By Kris Maze

Let’s get one thing straight—love does not conquer all.

I know, I know. The poets lied. The movies exaggerated. But as much as we all want to believe love is the answer, it alone does not sell books. Readers don’t come back just because two characters gaze at each other across a dimly lit room. They come back for emotional movement…the ups, the downs, the twists that keep them turning pages instead of scrolling TikTok.

And yet, too many stories get stuck in one emotional gear. Love, pain, fear, hope. These feelings are powerful, but without change, they become background noise. If your characters are embedded in the same emotion for too long, your readers are going to put your book down and mentally check out.

So how do you keep your readers engaged? One certain way is when you make sure every scene delivers an emotional shift.

How I Learned (the Hard Way) That Emotions Matter

Confession time: I don’t write romance. And you’re welcome. That mushy, doe-eyed, slow-burn tension isn’t my thing. (Neither are s’mores, if we’re being honest. Sticky, crumbly chaos. Why?)

But one fabulous day, I entered a NYC Midnight short story contest and got assigned—you guessed it—romance. My required elements? A hearing-challenged person and a roommate conflict.

“No problem,” I told myself. “I watch rom-coms. I’ve read Pride and Prejudice. I got this.”

Spoiler alert: I did not got this.

What I wrote was a small-town drama that landed somewhere between deadpan comedy and daytime soap opera. It had zero handholding, zero emotional spark—just two people bickering over rent and noise levels. One judge, with brutal clarity, wrote, “Not romantic.”

Yikes.

But to be honest? They were right about one thing. My story lacked emotional shifts, which made it flat. And that’s when I realized the importance of having a character show change on every page of my novel or in that case, short fiction. If you want readers to invest in your story, you need to take them on an emotional journey—one that changes in interesting ways, scene by scene.

The Key to Creating Emotional Shifts

Readers don’t just want to witness emotions. They want to feel them. They want the belly-drop of a disappointing heartbreak, the rush of a well-deserved victory, the simmering tension of a will-they-won’t-they moment. And one of the best ways to do that is to mix up their emotional state in every scene.

Here are three steps to track your character’s emotions your manuscript. See how your characters evolve and consider places where to strengthen your story. 

Step 1: Map Out the Emotional Journey

Look at your novel scene by scene. For each one, identify the main character’s emotional state at the beginning and the end. If they stay in the same place emotionally, that’s a red flag. Even subtle shifts make a difference.

For example:

• Scene 1: (Start) Anxious → (End) Hopeful
• Scene 2: (Start) Excited → (End) Devastated
• Scene 3: (Start) Angry → (End) Vulnerable

It doesn’t always have to be a drastic change (not every scene should end in screaming or sobbing), but even a slightshift makes a scene feel dynamic rather than stagnant.

Want to try this method? Make a copy of my free emotional scene tracker template (make a copy).

Want more help getting emotional depth in your writing? Try using this questionnaire (make a copy) to help you fix tricky scenes.

Step 2: Track Emotional Patterns

Once you’ve mapped your emotional shifts, step back and look at the overall pattern. If your book stays in the same emotional range for too long, you risk losing your readers.

Here’s a few patterns to avoid:

• Too much negativity → Readers get overwhelmed. This isn’t a silent film starring Sarah Bernhardt—we’re not here for nonstop melodrama.
• Too much positivity → Readers get bored. If everything’s fine for too long, why keep reading? Conflict is what keeps people engaged.
• No emotional contrast → Readers disengage. If every scene feels the same, there’s no momentum.

A mix of positive and negative emotions creates tension, and tension keeps readers glued to the page.

Step 3: Make Emotional Transitions Feel Natural

Readers don’t just want a character who says they’re scared or sad. They want to see it. How to write emotions into our stories is a complex process and many writers struggle in this area. Try some of these suggestions to improve your work.

• Pairing emotions together – Love and fear often go hand in hand. Hope and doubt can exist in the same breath. Use contrast to keep readers wondering which emotion will win.
• Using visceral reactions – Show the tightness in a character’s chest, the shaky exhale, the way their hands ball into fists before they speak. Describing the body’s involuntary reactions is a great way to convey what a character is really thinking and feeling. 
• Writing authentic dialogue – Read it aloud. If it sounds stiff or unnatural, tweak it. People don’t always say what they mean, especially when emotions are high.

There are many resources for writers looking to improve how they craft emotional scenes. One WITS post by Jenny Hansen provides a wonderful place to start, and it gives insights and examples for writing emotions in scenes.

Emotional Ions: Keep the Energy Moving

Think of emotions like an electric motor. The electric motor runs off diametrically opposed magnetic fields that alternate. If your character stays in one emotional state for too long, the ‘motor’ stalls. But when emotions shift, even slightly, energy builds. That’s what makes your story compelling.

Love doesn’t conquer all, but it can evolve, shift, and deepen as characters learn about themselves and each other. And that’s what readers really want. Give them an emotional journey that feels real, messy, and earned.

So go ahead. Serve up that sweet-and-spicy emotional rollercoaster. Your readers will thank you for the ride.

What about you? How do you make your scenes more moving and emotional? Tell us your tricks for ensuring your story have the right amount of emotional shifts in it.

About Kris

Kris Maze is an author, writing coach, and teacher. She has worked in education for many years and writes for various publications, including Practical Advice for Teachers of Heritage Learners of Spanish and the award-winning blog Writers in the Storm where she is also a host. You can find her horror stories and young adult writing on her website. Keep up with future projects and events by subscribing to her newsletter.

Find her newest collection of speculative stories HERE .

A recovering grammarian and hopeless wanderer, Kris enjoys reading, hiking, and spending time outdoors. And sometimes she teaches Spanish dancing.