Does Emotional Status Effect Your Writing?

Amy_D · Oct 31, 2014

For years I've suffered from depression and anxiety, currently being control by meds and meditation (in that order.) So it's no secret that my main characters seem depressed and anxious, hence, write what you know. Right?

But here's the quandary: Do people really want to read books about characters who are filled with emotional turmoil? I'm not sure. Everyone likes to read a book about a character who conquers the pain of mental illness, slays all the dragons and saves the world. Of course. But I haven't slain dragons and still deal with my mental issues on a daily basis. So, I've taken a long hard look at my characters and they seem a bit dark - plus they're women. Dark men are perceived as sexy while dark women are only perceived as sexy if they're stalking you in a mini skirt.

How do I write about likable characters when I swim in shallow sadness?

Fruitbat · Oct 31, 2014

Well, you're ahead of me on that so I'm not sure I can help. When I have other things on my mind that upset me, I don't have the mental energy left for writing any kind of fiction.

I think dark fiction has its place, as long as there's a story there rather than just characters wallowing in emotions. Also, if that's what you're drawn to when anxious or depressed, it could be you're getting something worthwhile out of it whether it's publishable or not.

I can write non-fiction when I have worries on my mind, though. As long as it's the "how to" kind and not creative non-fiction.

Amy_D · Oct 31, 2014

Fruitbat said:
Well, you're ahead of me on that so I'm not sure I can help. When I have other things on my mind that upset me, I don't have the mental energy left for writing any kind of fiction.

I think dark fiction has its place, as long as there's a story there rather than just characters wallowing in emotions. Also, if that's what you're drawn to when anxious or depressed, it could be you're getting something worthwhile out of it whether it's publishable or not.

I can write non-fiction when I have worries on my mind, though. As long as it's the "how to" kind and not creative non-fiction.

Sometimes I write my best when I'm in a rotten mood. My writing gets supercharged when I'm angry. I can bust out a couple of paragraphs that have lots of colorful descriptions but the raw energy of my emotional state hampers the flow. I leave out necessary details which are important to storytelling.

Buffysquirrel · Oct 31, 2014

It definitely does affect mine. I've had to delete whole chapters where the MC was just feeling sorry for themselves. And I've had people tell me they can't read my stories because they're too much of a downer.

So it's a problem.

You can kinda gauge the potential reaction by how many people describe Holden Caulfield as 'whiny'. Here's this kid dealing with the suicide of his much-loved brother, and to many readers he's whiny. Enough said.

Then again, Affinity by Sarah Waters is one of my favourite books, and that'd definitely be dismissed by many as 'whiny'.

I don't have a fix for you. Sorry

. Just write what you think is true.

Amy_D · Oct 31, 2014

Buffysquirrel said:
It definitely does affect mine. I've had to delete whole chapters where the MC was just feeling sorry for themselves. And I've had people tell me they can't read my stories because they're too much of a downer.

So it's a problem.

You can kinda gauge the potential reaction by how many people describe Holden Caulfield as 'whiny'. Here's this kid dealing with the suicide of his much-loved brother, and to many readers he's whiny. Enough said.

Then again, Affinity by Sarah Waters is one of my favourite books, and that'd definitely be dismissed by many as 'whiny'.

I don't have a fix for you. Sorry . Just write what you think is true.

I'm definitively not JD Salinger. Perhaps he could get away with a whiny character but not many people can pull it off.

I know what you mean about cutting pages due to MC wallowing in pity. My recent book has a female about to have sex and she's feeling sorry for herself. Not too sexy.

Makai_Lightning · Oct 31, 2014

I'm not sure I have any useful advice, since while I was massively depressed/anxious (and it was REALLY bad), before I got on meds I could barely write at all. I mean even an English paper or something for class. It was hard, and it was a problem.

But stopping by to say good luck, congrats on not giving up, and continue to not give up. =]

Jamesaritchie · Oct 31, 2014

Every story has an audience, if it's well written. I'm not sure such characters would go over well in genre fiction, but I've read a fair amount of literary fiction where such characters are the norm.

But do you have to write such characters? Even if you're depressed, do your characters have to be?

Amy_D · Oct 31, 2014

Makai_Lightning said:
I'm not sure I have any useful advice, since while I was massively depressed/anxious (and it was REALLY bad), before I got on meds I could barely write at all. I mean even an English paper or something for class. It was hard, and it was a problem.

But stopping by to say good luck, congrats on not giving up, and continue to not give up. =]

I know EXACTLY what it's like to be meds free. Two years ago I thought meditation was working so well that I no longer needed meds. Lets just say that's not a little test I'll ever take again and leave it at that.

Thanks for your well wishes

Always nice to hear. And good luck to you as well.

Amy_D · Oct 31, 2014

Jamesaritchie said:
Every story has an audience, if it's well written. I'm not sure such characters would go over well in genre fiction, but I've read a fair amount of literary fiction where such characters are the norm.

