The Heart of the Matter: Week 2

When we remember, often one particular moment, like a snapshot, stands out in our minds and crystallizes the emotion or lesson of the incident.  But how to get there?

One way to do that, especially if you took my advice and picked an emotional moment, is to identify the primary emotion of the moment.  Even if you want to pass on the information that you learned or the events that were happening, locating the emotion will help you paint them.

After you identify the emotion, think about your physiological response.  What happens to your body?

• arms
• hands
• feet
• jaw
• head
• eyes
• throat
• stomach
• back
• neck

After you have a list of exactly what you are feeling, think back to the incident you are writing about.  Which of those bodily reactions happened to you and what was the exact inciting incident?

By pairing these items together, you can begin to zero in on your moment.