Storytelling and the Importance of Emotional Intelligence

 

Emotional intelligence, or emotional IQ, describes a person’s ability to read and interpret emotions, as well as control and express them. In storytelling the emotional intelligence of the reader deeply impacts their experience of a novel or film.

In today’s world, with tight deadlines and a market taste for fast paced fare, writing that exhibits emotional intelligence is often left by the way side, or worse, criticized. But writers who understand the internal complexities of their characters produce stories that resonate deeply, and the ability to do so should not be underestimated.

Culturally, emotional intelligence isn’t celebrated the way more traditional IQ levels are noted and respected. Throughout life a person with emotional intelligence will come face to face with the realization many people move through the world completely unaware of the emotional undercurrents at play in daily interactions, and that psychological readings of social interaction can differ greatly.

During the writing process it’s easy to forget a character is a representation of a person: plot can take over, and too soon characters become the pen in a dot-to-dot scenario, moving from one point in the narrative to the next.

If characters are reading “flat”, step back and look to real life for inspiration. Think about friends, co-workers, and family. Consider first impressions, and the subsequent interactions that slowly changed your view of the people in your life.

Remember secrets they’ve shared. How different they act when drunk. The truth of their personal relationships compared to what they try to project. Recall unexpected moments of kindness, their fears or phobias, what prompts angry outbursts, and bizarre opinions.

Next, take into account perspective: consider how co-workers and friends would honestly describe each other, and why. Ponder how they reach these conclusions.

On the family front note how loved ones have changed over the years, and how your understanding of them grows. Mull over how their friends see them compared to their enemies.

These deliberations are part and parcel of writing believable characters, the kind that could walk off the page into the real world—and survive. While you don’t need to think through all these elements to create a fictional character, the reader should sense a potential backstory.

Authors who are great at characterization have no problem writing spin-off novels with whatever side characters appeal to readers or audiences. Even with minimal dialogue a sense of the character is instilled, enough to create intrigue.

The editing and critiquing process should be a chance to subtly craft your story; emotional intelligence is a tool that can help lift your storytelling to another level. But it’s important to be aware this is a point in the writing process where other people’s emotional IQ comes into play, impacting your storytelling for better or worse.

A glance at online reviews for classic novels or noted literary masterpieces gives an insight into the “I don’t get it” brigade. Today’s reader, rather than considering they may be lacking, often criticize writing with emotional subtexts they can’t follow.

Feedback can be incredibly useful and help you hone your work, but with a modern process that involves multiple editors and beta readers, taking into account differing emotional IQs is paramount.

Friends' opinions are a prime example: imagine a dinner party scenario where a couple fights over the last piece of steak. A number of people at the table will understand it’s a metaphor for another issue in their relationship; one so complex the partnership may not survive the fallout.

Still, there is often one person at the meal who cannot read emotional scenarios and truly believes eating the steak is the only issue at play. Do you really want to take this person’s feedback on board when they say they don’t “get” a scene in your story, and when you explain, ask why you can’t write it more simply?

Instinct will have you shrugging off their criticism as invalid, but what if this person is indicative of a large portion of the readership? Everyone has a right to an opinion, and the editing process is where you begin to understand how much you’re willing to rework a story, and to what extent you’ll compromise.

Keep in mind, emotional intelligence isn’t inherent in literary fiction; a clever story can just as easily lack emotional intelligence. In contrast, works from more commercial genres can showcase great characterization and moments that feel emotionally real. A writer that speaks to you will create characters and emotional scenario that stay in your mind.

Over the years writers like Ursula Le Guin and Guy Gavriel Kay have deeply impacted my understanding of emotional subtext. Iain Banks/Iain M. Banks has also made think a lot about characterization. Philip K. Dick, Terri Windling, Iain McEwan, Graham Joyce, Charles de Lint are storytellers I admire for their emotional intelligence.

As a youngster, Yukio Mushima’s characters haunted me, and Anais Nin’s created people that stuck in my subconscious and sometimes made me cry, as did Angela Carter and Daphne du Maurier. In terms of recent ebooks I’ve read, Brigid Kemmerer’s male teen characters made an impact, and Alex R. Kahler’s offers characters that feel incredibly real.

Whatever the genre, whatever the word count, an awareness of emotional intelligence can help a writer transform narrative constructs into characters. Remember three things when writing: people are flawed, people have baggage, and people can surprise you.