid parallels between classical structuring (beginning, middle, end) and emotional structuring and thematic structuring.

All in all, this is a wonderfully practical book, and a bonus is the free Emotional Thesaurus (nowhere near true thesaurus size, but still--it was free!), available in .pdf format, which the author emails to you upon proof of purchase of this book. Nifty gift. Buy the book. I mean, is your career worth twenty bucks to you? Is the ability to pleasure yourself worth twenty bucks to you? Is the ability to be dangerously effective worth twenty bucks to you?

It was to me.

This book is about how to create emotional reactions in the audience.

I liked it and read it two or three times. Many of the suggestions belong to techniques used in Hollywood (by writers and directors) to stir emotional responses.

Some ideas might be catalogued within the cliche section. For example, if you want the public to like your character then put a scene in which your character is nice to a puppy or to children. The fact is that many movies use this technique, I know because since I read Iglesias' book that kind of scene keeps coming up in many movies (and thanks to Iglesia now I notice that more).

At the beginning of the book Iglesias warns you. Have you ever wanted to know a magic trick, and then... when told... regret you learnt the secret of the trick? Iglesias say that could happen to you reading this book, the magic of stories might fade away. That didn't happen to me.

This book gives you many tips to achieve emotional responses from the audience. Your challenge would be to use that knowledge in a new and refreashing way, so that you stay away from clichés.

This is not the ultimate book on stirring emotions in the audience. It is certainly a bit simplistic. But in the end, the real fact is that I just happened to like it.

If you want to know about structure, plot, character... there are better books. If you want to think for a while a bit about story telling from a some what different point of view (that of audiences and their emotions) this book will deliver to some degree. Probably some would have troubles with the fact that he doesn't seem to address story telling from an artisitic stand... rather he kind of treats story telling as a series of techniques consciously used to stir specific emotions in the audience. In this sense, the book is kind of prescriptive.

Here is a short version of the Table of content:

1. Introduction: The emotion-delivery business
2. The Reader: Your only audience.
3. Concept: Unique attraction.
4. Theme: Universal Meaning
5. Character: Captivating empathy.
6. Story: Rising tension.
7. Structure: Engaging desing.
8. Scenes: Mesmerizing moments.
9. Description: Riveting style.
10. Dialogue: Vivid Voices.
11. Final Thoughts: Painting on the page.

Some topics that might interest you are:

Ideal emotional responses to a concept
What makes an idea appealing
12 ways to increase your idea's appeal
Finding your vision
The five key questions for building a character
Connecting with characters
Three ways to connect with characters
Engaiging the reader from beginning to end
Emotional elements of each act
Key elements of a dramatic scene
The emotional palette
Common amateur mistakes
Generating a riveting reading experience
Bonus professional tips
When on-the-nose dialogue is acceptable

Although this is a screenwriting book, don't fear is you write other kind of fiction. This book does not address camera technicalities or that sort of things. There are other books for that purpouse. I hope I might be able to post a review of some of those books later.

One last thing: Creating emotions in any reader is the most difficult task a writer can face. Everything you learn about storytelling is ultimately about the art of creating emotions in readers. This is extremely difficult to achieve and the reason why so many writers fail. To do that, your story has to be created with heart, with craft and with great command of many technical tools of dramaturgy. Besides, even if your story is flawless from the technical point of view, if the moment is not right, audiences (readers) will not respond to your story. You might write a master piece and still be unknown.

If you write for the love of writing alone (with no desire for fame or wealth) then you wont mind if no one ever hears about you and your story. That's why so many writers advice you to only write for the love of it. In the end you could very well be the only one to read your story and enjoy it.

The advantage of writing for the love of it is that you'll have time... time to think about storytelling... time to learn about storytelling... and time to create emotional impact with your storytelling skills. It will be an advantage over all those thousands of people who are desperately trying to "make it" as writers because they want fame and wealth... they don't enjoy the process... and they don't take the time and effort to really learn dramatic writing... Most of them quickly realize that there are betters ways of making money and leave. But not you... you'll still be working on becoming a story teller, because you enjoy it and feel the passion for it.

If you are interested in this book ("Writing for emotional impact") you probably have realized what so many ignore: the level of achievement you attain as a storyteller is directly related to your ability to generate emotional reactions. And I'm sorry to tell you this: if that is your goal then many many years of study await you. This book might very well be the beginning of that journey. It certainly will not be the end... not even the middle.

I teach writing classes online -- from month-long classes on different aspects of craft to intensive eight-week classes on novel writing. I bought this book because of its title. I have long been a proponent of the theory that the only reason we read or go to the movies is for the emotional connection that is made. This was the best $20 I ever spent. Iglesias explains emotional impact, both its importance, and the techniques you can use to create it and/or enhance it in language and examples you can understand. I have used the book as source material for varous parts of all my classes and it's been invaluable as a teaching tool. I have discovered, though, that this is really not a book for beginners. First you have to know the basic craft of writing -- whether you're writing a screenplay or a novel. It's only then that you're ready for what Iglesias is preaching. The truth is, when I was a beginner, I wouldn't have been able to use a lot of what he says because I wouldn't have known enough to understand how valuable his suggestions are. I do wish I'd discovered the book years ago -- when it would have benefited me through the writing of many of my own books -- but since I didn't, I'm glad I discovered it now, because it's been a great help with my classes. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.