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I’m going to be honest, I couldn’t think of anything to post this week. So, since topic #10 didn’t have any replies (because I didn’t tag anyone. Silly me. 😛 ), I thought I’d revive and expand on it.

A while back I found this quote in a book about fiction and emotion, and it hit me pretty hard:

“When readers feel strongly, their hearts are open. Your stories can not only reach them for a moment, but they can change them forever.” -Donald Mass

For me, this quote reaffirms the importance of involving feelings and emotion in stories. An emotional journey can tear down walls and reach places that arguments and preachy messages could never tread. Theme can deeply move readers because they don’t simply know the story’s truth in their minds. They can feel it.

I think we’ve all experienced a moment when a book opened our heart. A Time to Die (by Nadine Brandes) did that to me. The MC’s search for purpose and her desire to spend the last year of her life on something worthwhile was something I could relate to.

Nadine could have simply written an article about purpose or taking advantage of your time on earth. Instead, she took her readers on a journey and let them feel and struggle with the questions the characters faced, moving them with experience instead of presenting them with bare knowledge.

What about you? When has a story opened your heart?

*hands out some Oreos to celebrate their fifteenth week*

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