Why do we create great art from sadness?
If you have ever been deep into an artistic field, you would know that a lot of artists can be in a terrible mental state. This is true for all types of art forms. Whether it be music, literature, or visual arts, this rings true for many creatives. Of course, this is not true for everyone, but it is the reality for most. Let us look at Virginia Woolf. She is a well-known writer who made great strides in literature. But sadly, she took her own life. I would also like to mention that right now I have been reading a novel titled "You’ve Reached Sam" by Dustin Thao. It is a tragic novel. However, it is one of the best I have read so far.
I attribute the relationship between great art and hardship to empathy. Art is supposed to make us feel a certain way. And the only way for an artist to garner such an emotional reaction is that they must understand their audience. To see themselves in the shoes of their readers or viewers is essential to leave a lasting impact. I will admit that I have no experience in visual art, other than filmmaking. But even then, my knowledge is extremely limited. I will say, however, that paintings, drawings, and films are most memorable to me when they stir up plenty of powerful emotions. And the same goes for music.
But I can say that I am an author. I write fiction as a job, and the works I am most proud of and that my readers are most entertained by are the ones that bring up plenty of emotion. Therefore, I will explain to you the importance of empathy in literature.
Key takeaways
Relatability
Interesting Characters
Memorable
Relatability
When drafting a novel, you must always consider who your target audience is. For example, a young adult novel will be much more relatable to teenagers than to children. I remember reading my favorite novel in high school, Catcher in the Rye. This novel became so important to me because I read it at the perfect time in my life. I saw myself as the main character, Holden Caulfield. Just like him, I knew nothing about traversing the world, or who I wanted to be as a person, and I felt immense pain knowing my childish innocence was taken too early. Yes, I still do not know that much about anything at my current age, but it felt so great to know that someone out there understood me. Even though Holden is not a real person, he is still a relatable one. He felt like a good friend who stayed by my side. As an author, the only way you can create such a great character is through empathy. If you do not understand the world from someone else's perspective, you can never write something they can understand on a deeper and more personal level.
Interesting Characters
Let us take Holden Caulfield as an example again. To those who have read the book, he is the reason the novel is so great. Whether your novel is plot-driven or character-driven, having intriguing people lead the story is essential. Not only is it more entertaining, but it gets the audience emotionally invested. We as humans are meant to feel emotions. As much as we do our best to become sophisticated and rational, our emotions are always there. That is just something about our species. So, you better believe that making someone feel good or sad during a story will cause a long-lasting impression. All those interesting characters you have come across have layers to their personality. Harry Potter has so much love for his parents and his friends that he acts in extraordinary ways. Teddy Daniels carries the novel Shutter Island. His past trauma and powerful will make you want to follow him to the end of his journey. Fictional characters need to feel just like real people.
Memorable
The ending of a novel will leave the biggest impression on your reader. If it is a bad ending, then your book will not be thought of fondly. However, if you created an impactful ending that tugs at a person’s heartstrings, then you have done an excellent job. In that case, give yourself a good pat on the back. Take note that achieving such an ending will be much easier if you have done the last two points above. And of course, it is easier to do that if you have empathy. So, let your feelings flow through your manuscript. Especially those tough emotions such as sadness and grief. Make your reader feel understood.
