Comments on: Having Guts – How to Physically Affect your Readers

By: Power of Words: The King’s Speech and Good Writing | Fuel Your Writing

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 12:38:50 +0000

[...] forget those adverbs, how many times have you been told!? Choose the right words, be bold, write with guts, and the power of your words will be [...]

By: Laurie

Laurie — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 07:00:31 +0000

I really appreciated this article. I write poetry and it is mostly about my life experiences. It is how I deal with my emotions. It helps me to center and heal. However, I have found that others (some readers) don’t always appreciate my honesty in writing because it does just what your article says to do: give the article guts and make the reader feel it, whatever it is. I think the reason for this is most people do not know how to get in touch with their feelings. Whenever they find this is taking place, it makes them very uncomfortable, and they want it to stop of course. While others in my life, have encouraged my poetry writing because it does create wonderful emotions on all levels. To feel is human; to not feel…in inhumane.

By: Name

Name — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 23:00:41 +0000

I loved this article and I hope to reinvigorate my writing by using it from now on.

By: Using Twitter for Writing Advice | Fuel Your Writing

Using Twitter for Writing Advice | Fuel Your Writing — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 10:49:33 +0000

[...] tone and content. Don’t hold back, write with guts. Read my FYW article on writing with guts here (shameless plug – Editor’s [...]

By: Eric

Eric — Tue, 04 May 2010 12:19:33 +0000

Your statement that, “Creativity can have such a hypnotic effect,” jumped out at me and struck me pretty hard this morning.

What a great thought: creativity as hypnosis, creativity as meditation.

Perhaps that is why we can be so physically effected by writing. When we are lulled into a trance, like with good music, and then all of a sudden there is a loud cymbal crash, or plot twist, we are thrown out of our comfort zone and shocked into a new plane of thought or emotion.

Thanks for the wonderful, inspiring, thought!

By: Pore

Pore — Tue, 04 May 2010 07:27:39 +0000

I had created the similar subject last year. In doing my occurrence, the very best solutions are patient and confident. Face the facts bravely, and that you will be alright finally.

By: Archan Mehta

Archan Mehta — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:02:15 +0000

Christopher:

Great post. Thanks for sharing your ideas. Yes, some writers have the power to physically affect you. As a reader, writer can move you to tears, make you angry, arouse emotions.

I remember reading Agatha Christie’s “Curtain” as a little kid. My pet detective, Hercule Poirot’s last case (if memory serves), dies in the last chapter. Since Poirot was my hero, that book drove me to tears. I found myself sobbing and I had to leave the library to calm down. Writers can get you to identify and relate to their cast of characters in such a way that the characters almost become members of your family or at least your friends.

I was finally able to re-enter the library only after an hour or two. Such is the power of some writers who are able to cast a spell over you. Creativity can have such a hypnotic effect.

By: Christopher Jackson

Christopher Jackson — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 11:03:20 +0000

Thanks for reading and commenting Matt! You’re right, Haunted as a whole is probably one of my least favourite Chuck books, but some of the stories (especially Guts) are just brilliant.

By: Christopher Jackson

Christopher Jackson — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 11:01:37 +0000

Thank you Rebecca!

Really glad you enjoyed the article, and that you found it inspiring! Thanks for commenting too :)

By: Matt R

Matt R — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:24:56 +0000

I have been a fan of Chuck’s also. Although I didn’t like Haunted (I thought he was going to be really clever with it, and give each story a separate author voice, but it turned out only to be a collection of short stories), Guts really did affect me! I was reading it on the train, and I had to stop for fear of being sick! Only story to have ever done that to me.

I completely agree that you should write the story YOU want, the way YOU want to. Don’t apologise, and don’t self-censor (unless it improves the story in a way that you would approve of if you were reading it, that is).

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:36:26 +0000

This is an awesome article. Very bold and inspiring.

By: lunch hour links for writers – 2/10/10 « helluo librorum

lunch hour links for writers – 2/10/10 « helluo librorum — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 19:06:43 +0000

[...] at Fuel Your Writing, Christopher Jackson tells you how to give your writing guts and physically affect your readers with your [...]

By: Christopher

Christopher — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:32:48 +0000

Thank you for reading and commenting on my article Marisa, really glad you enjoyed it!

It’s hard not to think about how our audiences will react to our stories, and to somewhat tailor our writing to fit and to not offend. But we should not be afraid to break the rules or to write bravely, honestly and boldly.

By: Marisa Birns

Marisa Birns — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:50:53 +0000

Excellent thoughts and advice!

Lamentably, I have changed dialogue in my stories so I don’t offend certain readers. For example: cursing. So no guts there. No glory either, eh.

Though, the one time I broke one rule–writing character’s dialogue in dialect–I felt story worked very well; he was real and exciting, and readers in my writing group loved him.

Guts. Gotta have them as I write the words AND should be evident in the story.

Thank you.

By: Whelmed | Fuel Your Writing

Whelmed | Fuel Your Writing — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:16:31 +0000

[...] Christopher Jackson’s recent article he begins with “Inhale. Take in as much air as you can.” Good [...]