Some people argue that creative people need “angst” to produce good work. Do you? What emotions drive you as a writer?
Do I need angst to produce good work?
That seems a bit subjective to me, since most writers would like to think that every time they pen something that it will be considered good at the very least. I will say that had it not been for angst, I would not have started writing again (it was a very hard time in my life). Now whether what I wrote was good...let's just say it was, um, a start.
This question came at such an interesting time for me. October is my favorite month of the year. I get so excited, and by the end of the month, I was riding high http://terrirainer.blogspot.com/2008/10/happy-halloween.html . So many good things happened last week, that it was inevitable that once November started, it would be a supreme let down.
Enter my fall state of depression. So many people say that fall is their favorite time of the year. In Oklahoma fall comes late. The leaves are just now turning. November marks the beginning of a melancholy period for me. I wouldn't say that I journey into a downward spiral of depression that requires medication, I just tend to become far more subdued than normal.
That being said, it is about as close as I come to having a serious case of angst. And NO! I don't write anything well while in a mood that tends to lean towards gloomy. I get complacent, I have to use my energy to function at a normal level. It's as if some of my spirit drains along with the green in the leaves and the grass. I hardly feel creative.
What emotions drive you as a writer?Hmmmm, this is a head scratcher for me. I never thought of any emotion driving me. The creative juices start flowing so fast I had to have an outlet. I controlled the emotion that I was pouring into my work by my song selections. As so many before me in the chain have admitted, listening to certain music often sets the tone of the written work. Whether it aids in the mood or makes those emotions stronger using auditory stimulation is anybody's guess. That is only one tool that a writer can use.
Drawing on a past experience, or an emotional scene from a movie, even feelings evoked from a favorite book, are all things that a creative mind can draw on. I do try and feel the same emotions that a character is feeling. It makes it easier to share that with a reader if you are putting yourself in the character's own mood.
This question has been my favorite so far. It came at such a great time. To be able to reflect on the swing of emotions that we all feel from time to time has been an eye-opener. It also forced me to write, which I haven't done at all this week.
Even though October is over, I still have ghost stories that I could share, and I will try and round up a few for my next post. Until then, you should really go to the beginning of this chain and follow it. The members of the blog chain are all far more talented at conveying their thoughts on this subject, and I must say that it really sucks to have to follow them!
The chain started with Archy http://archetypewriting.blogspot.com/ , Elana was before me in the chain http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/ , and Leah follows my post http://leahclifford.livejournal.com/ .
