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Deepening Emotion in Fiction Through Physical Sensation
- Jennifer Peaslee
- Sep 9
- 2 min read
I recently attended the online speculative fiction writers' summit Worldshift 2025. I often find writing workshops to be rather hit-or-miss, but this summit was packed with interesting lectures. And it was free to attend!
Several talks focused on emotion in fiction, with titles like "Adding Emotionally Resonant Romance to Your Speculative Fiction" and "Deepening Reader Engagement Through Emotional & Sensory Detail."
Emotions are the glue that binds together the plot, characters, and theme.
Imagine Pride & Prejudice without Lizzie's inner turmoil as she uncovers the truth about the men in her life. Or A Game of Thrones without Catelyn’s pain and fear while she wonders if Bran will ever wake up. Boring!
But you can't just write, "Sally was afraid." It's bland, it's passive, and it's telling, not showing. You must convey what fear feels like in a way that the reader will experience the emotion.
Ask yourself: What does fear feel like to you? How does your body respond? Do you go into freeze/fight/flight mode? Are you able to think clearly when you're afraid, or does your brain go "BLARGH?"
It can be difficult to pinpoint how different emotions feel in your body. But there's a way to get better at it: regular body scans.
What is a body scan? It's a form of mindfulness that allows you to isolate different parts of the body and notice the sensations felt without judgment. It's incredibly helpful for understanding what's at the root of your emotions (yes, I am in therapy, how could you tell?).
Exercise: Body Scan
You can do this sitting or lying down. Close your eyes and breathe. Select a starting point, like your toes or the top of your head, and focus on that area. What sensations do you feel? Now move slowly up/down through the body, focusing on your legs, arms, fingers, back, etc. It might feel awkward at first, but do this once a day, or even once a week, and you'll be a pro in no time.
When you're writing, choose an emotion that you're trying to convey and ask yourself where you feel that emotion. Do you feel a lump in your throat? A tightening in your chest? Fluttering in your stomach? Do your toes curl? Does your forehead tighten? Put that on the page.
The beauty of body scanning is that it creates a feedback loop between your writing and your self-awareness. The more you practice noticing where emotions live in your body, the more authentic your character descriptions become—and the better you get at recognizing your own emotional patterns.
Now stop reading writing advice and go write something that makes people feel things.
Writing without a paywall is important to me, but writing is work. If you enjoyed this post or found it helpful, I would be honored if you would consider donating.
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