If you’re new to writing or on a journey to soak up whatever knowledge you can find, you may wonder why writers decide to do what they do. So let’s talk more about the nuances of the scene you’re trying to set for the reader.

Any writer can attest to the importance of “show, don’t tell” when crafting engaging and compelling narratives. Even though this advice sounds straightforward, it isn’t always as easy as it seems.

Writers often make the mistake of simply stating their character’s emotions or actions rather than allowing the reader to draw it out themselves from the words on the page. The result is flat, unengaging writing that does not resonate with our audience.

Let’s think about this scenario: you’re a reader. You’ve started a new book from your to-be-read pile. Congratulations!

You’re a few chapters in, a few pages, whatever. But you discover that you can’t relate emotionally to a character that plays a considerable role in the story, and you don’t think you can finish the book if they’re that important.

You might wonder what about these characters makes them so unpleasant as writers. That often happens to me when I’m consuming someone else’s work.

Maybe the author intends you to read them this way as a deliberate craft choice. There could also be an unpalatable atmosphere around the character, so you can’t get into it.

The next question is: what can you do as the writer to avoid someone tossing your work in their DNF (did not finish) pile?

Put your character through something new. Try some of the following techniques to jog your creativity:

You’ll notice how many of these categories overlap.

There’s a reason: expressing emotion on a page is difficult. The decisions you make as the writer will determine how you portray that.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a novelist, short story author, flash fiction, creative nonfiction, or poet. The tips I share with you are merely to get you to think.