Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen’s webinar, part of our 30 + 10 Free Craft Webinars with Optional Paid Critiques series, shared her thoughts about how to build emotional connections between writer and reader with theme, character and plot. Some of the thoughts:
Try working “theme backward” — decide on your message before you start writing.
About creating a message with heart: keep a theme notebook to jot down the messages you might want to write about.
About creating a character with heart: every action should be selected to show the external development of the story and something about the character’s internal feelings.
About creating a plot with heart: a strong foundation can make all the difference.
One value of critiques from professionals: they ask leading questions.