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When I had to write a really emotional scene, I was absolutely terrified. To me, it seemed like there were two pitfalls, two gaping chasms on either side and a tightrope in between to walk. On one side, my writing would be a flat and unemotional piece of cardboard. On the other, it would be too forced, every line overflowing with it, shoving it in the reader’s face, “Be sad!!!” The way I found to avoid (I hope) both pitfalls? Genuinely feel the emotion. It’ll flow much more naturally into your piece. If you don’t feel it, you’ll either leave your writing bland or try to force it in, shoving it in the reader’s face.

Oh, and “show, don’t tell” is especially important when it comes to emotion. As long as we know the characters, we’ll understand why she’s angry or he’s heartbroken. Show us their body language, maybe their thoughts at most. Do not directly narrate the emotion.