A terribly upsetting event took place in my life a few days ago. I got mad, I ranted to my husband—it wasn’t his fault, poor guy—and I asked God for wisdom to remedy the situation. Then I tried to write. Oh me.
A low level devil perched on my shoulder as I sat at my desk, niggling me. “Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do?” Concentration fled. Anger returned. Yet I needed to finish the partial I was revising.
So I prayed some more, gritted my teeth, told Satan to shut up in Jesus’ Name, and revised anyway. I may not have done as good a job as I would have if all had been right with the world. But then, how many minutes in your lifetime has all been right? Fifteen or so? Thirty if you’re especially blessed.
When you are emotionally upset to the point of wigging out, crying, shouting or running away from home, how does it affect your writing? Do you plow through anyway, or do you set it aside for a time, then pick it up later when you’ve calmed down?
Blessings on you as you write for your Audience of ONE,
Jen
A low level devil perched on my shoulder as I sat at my desk, niggling me. “Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do?” Concentration fled. Anger returned. Yet I needed to finish the partial I was revising.
So I prayed some more, gritted my teeth, told Satan to shut up in Jesus’ Name, and revised anyway. I may not have done as good a job as I would have if all had been right with the world. But then, how many minutes in your lifetime has all been right? Fifteen or so? Thirty if you’re especially blessed.
When you are emotionally upset to the point of wigging out, crying, shouting or running away from home, how does it affect your writing? Do you plow through anyway, or do you set it aside for a time, then pick it up later when you’ve calmed down?
Blessings on you as you write for your Audience of ONE,
Jen
P.S. Please join me Wednesday for an interview and book giveaway with author Lynnette Bonner!
Some days are like that. We have to go through the pain of sinful living. Sometimes my stories are an escape from the realities of living, and some days I can do nothing else but fall on my knees and cry out before the Lord. But I will say, that if we stop our writing whenever anything bad or disturbing happens, then we won't get far very fast. At times, we just have to put our heads down and plow forward with what we need to do, right?
ReplyDeleteI get frustrated and just give up. Then when there is complete quiet in the house, (usually when everyone goes to bed), I try again.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I just shorten whatever I wanted to write.
How did you do making your goal this weekend?
smooches,
Larie
Thanks for the wisdom, ladies. I appreciate you.
ReplyDeleteLarie, I made it to 40%. My goal was 50% so I am gratified.
And you?
Good question....I can't write when I'm really worked up about something. I have to find a way to dispel the energy first. Sorry you were so upset! That's no fun at all!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you were so upset. Maybe an emotion came out of you that you can apply towards a future character. God turns all for good!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry. :-( I hope things are better now.
ReplyDeleteWhen I get really upset it's tough for me to do anything. Even read. It's exhausting. Usually reading the bible pulls me out. I'm so glad God put the psalms in there. Misery loves company. LOL And King David is great companionship on an ugly day.
Hopefully your writing is stronger because of this! :-)
Sorry you endured a hardship. I usually try to plow through. Picturing the scene from The Passion...when Jesus steps on the snake in the garden always helps me a little.
ReplyDeleteThinking of you,
~ Wendy
Sorry to hear this, but if it helps any it happens to all of us. Kind of does take us off our high perch, doesn't it. A break is in order for soulful prayer then, because the words don't come to me either in those situations until I've cleared it with the Lord.
ReplyDeleteI can usually have myself a good cry and then pour myself into my writing. However, if it's a conflict in my home (with kids, husband, dog using my favorite rug for her potty spot!) then I HAVE to have resolution before I can write - it's just too distracting! His power is made perfect in our weakness!
ReplyDeleteResting in my Heavenly Father's arms.
ReplyDeleteBlessings, andrea
When I'm emotionally upset, it's very hard for me to focus. I dwell on things for a long time and it's hard for me to get over them. Usually it helps to write. If I get in the zone and bury myself in imagination, it helps the outside issues go away.
ReplyDeleteI hope all is better now!
Gosh I get into a real brain fog if reality steams me up. It's a big hurdle for me! Can't wait for the interview Wed!
ReplyDeleteI had one of those moments this morning when my copy and paste delayed to my blog and caused all sorts of difficulties. But God was there and He helped me to finish what I started. I'm proud of you for your efforts in spite of trouble.
ReplyDeleteI am a naturally moody person. My emotions hit me hard, and that can make it hard to write.
ReplyDeleteIf I'm REALLY in a bad place for writing (I'm too excited or too upset to do what I need to do) then I'll often write something else. Usually it's a personal essay and I put all of my emotions into it. Then I feel like I can get back to work.
I once heard a workshop where Sandra Brown said, "Writers write. They write when the dog dies, when they're sick..." etc. etc. and it stuck with me. But writing isn't like plumbing. Emotional duress does play a part in whether or not our creative well is plentiful or dry...and sometimes no matter how much you TRY to write, you just can't. I know I can't but I'm working on writing through the tough times in life.
ReplyDeleteJeanette:
ReplyDeletePlease be assured that you can ask forgiveness from God and from your hubby. And start over. I know I've had to many, many times.
I can't write when I'm upset--really upset. But if I'm a bit down, I can cause writing makes me forget and I'm happier.
ReplyDeleteHope things are better now. I usually can't write if I'm in a tizzy. When I do, my writing is heavy and somber, or verrrry sarcastic. So it's best for me to ponder with God and calm down first.
ReplyDeleteHey, you have a "cheap" award waiting for you on my blog. :)
Blessings**
Sorry about your bad day :(
ReplyDeleteI plow through, because you're right, very few minutes of our life are perfect!
Thanks you guys. This helps. I love you all; you are a lifeline for me when I'm drowning in stuff...
ReplyDeleteWhen I get like that, I often write down my feelings just to get them off my chest but I wait before posting them. Usually when I come back and read the post I find out that the feelings have gone and I simply delete it.
ReplyDeleteIn my experience, the most prolific writers just write, regardless of mood or distractions. Michener always spent every morning writing -- if he only wrote one sentence because of a bad morning or writer's block, so be it, but he sat in front of that typewriter for the four hours. Then for the rest of his day, he went on with his life. Seems like a good way to do things to me although I am not as disciplined or scheduled as he is. I tend to be more manic about my writing. Sit down and write an entire book in a month -- one of my more popular books was written that way and even the publisher could not tell that it was a round-the-clock frenzy. My latest, Blest Atheist, I wrote in 6 months while working full-time, but every morning from 4-6 I was writing new and every evening from 8-10 I was revising. I actually did keep to a schedule that time. For me, emotions disappear once I get into the writing -- I get a new set of emotions, those that should becoming through the writing.
ReplyDeleteHope that gives some more ideas to think about. Good luck to you! Sounds like you made it through your writing task in spite of the emotions.
Oh, I'm sorry your were upset!
ReplyDeleteI hope you're feeling better!
I can't write if it's something REALLY upsetting. I would definitely have to "call in" sick from writing on that day. But that's me.
Oh I have a lot of bad days, had one yesterday and just cried and sobbed, there are some things in my family that could be better and I just had me a little metting with God and cried and prayed. Hope you have a better week and please enter me into the drawing for your book, I really need it.
ReplyDeletemamat2730(at)charter(dot)net