Writing Advice: Writing With Your Emotions

 I’m not a therapist, but sometimes, writing while you’re feeling big emotions can be a good thing.

I remember writing after I lost my dog. That day, I must’ve written somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000 words. I was heartbroken, and I didn’t know what else to do except write. So that’s what I did.

Let me be clear: I’m not saying writing will fix everything or that you have to write when you’re upset. 

However, if you need an outlet, writing might be helpful.

You don’t have to write your manuscript. You don’t even have to make sense. The words can be messy and chaotic, just like your emotions. That’s okay.

Writing can help us process our emotions. In fact, some of the best stories and most memorable characters emerge from individuals who were going through a difficult time. For example, I often write happy endings. Why? Because I usually feel sad, and I don’t want my characters to feel the same way. (That doesn’t mean I won’t drag them through hell though.) But that sadness? That real emotion? It shows up in my work. I’ve had people tell me the way I write certain feelings, especially grief or loneliness, feels real. That’s because I was feeling those things while writing them.

Emotions are powerful. So is writing. Combine them, and you can create something incredible.

But there’s a flip side, too...don’t get trapped in your work.

Sometimes, people pour so much of themselves into their stories, especially during hard times, that they can’t pull away from it. They start living in the emotional world they’ve built, and it becomes harder to process those feelings in real life.

If you’re a gamer, the game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 explains this idea really well.

Spoiler Warning for Expedition 33

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In the game, the Paintress is a grieving mother who get's trapped in a world of paint to escape the death of her son. If she stays too long, the world of paint will destroy her. Eventually, she has to be forcibly pulled out, because she can’t let go.

It’s fiction, but the message is real. Sometimes, we use our art to process things, but we can’t live there forever. That’s why it’s essential to step back. Talk to people. Rest. Heal outside the page, too.

Writing is powerful...but your well-being matters more.

Your story can wait one more day if you need it to.