Emotions, Empathy, and other E words

Considering how emotionally unstable I’ve been today, today’s topic should have been a no brainer, but at eleven o’clock at night, I’m sitting here trying desperately reaching for a topic. So what do I do? I start perusing the dictionary for something that starts with an e, other than elephants.

The first word I find is epic. I start wondering if I should rant about the overuse of the word. Gripe about how contemporary usage is vastly different from the traditional meaning of the word, but honestly, that would just make me seem like some over educated dork so I move along. Then I come across the word ego but I’ve already written about creating characters and figured that psychoanalysis would be a little too much at this point. Don’t get me wrong, the part of me that thrives on literary analysis really wanted to do it but I don’t want to scare people away just yet so I continue looking. Finally, I come to the word empathetic and an idea is born.

I know that not all people are naturally empathetic but for me, being able to identify with the thoughts and feelings of others is easy. Sometimes, like when I read or write, I really want to be able to identify with the characters. I actually enjoy becoming emotionally vested in the lives of fictional characters. I know that it is never an easy journey but I want to ride that emotional rollercoaster. I want to fear for their wellbeing, weep for their losses and cheer for their triumphs. A well-written story makes me feel everything the characters feel and that is my aim with my own writing. I want to make others feel what these characters have gone through. It isn’t enough to tell their story; I have to make it as real as possible.