How to Write Emotionally Engaging Stories
Sharing a Non-fiction Story that Draws the Reader in...
Stories that move people don’t come from performance.
Engaging stories are written from truth. They are shared in real time, with just enough detail to let someone step inside the scene with you.
Let me show you what I mean.
-First, start by grounding us in the moment…
It was the second day, and the retreat was just getting started. It was my fifth retreat at my favorite villa in Umbria, Italy. I truly love this place as it represents joy and peace to my heart and soul. Every time I’m there, I feel Home.
The night before, we opened our circle. And as with all openings, there were tears.
The opening is, after all, about opening.
I want the women to leave that first circle feeling connected—to openly reveal what’s below the surface. To break the habit of saying, “Everything is fine.” When it’s not always fine at all.
But I never ask anyone to share more than they’re ready to.
There’s no pressure to perform. There’s no perfection.
Only an invitation to be honest and to let the wall come down.
-Next, let us understand the emotional container…
What is revealed in the circle stays in the circle, and I ask every woman to hold that confidentiality.
Period. Full stop.
I always go first. I know as a leader, the more open and vulnerable I am, the more that gives permission for everyone else to be the same and to share deeply.
So if you’re sitting to my left or right, you’ll either be first or last to speak, depending on how the circle flows.
In this particular circle, the first woman went just as deep in her reveal as the last. Ironically, their shares were very similar.
-You can slow down it down and bring us to the turning point…
But it was the last woman who revealed something she herself had not fully faced.
She spoke of her marriage, but underneath her words, what she was dealing with was betrayal and a broken heart.
Yet, it was clear that she was still in denial of her feelings until this moment.
Denial of the grief, and denial of what was quietly becoming the beginning of the end of her marriage.
The next day, I heard there had been a night of tears I didn’t know about.
And a husband determined to get her out of this retreat and fast.
As I checked on her that previous night after circle, I could feel it even if she couldn’t fully name it yet.
-Let the moment unfold (don’t rush past it)...
On this next day—just one day after our opening circle—she told me she wanted to leave.
I gently said to her,
“Look… this has come up because you’re ready for it.
Your grief is asking you to feel it. This is the way to heal.
I can help you. You don’t have to leave. Grief is something you need to empty.
This group can hold this space for you.”
Show what actually happened (even when it’s hard)...
But, unfortunately, she left anyway.
And in leaving, she broke our sacred circle.
Her husband had hastily rented another villa for her and her two friends. I’m guessing he figured if she was this upset with him at the beginning of the week, by the end of the week, she might be ready to leave him.
Feeling the weight of disappointment, I remember thinking—quietly to myself that he may have won the battle, but he would likely lose the war.
-Then, give us the meaning of the story…
And, I was right. Six months later, I heard that they were in full divorce proceedings.
And what I’ve come to understand is this:
When we finally step away from what we’ve been living too close to see, and when we deny our feelings, given the right opportunity, our soul knows what it needs. And the truth has a way of revealing itself at the right time.
Sometimes all it takes is a moment of stillness.
Or a sacred circle of supportive sisters.
And a pause to look honestly at what we are feeling inside.
Then, piece by piece, everything we’ve been holding onto so tightly begins to unravel.
Here’s what makes this story emotionally engaging:
If you look closely, here’s what’s happening beneath the surface:
You’re grounded in a real moment (the retreat, the opening circle)
You’re brought into the emotional safety of the space
You feel the tension building through one person’s experience
The story doesn’t rush—it allows the truth to unfold
There’s a moment of choice (stay or leave)
And a quiet, powerful reflection that gives the story meaning
This is what makes a story land.
Not just what happened…
But this is how we let someone feel their way through it as we keep our reader in mind as we are writing.
A gentle invitation for you now…
If you feel called to write stories like this—stories that don’t just inform, but truly connect—
This is the work we do inside the Writer’s Circle.
It’s where your stories are not only written…
but witnessed, shaped, and held with care.
If you’re ready to go deeper, we’d love to welcome you in.
If you’d like more writing tools and essays like this please join our community here: