Emotional change is an internal aspect of a character. Readers are not fully capable of profoundly understanding these emotional changes, even though they believe they can look through character motivations. The writer must allow the reader access to the emotional changes in a character since not everyone has a knack for understanding behavior. By letting readers grasp subtle changes, they will not feel left out and will gain a deeper understanding of why a character behaves a certain way.

Example: Ten-year-old Charlene hates her mother, who is an alcoholic and a compulsive gambler. One night, after coming home intoxicated and losing money from a poker game, she confesses: “Charlene, you’re old enough to handle the truth: You’re adopted. Your real mother is a friend of mine who was not ready to have you because she was afraid her parents might kill her. She dumped you on my doorsteps and left a note saying that she was going to college. In fairness to her, she sends money for child support.” This revelation stirs Charlene to rebel against her adoptive mother. She runs away from home.

The reader will note these emotional changes in Charlene. This change will evolve with time. If the reader is not made aware of these changes, he will find it surprising, even confusing, if a major change in Charlene happens. These changes that shape the character are essential for the reader to grasp so that any big changes in Charlene become credible.

Let us say the writer decides that Charlene’s emotional change leads her into thinking that she is bound to repeat her biological mother’s mistake. The writer presents emotional changes in increments.

Example: Charlene, barely scraping by on her wages as a waitress, desperately wants a man with a stable job. She meets Roy when he dines at the restaurant where she works, and they fall in love. After dating for quite some time, she gets pregnant. Roy refuses to shoulder his paternal responsibility and disappears from her life. Charlene is livid and does not want to keep the baby. She is not open to the idea of abortion. After giving birth, she leaves her baby on the doorsteps of a Catholic orphanage.

The reader becomes involved as a witness in Charlene’s emotional changes. If the writer decides that Charlene does not become like her biological mother, with the same steps in showing emotional changes, the reader accepts Charlene’s actions.

Example: After giving birth to Roy’s child, a healthy baby boy, Charlene is determined to give her son for adoption. She will deny Roy the opportunity of ever knowing they had a child. If Roy has a change of heart and decides to see their son, he will find nothing. Charlene suddenly has a flashback: that she is an adopted child too. Her stepmother, despite all her quirks, exhausted all her means to provide for her. In tears, Charlene hugs her baby and begs for forgiveness at having thought about adoption. She keeps the child and does everything in her power to be a good provider. She solicits the help of friends and support groups. She finds a decent job, and her child grows up and becomes productive.

This happy change in the character’s life may be unexpected, but convincing. The reader accepts it because he witnesses the emotional changes during the character’s most trying times.