But do you have to write such characters? Even if you're depressed, do your characters have to be?

I don't want my characters to act depressed but my issues seem to show through in my writing and that's the quandary.

Wilde_at_heart · Oct 31, 2014

Maybe you shouldn't - keeping with what you like or feel comfortable writing might work and if it's compelling and well-written there's undoubtedly an audience for it. Many people like or prefer dark; I see lots of agents tweet that they want dark.

However, if you want perhaps some variety - maybe think in terms of wish-fulfillment. How do you wish you were sometimes?

Jamesaritchie · Oct 31, 2014

Amy_D said:
I don't want my characters to act depressed but my issues seem to show through in my writing and that's the quandary.

Yes, I understand that. It's so natural to write ourselves into the characters that not doing so takes a lot of effort. I think we can overcome this, however. Some of the best humor writers out there suffered from chronic depression.

I have no real advice on how to do this, so I'm probably no help, but just try making your characters real people who aren't depressed.

Faye-M · Oct 31, 2014

I have a lot of health problems and a history of past traumas, and for a while I noticed that most of my main characters had health issues or emotional conflicts that reflected mine directly. This was fine the first few times I did it, but it got old pretty fast, so I had to do something about it. I had already worked through my physical issues and traumas in my writing - I didn't need to do that with EVERY story.

So, I started creating characters with other types of issues to overcome - issues that I could still relate to, but that were different from the ones I'd been overusing. If someone analyzed all of my main characters closely a definite pattern would emerge and it wouldn't be hard to figure out what my issues are, but on the surface they're all very different people with a wide range of personal conflicts.

I guess my advice is - stick with the emotional content that you can relate to, but package it differently. Make your characters overcome the issues you struggle with in a way that you wish you could. Honestly, I find there's no better therapy than that.

LJD · Oct 31, 2014

I have chronic depression that doesn't respond to meds. But I write fairly light, humorous (I hope) contemporary romance. I see writing more as a kind of escapism, and I try not to write characters too much like myself. I don't want to write about characters too much like myself, tbh. So maybe try to look at it that way...as a form of escapism?

ETA: you might check out this thread: I cannot write happy things.

Quentin Nokov · Oct 31, 2014

My advice is write what feel, but when you're not feeling as depressed as other times go back and analyze where the writing might be heavy on emotion. Edit accordingly.

My other advice probably isn't going to be overly helpful. My question is: if you're writing characters who are constantly feeling sorry for themselves, is this a reflection of your own personal feelings? If so, perhaps ask yourself why you feel sorry / what you feel sorry about. I know this might sound mean, harsh, ignorant, etc. But the thing that strikes me is IF the voice of the characters is your own, and you're unsatisfied with them sounding depressed or whiny or whatever reason then what you really need to do is change yourself--not your characters.

Changing the way one thinks I've learned is a monumental in helping one's emotions, of course, it's not always easy to control our thoughts, but it can be done with practice. In your case, if your emotions show in your writing, then one of the ways to avoid the quandary you're having is to try to fix whatever underlying problem you have. Not saying it has to be fixed 100%, but while writing it might need to be, at the very least, suppressed.

(Disclaimer: Obviously I don't know what's going on in your head and I'm not psychoanalyzing you. Note the constant use of 'If's. Just throwing out my thoughts on the matter)

Anyway, good luck and I hope you're able to find a technique that will give you satisfaction with your writing.

Kashmirgirl1976 · Oct 31, 2014

I tend to write much better when I'm having a manic episode (I'm bipolar) and the juices flow. When I experience a depressive episode, I'm rather hit or miss. Write whatever comes through. The words you'll write will most likely show your more honest side.

Buffysquirrel · Oct 31, 2014

The thing about writing characters who aren't depressed is remembering what the hell that feels like....

Amy_D · Oct 31, 2014

Wilde_at_heart said:
Maybe you shouldn't - keeping with what you like or feel comfortable writing might work and if it's compelling and well-written there's undoubtedly an audience for it. Many people like or prefer dark; I see lots of agents tweet that they want dark.

However, if you want perhaps some variety - maybe think in terms of wish-fulfillment. How do you wish you were sometimes?

I can write a dark comedy - more dark than comedy and see how that goes. And writing a character that's nothing like me will be an interesting writing exercise.

Thanks for the suggestions!

Amy_D · Oct 31, 2014

Jamesaritchie said:
Yes, I understand that. It's so natural to write ourselves into the characters that not doing so takes a lot of effort. I think we can overcome this, however. Some of the best humor writers out there suffered from chronic depression.

I have no real advice on how to do this, so I'm probably no help, but just try making your characters real people who aren't depressed.

My MC's will always have issues...cause well, that's what I know. But hopefully my other characters that are well-adjusted will come across as real. I can see the funny side of dark much easier than seeing lightness as a way of perceiving the world.

