There’s something to be said about raw emotions. They tug and pull at us while watching movies, reading books, and with what we see and do.
In my interview with Rodrigo Garcia, he said when writing a story, “go where it hurts.”
Going to that place isn’t easy, but as an author, it’s where I need be. It’s putting those shoes on, wearing them, pushing the limits of understanding and experience, which creates tension. It’s what makes a story so good—to venture into scary territory—knowing that someone else has been there, too.
Ash Beckham, at a TEDxBoulder event, nails it when speaking about coming out of the closet, underscoring the point that, “all a closet is, is a hard conversation.”
It’s those hard conversations that make great drama, and also great comedy; it’s the dialogue between people that helps to build the story, which shows raw emotion.
This is what great storytelling is about: going to those hard conversations, to where it hurts, and being authentic to who you are. That’s what endears a character to us and makes a story memorable; the emotions they make us feel.