Angst: How to Hurt Your Characters and Make It Count
As a writer, you’re probably familiar with putting your characters through painful situations. But how can we make all that suffering worth it? NaNo Participant Liz Generally has some advice on how to write effective angst!
Arabella K Federico said, “Write pain so effectively, your readers will be begging for it to end.”
When you find yourself emotionally invested in your characters, hurting them can feel outright wrong. But sometimes, for the sake of your story, you just have to push them off the cliff (metaphorically or physically!)
Make
it hurt. Dig deep, and reach into the darkest pits of emotional and
physical pain. Give your readers a reason to break for your character.
There are a few methods you can use to do this.
