Remorse, regret, desire, entanglement. Writers often show you how a character is feeling by describing their actions. That’s one way to reveal a character’s inner world — through subtext — but it’s not the only way. Tolstoy’s cocktail of emotions is an example of a different approach: psychological realism.

This technique explicitly describes the interior state of a character’s mind. There is little to no subtext. Tolstoy is telling — not showing — you how his character Vronsky feels. It’s an emotional excavation, prompting you to think, “I’ve been there. I know how that feels.” Through describing the messiness of human emotion, Tolstoy draws you in and helps you relate to Vronsky.

The result? A reading experience that feels like being led out of a cave by a dim, distant light. You feel Vronsky’s pain, his indecision, his irreconcilable yearning. You understand his motivation.

When you write with psychological realism, your text becomes an exploration of the human condition, focusing on the rich interior world of your character’s mind. Psychological realism isn’t just an artistic flair; it’s a tool that lets your reader ache in sympathy with your characters.

How I Write Podcast

Meet Pulitzer-Winning Stanford Professor | Richard Powers

Richard is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Overstory, one of the most praised novels of the decade. His writing absolutely explodes with life. But perhaps Richard’s most impressive skill is his character development. And we’re not talking about the stodgy character arc you learned in English class. Richard shares 40+ years and 14 novels worth of insight on how to write characters that readers can’t get out of their head.

This episode is a deep dive into the psychoanalytical complexities of character: drama and tension, thinking and feeling, motivation and suspense. Plus, we dive into the three different types of character-driven drama: People against People, People against Themselves, and People against the Environment.

In a nutshell, this episode is a novel-writing masterclass that you don’t want to miss.

Listen Now: YouTube | Spotify | Apple