Emotionally Involved

The Gift of Fiction Please, Help Me Make It to the Final ...

Emotionally Involved

Do you ever read a book or watch a movie that leaves you emotionally wrecked or feeling buoyant? The characters resonate with you on some level, either their story is similar to your own or you empathize with them to the point that you begin to feel their emotions. What is it about this style of storytelling that affects the reader or viewer so intensely? What is it that reaches out and grabs you?

I’ve been reading excerpts from stories on Facebook that are over the top. The heroine is usually extremely abused even tortured before her alpha hero arrives. Sometimes he is almost dreaded because he is the big, bad guy, but we begin to see that he is the one who brings out her power (if it’s a good story) or another abuser she has to overcome or tame. What is it about these over emotional, over written stories that draw us in? It isn’t necessary good writing because most of them are full of errors. So, what is it that makes us keep reading, wondering what happens next? We get emotionally involved with the characters. We feel something for the character, even if it is over the top drama. I believe it is also because they are so over done and unbelievable that they can entertain us. We can suspend our beliefs and just enjoy the story. It’s not real, yet it makes us feel.

I’d love your take on how and why we get emotionally invested in a story. What makes us laugh or cry? Why do some stories linger with us long after we’ve read them or watched them? What makes one story touch our heart while another feels trite? Tell me your thoughts on this, because I’d love to know if it’s just me crying over here, or if you’re feeling it too.

My new book, My Unforgettable Rockstar comes out Sunday, November 16th, 2025. I hope you will check it out. My characters deal with a lot of emotions from grief, to anger, to family drama, and of course love. This is the second book in the Flintlock and Steel Rock Romance series.