How to show empathy in your writing?

Photo by Matt Hardy: https://www.pexels.com/photo/body-of-water-under-blue-and-white-skies-1533720/

 

Writers are always advised to display empathy in their writing if they are to have any chance of connecting with their intended audience. While this is almost a truism, and certainly a valid prerequisite for someone hoping to make a success of their writing, the fact of the matter is that you cannot display empathy; you have got to possess it. The only way to do that is to be empathetic towards yourself first.  Write something that resonates with you, and there is a chance that what you come up with will resonate with your fellow humans out there.

If you approach your writing solely with the intent of addressing the needs of your "target audience", you will almost certainly never get it right. That is because you are not "them" and will never be. You are 100% you. Well almost- for it is not possible to know yourself fully! If you begin to understand what it is that works for you, there is a great chance of what you write working with others as well. What connects us all is our common humanity and you can always bank on it.

If you are planning on writing a great book, write something that moves you and makes you react in a certain way when you read what you have written.  If it moves you on a primeval level, then you are doing all right, and you can send it out to the world and see how they take to it. Honesty with your own self is the best way to ensure what you write is perceived as empathetic to others. You try and manufacture that empathy, and your writing will come across as fake, insincere and pretentious.

What you can do to pull a potential reader to your writing, however, is to use a lot of sensory details that paint a vivid picture that a human being can relate to. If you are writing about your sipping on a cup of coffee, you could conjure an interesting image by also mentioning you are doing so watching the rain fall gently on the palm tree outside your window. This will work better if that is actually happening, or at least there is a palm tree that you can see from your window, which you can then visualise being washed by rain while you drink coffee!

Your own experiences of life are your true coach and mentor. Turn to them when you need to write something truly inspirational. There is a far greater chance of your readers seeing the truth of what you have experienced yourself, than anything you think your readers would like to read.