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According to Mildred I. Reid, in the Writer's Digest Guide to Good Writing, there is only one must in creative writing: the author must transfer an emotional experience to the reader. Gloria Kempton, in Dialogue, provides an avenue for transferring that emotion when she observes that "The only way to connect with our reader on an emotional level is to first connect with our characters." And, "The way we do this is to make sure our characters connect with themselves."

EMOTION AND THE ELEMENTS OF FICTION As pointed out by James N. Frey, in How to Write a Damn Good Novel, "The reading of novels is primarily an emotional experience."

Each of the five fundamental elements of fiction (character, plot, setting, theme, and style) plays a role in creating emotion. It's through characters, of course, that authors portray emotion, and thus transfer it to the reader. Emotions can be present anywhere in a plot, but they are especially important when:

* Providing and reinforcing a character's motivation

* Creating a catalyst for a story's turning points

* Portraying the emotion phase of sequels.

Setting may establish the tone of individual scenes, or the story as a whole, and thus help stimulate character and reader emotion. A character's emotions may also provide a common thread for the development of one or more of a story's themes. And, of course, how and when emotion is utilized throughout a story and the skill with which emotion is presented are important aspects of an author's unique writing style.

NARRATIVE DISTANCE
Donald Maass, in Writing the Breakout Novel, notes that since the invention of the novel it has been transformed by a progressive narrowing of point of view: from the once-essential author's voice, to omniscient narration, to objective narration, to first- and third-person narration, and most recently to close third-person narration. According to Maass, today's reader wants an authentic experience.

Many modern-day readers expect to live the story through the mind of the character, experiencing the story as if the reader is the character. Effective use of emotion as a fiction-writing mode can go a long way toward making that experience a virtual reality.

READER INVOLVEMENT Orson Scott Card , in Characters & Viewpoint, observes that "Reading is not a passive process. While a reader may seem to be sitting still, slowly turning pages, in his or her own mind he is going through a great many emotions." And ". . . the intensity of the character's

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