The Emotional Impact of Writing About Vulnerability
Vulnerability is at the core of authentic storytelling. When we write about our characters’ deepest fears, joys, and insecurities, we open a window to their humanity. For the writer, this process can be both transformative and challenging. Writing about vulnerability not only deepens our connection to our characters but also allows us to reflect on our own emotions and experiences.
Have you ever taken an emotional risk—shared a fear, shame, or insecurity with someone close to you? When met with understanding, this openness likely deepened your bond and left you feeling more connected. Vulnerability fosters intimacy, and in fiction, it serves a similar role, allowing readers to connect with characters and stories.
But how does this translate to storytelling? Let’s unpack the why and how of writing vulnerability effectively.
Why Vulnerability Matters in Storytelling
- Building Emotional Connection: Vulnerability makes characters relatable. Readers resonate with characters who struggle, fail, and persevere because they see their own humanity reflected in those stories.
- Creating Depth: Vulnerable characters are layered and complex. Their fears, doubts, and inner conflicts add richness to the narrative, making the story more compelling.
- Inspiring Empathy: Stories that explore vulnerability encourage readers to empathise with perspectives and experiences that differ from their own.
The Challenges of Writing Vulnerability
- Facing Personal Emotions: Writing vulnerable characters often requires confronting our own feelings and past experiences. This can be both cathartic and emotionally taxing. As someone who’s benefited from therapy, I’ve seen how personal reflection enhances storytelling. Don’t get me wrong, we obviously don’t have to personally experience everything so we can write about it. The Internet is a great resource and we can accomplish a lot by researching topics and applying our imagination. However, there’s a special richness when stories draw from genuine emotion.
- Balancing Authenticity and Restraint: While raw emotion is powerful, it’s important to avoid melodrama. Authenticity lies in the details, not in over-explaining or dramatising a character’s pain. This is something I’m super guilty of in my first drafts. I’m terrified I’m not communicating what I want to communicate, so my first drafts often contain too much description. Sometimes it’s enough to say tears are streaming down a character’s face. We don’t then also have to show how their shoulders shake, how they’ve covered their eyes with their hands, and how they’ve curled up into a ball. Too much of a good thing is still…too much.
- Navigating Reader Expectations: Some readers may be uncomfortable with stories that delve deeply into vulnerability. Balancing the rawness of your narrative with moments of hope can create a more universally resonant story. In other words, a story with only angst can become really dark and unpleasant for the reader.
How Writing About Vulnerability Shapes the Writer
- Fostering Self-Awareness: Writing about characters’ vulnerabilities can mirror our own emotional journeys. This process fosters introspection and helps us better understand ourselves. Have you ever heard of writers accidentally writing about their own trauma?
- Building Courage: Sharing vulnerable stories requires bravery. Writers who embrace vulnerability in their work often find it easier to be open and authentic in their personal lives. Writing about our vulnerabilities can be used as a training ground for the real thing.
- Encouraging Growth: Writing through vulnerability can be a transformative experience, allowing you to process emotions, heal from old wounds, and even create resolutions for yourself that life may not have offered. It can be an act of imagining possibilities and closure.
The Reader’s Experience of Vulnerability
- Feeling Seen: Stories that explore vulnerability help readers feel understood and validated, especially if they’ve faced similar struggles. This identification can make readers feel less lonely and be extremely healing—it’s all in finding similarities.
- Creating Safe Spaces: Vulnerable narratives provide a safe space for readers to process their own emotions without judgement. A character’s struggles can inspire readers to reflect on their challenges in a new light. For example, if a reader struggles with social anxiety and reads about a character who does too, they can see how making change might have a positive (or negative!) impact.
- Fostering Connection: Readers form lasting bonds with characters who are raw and authentic. Have you ever thought about a character long after finishing a book? That’s the power of vulnerability—it stays with you.
Tips for Writing Vulnerability Effectively
- Show, Don’t Tell: Use specific details to convey emotions. Instead of saying, “He felt sad,” show him looking at old photos, his hands trembling as he picks one up. Actions and dialogue reveal vulnerability far better than exposition.
- Balance with Resilience: Vulnerability is powerful, but showing characters’ strength and capacity for growth creates a well-rounded and inspiring narrative.
- Be Specific: The more personal and precise the emotions and actions, the more universal they become. Readers connect to authenticity, not generalisations.
Let’s Hear From You!
Writing about vulnerability is one of the most emotionally rewarding aspects of storytelling. It allows us to create characters that resonate deeply with readers while fostering our own growth and understanding. By embracing vulnerability in your writing, you invite readers into a space of empathy, connection, and reflection—a space where true storytelling magic happens.
How do you write vulnerability into your stories? How has writing about this impacted you? Is there a dual process between you and your characters? Share your experiences in the comments below!