Amy_D · Oct 31, 2014

Faye-M said:
I have a lot of health problems and a history of past traumas, and for a while I noticed that most of my main characters had health issues or emotional conflicts that reflected mine directly. This was fine the first few times I did it, but it got old pretty fast, so I had to do something about it. I had already worked through my physical issues and traumas in my writing - I didn't need to do that with EVERY story.

So, I started creating characters with other types of issues to overcome - issues that I could still relate to, but that were different from the ones I'd been overusing. If someone analyzed all of my main characters closely a definite pattern would emerge and it wouldn't be hard to figure out what my issues are, but on the surface they're all very different people with a wide range of personal conflicts.

I guess my advice is - stick with the emotional content that you can relate to, but package it differently. Make your characters overcome the issues you struggle with in a way that you wish you could. Honestly, I find there's no better therapy than that.

I'm sorry about your health problems and I'm glad you were able to get some relief of those issues through writing. Overcoming any pain is never easy. I do develop characters who are going through events that are different than my own but sometimes I could just hear my own voice speaking and wondering if my voice should shut up.

Amy_D · Oct 31, 2014

LJD said:
I have chronic depression that doesn't respond to meds. But I write fairly light, humorous (I hope) contemporary romance. I see writing more as a kind of escapism, and I try not to write characters too much like myself. I don't want to write about characters too much like myself, tbh. So maybe try to look at it that way...as a form of escapism?

ETA: you might check out this thread: I cannot write happy things.

If you can flesh out characters that aren't sad and depressed you indeed have talent!

readitnweep · Oct 31, 2014

Depressed? Check. But it affects my writing by providing the crap I escape from. Writing is my mental vacation. Yes, I can write really dark stuff, but that isn't the norm for me. Writing is joy for me...creating a new place to go where I get to play God with people (and in my head, my characters need to be real, part of the Disney-Write-opia vacation destination I mentally visit).

My characters have conflicts but, unlike life, I can fix those problems so my writing doesn't get too dark.

Roxxsmom · Oct 31, 2014

When I'm depressed I tend to be very low energy and to doubt myself terribly (and to be very self critical). It's caused me to abandon my writing efforts for long periods in the past, so yes, it definitely affects my writing.

I have different characters in my stories, though, and they fall along a spectrum of moods. I think I have a fondness for characters who doubt themselves in some way, however. To me, stories about rock-jawed heroes who never doubt themselves or the goodness of their goals aren't terribly realistic or interesting.

phantasy · Oct 31, 2014

I like writing for the fact that it simply fills up my brain space. Seriously, way better to write something that could be good someday than spend my time thinking how my life sucks and I'll never amount to anything. I'm a horrendous over-thinker and worrier.

That being said, when I'm angry, I like to write horror. :evil

Amy_D · Oct 31, 2014

Quentin Nokov said:
My advice is write what feel, but when you're not feeling as depressed as other times go back and analyze where the writing might be heavy on emotion. Edit accordingly.

My other advice probably isn't going to be overly helpful. My question is: if you're writing characters who are constantly feeling sorry for themselves, is this a reflection of your own personal feelings? If so, perhaps ask yourself why you feel sorry / what you feel sorry about. I know this might sound mean, harsh, ignorant, etc. But the thing that strikes me is IF the voice of the characters is your own, and you're unsatisfied with them sounding depressed or whiny or whatever reason then what you really need to do is change yourself--not your characters.

Changing the way one thinks I've learned is a monumental in helping one's emotions, of course, it's not always easy to control our thoughts, but it can be done with practice. In your case, if your emotions show in your writing, then one of the ways to avoid the quandary you're having is to try to fix whatever underlying problem you have. Not saying it has to be fixed 100%, but while writing it might need to be, at the very least, suppressed.

(Disclaimer: Obviously I don't know what's going on in your head and I'm not psychoanalyzing you. Note the constant use of 'If's. Just throwing out my thoughts on the matter)

Anyway, good luck and I hope you're able to find a technique that will give you satisfaction with your writing.

I have been and will continue to work on my issues. In the meantime, I'd like to write and not have my issues seep in which may or may not be realistic. Who knows?

Amy_D · Oct 31, 2014

Kashmirgirl1976 said:
I tend to write much better when I'm having a manic episode (I'm bipolar) and the juices flow. When I experience a depressive episode, I'm rather hit or miss. Write whatever comes through. The words you'll write will most likely show your more honest side.

If your mania increases your writing abilities then you are pretty lucky!

Does Emotional Status Effect Your Writing?

Awake in the present moment.

.

Awake in the present moment.

Awake in the present moment.

Love Addict

Awake in the present moment.

Awake in the present moment.

&#965;&#960;&#949;&#943;&#954;&#969;phobe

King of the Kitties

Recouping My Lost Marbles

Awake in the present moment.

Awake in the present moment.

Awake in the present moment.

Awake in the present moment.

Beastly Fido

I write weird stories.

Awake in the present moment.

Awake in the present moment.

υπείκωphobe