The Heart of the Matter

With apologies to Don Henley, the title phrase is my entreé into commenting on a concept mentioned by Brit noir author Ray Banks to New Jersey's own Dave White:

Ray describes the idea of "emotional truth" as "an ability to write straight from the gut but maintain reality so that it doesn't become overwrought."

Of this idea, Sarah Weinman observed:

Truth is stranger than fiction, anyway.

The trick is to make it seem more palatable and believable.

And I commented:

I think what Ray is saying, and what Sarah hits upon, is that writers have the opportunity to expose conflicts, to resolve issues for themselves and, with any luck, for readers.

Because each person experiences emotion differently, each writer has the chance to re-create/re-present his or her experiences in a way no one else has. This re-presentation in turn has the chance to speak to readers no one else has.

I take Ray's phrase "maintain reality" to mean that a writer can't simply gush emotions in their rawest, most specific form onto the page and consider the job done. The emotions/experiences have to be recognizable to both writer and readers.