When I'm stressed from the day's events, writing can be quite therapeutic for me. Yet at times, there's too much craziness when dealing with the chaos in the world; so fulfilling my creative outlet can become quite daunting. Honestly, those are the times which I would love to crawl into a hole and hide away. Thank goodness my inner voices reel me back into focus. If those fail, I also have the encouragement and support from my fiance to help get me back on task. Ironically, sometimes the one thing that assists me with writing fiction and riding myself from the black despair of a "creative dry spell" or "writer's block" is actually writing about the day's crappy events.
You see, when I pen down on paper about the rude lady in the check out line or pound away at the keyboard about the asshole who cut me off in traffic, those little 'vent' sessions unclog and drain away all the nasty sludge from the day. In turn, once it's left my brain and entered the writing pad, my mind has become free to explore the unknown and drift into the world of fiction without feeling guilty. I don't need to continue examining my feelings because I've dealt with the issues of eating that second piece of chocolate cake once I typed my regret out onto the keyboard. There's no need to beat myself up over and over again. I've released any feelings of pain, anger, regret, or sadness out into the universe. Those feelings along with the hurt from past or present relationships; such as from an ex-boyfriend, a parent, or a former best friend, can all be used on paper to heal your heart.
When times I've hurt the most, writing in a journal gets rid of the bitterness and anger. It also aids me with getting my creative juices flowing once more because I don't have all that mess cluttering up my thoughts. My subconscious can truly roam free without the extra baggage of all the unwanted visitors. Plus it's always a great way to twist those vent writing sessions into a new plot line for your next story. Just remember to change the names. Lol. Seriously though, what techniques do you use to help get rid of the world's nasty bits and focus on the fictional side of life?
This is a great idea! When I'm in a writing slump, I put my headphones on, turn up my music, and open Writer-or-Die. I've tried journaling in the past, but it never stuck. I wonder if it would be different, now that I'm older. Sometimes I also do art for a couple of days, and respark my writing creativity (though it's been known to backfire, and I end up on an artsy binge). :D
ReplyDeleteJD, that process does sound theraputic. Like Noelle, I've tried journaling, but frankly, once I get it all out, I'm mentally tired and don't feel like writing after that. To relax, I usually read, put 'stuff' behind me, then I can go to my story relaxed.
ReplyDeleteGreat post:)
Often my thoughts and feelings will come out on paper when I write. In fact, I had a wip that I could only write if things weren't going well in my life this past year. It's a darker piece, more angst, more suspense - and if I was happy go lucky, the words wouldn't flow! A lot of times plot ideas come to me in dreams, but how I feel, or what I believe will often come out in my character's beliefs and actions.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, JD!
I totally get this. Writing is cathartic for me in so many ways. Great post!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, J.D.! My entire first novel was one giant size, bitch fest of venting. My ex-husband got reamed. I cleaned him up some...okay, ALOT when I eventually published...so I wouldn't embarrass my kids for the most part. It enabled me to let go of alot of anger at him. Anger that wasn't healthy to carry around with me. But, I'm like Barb...reading relaxes me. Helps me shut off my mind so I get get some sleep.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!