Just the right touch

I wrote one of my critical scenes today. I'm sure I will need to go back and change it. At least once.

When dealing with emotions, it's hard for the writer to find the right touch. We don't want to be sentimental or maudlin. We must stay clear of cliches. How many ways are there to say someone is crying? Whimpering? Weeping? Sobbing? Tears dropping like bombs to the floor? (No, I would definitely not use that last one--not unless I was trying to be funny.)

And how strong are the emotions? Do the characters hide what they're feeling, or do they let it all out? Do the feelings emerge in stages? What's the right pacing? Maybe it depends on the character. One may hold her feelings in, to be released at another critical moment. Another may show his emotions to the world.

I know I need to go lightly with this scene. Don't throw too much at the reader. Expose the situation in stages. Wait for just the right moment to reveal that last clue. Sometimes it's very hard to wait. I want to tell it all right now. I would make a lousy mystery writer.

Not too hard--don't pound the reader over the head with tried expressions. Not too soft--be subtle but not obscure.

I write and rewrite these scenes many times--often I'm still rewriting the day before the final draft goes to the publisher. I need just the right words, just the right mood--the right touch.

I've said it before. Thank God for word processing. (Alhamdulillah!)