How do you feel?

[Zenith77]

How much does your emotion affect how you write?

Do you find you write better, or more, or different subjects, depending on your emotional state at the time?

What works well for you? What doesn't?

 

[KeithD]

I get into my stories, yes.

 

[MrPixel]

It affects it markedly, so much so that I know not to touch anything when I'm feeling out of sorts.

 

[Zenith77]

I get into my stories, yes.

I would hope so too That's not quite what I meant, though.

I 'get into' my stories too. I'm writing the next part of a series at the moment. I know full well that some of the stuff I've written thus far for this part I'm going to have to go through and cut heavily, and edit into something else, because, frankly, it's shit. But I've just written another section and I really like it. The first part was a struggle; I couldn't get into it, and I wasn't sure why. The second part was a breeze - the words just flowed.

I was wondering if it was my emotional state that was the issue, but I suppose it could've been any number of things.

Anyway, I thought the question was worth asking.

 

[KeithD]

I get into my stories emotionally, yes. Some more than everything. I've got some very-close-to-home stories here and some not-even-in-the-neighborhood stories. They come with different emotions in having written them. I'm not a one-size-fits-all writer.

 

[Euphony]

How much does your emotion affect how you write?

Immensely. Not being in the right frame doesn't stop me from doing all work but I tend to focus more on technical and outlining rather than more creative heavy prose, conflict, character development.

Do you find you write better, or more, or different subjects, depending on your emotional state at the time?

Absolutely. Happens in other, less creative, pursuits in love so sensical it occurs in story crafting.

What works well for you? What doesn't?

My best work flows when I come into it in a curiosity state. Writing, for me, is exploration so being in the mood to explore helps push through the inevitable dense brush and terrain challenges.

One of the best feelings as a writer is surprising yourself. And being in a curious and receptive state is when that occurs most often.

 

[Zenith77]

My best work flows when I come into it in a curiosity state. Writing, for me, is exploration so being in the mood to explore helps push through the inevitable dense brush and terrain challenges.

One of the best feelings as a writer is surprising yourself. And being in a curious and receptive state is when that occurs most often.

Nice, thanks. Completely agree and that's great articulation.

 

[Seadog777]

How much does your emotion affect how you write?

Do you find you write better, or more, or different subjects, depending on your emotional state at the time?

What works well for you? What doesn't?

Depends on what I am recalling.

If it's something good, then I use it to help me write.

If it's something bad, then I walk away and comeback later when I'm calmed down. Otherwise, a lot of my writing would be full of anger and hate.

 

[EmilyMiller]

How much does your emotion affect how you write?

Do you find you write better, or more, or different subjects, depending on your emotional state at the time?

What works well for you? What doesn't?

I guess I’m answering the opposite way round. But I found myself crying at one point during a story I wrote recently. Happy tears I hasten to add. No desire to be killing off characters at this stage in my writing.

Em

 

[KeithD]

I guess I’m answering the opposite way round. But I found myself crying at one point during a story I wrote recently.

Em

I've done that with some of my stories--even on the reread, and not necessarily because they are from personal experience.

It's a mixed bag, though. Some stories pull out emotion; some don't. Variety is just fine in fiction.

 

[EmilyMiller]

It's a mixed bag, though. Some stories pull out emotion; some don't. Variety is just fine in fiction.

I agree entirely.

Em

 

[ChloeTzang]

How much does your emotion affect how you write?

Do you find you write better, or more, or different subjects, depending on your emotional state at the time?

What works well for you? What doesn't?

Intensely. I get right into my protagonists's heads and just about live there when I'm writing 1st person, and some of them are intensely emotional stories. When I wrote September Blue and Tales from Old Shanghai, a lot of those two were written thru a blur of tears, and I still cry when I read those two - and when I play the songs associated with those two stories as well. My Valentine was similar, and I really live the stories I'm writing while I'm writing them.

I write much better and faster when I'm very involved in the story and it means something to me. Both those first two stories just flew out - and when I wrote Tales from Old Shanghai, it was almost like I was telling my own story - I was so involved in it I barely thought about it, I was writing as fast as I could type and it just poured out without a pause for days...I love it when I get into that frame of mind, it makes writing almost effortless until you get to the editing.....lol

 

[gunhilltrain]

I guess I’m answering the opposite way round. But I found myself crying at one point during a story I wrote recently. Happy tears I hasten to add. No desire to be killing off characters at this stage in my writing.

Em

I don't think I've ever killed off a character. I considered it once, but it was too much of a downer.

 

[EmilyMiller]

I don't think I've ever killed off a character. I considered it once, but it was too much of a downer.

Not really an erotica thing I guess.

Unless under the necrophillia category.

Em

 

[Zenith77]

I don't think I've ever killed off a character. I considered it once, but it was too much of a downer.

I have. The story kinda needed it. Was quite an emotional write.

 

[Rob_Royale]

It affects it markedly, so much so that I know not to touch anything when I'm feeling out of sorts.

Me too. However, I find that if I do some editing or proofreading, it helps sort me out, to a point where throwing a few lines down doesn't seem like a chore.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I find that my writing dictates my emotions more than my emotions dictate the story.

I find comfort in writing.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Not really an erotica thing I guess.

Unless under the necrophillia category.

Em

I'd like to see someone try that as a tag and see if they get caught. Well, the story itself would get rejected. ("Corpse fucking," as Melanie Griffith calls it in some movie.) But then, are vampires truly alive? I should know that one.

The Crime and Punishment event should bring up some interesting stuff.

 

[EmilyMiller]

But then, are vampires truly alive? I should know that one.

It depends. Obviously the main reference is BtVS (Bram who?). There the body, the host, is dead, but inhabited by a demon, who is very much alive.

Em

 

[gunhilltrain]

It depends. Obviously the main reference is BtVS (Bram who?). There the body, the host, is dead, but inhabited by a demon, who is very much alive.

Em

I should have known that, because I once took a course (in 1974 I think) with this guy.

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/nytimes/name/paul-oppenheimer-obituary?id=36089178

The course was called The Vampire and Other Ideas of Evil in Western Literature, or something close to that. One of my favorite professors.

Sorry, I don't remember, you haven't done any vampire stories I think? In this thread you were just talking generally I believe.

 

[EmilyMiller]

I should have known that, because I once took a course (in 1974 I think) with this guy.

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/nytimes/name/paul-oppenheimer-obituary?id=36089178

The course was called The Vampire and Other Ideas of Evil in Western Literature, or something close to that. One of my favorite professors.

Sorry, I don't remember, you haven't done any vampire stories I think? In this thread you were just talking generally I believe.

No. I find Slayers sexy, not vampires .

Do you think Whedon would sue if I wrote a Buffy / Faith / Emily threesome? I guess he has other stuff to worry about!

Em

 

[Djmac1031]

My mood definitely affects my writing.

Or I should say my ability to write.

If I've got too much going on on my head, worried about other things, I can't focus on writing.

And if I get stuck on a story, that can put me in a lack of confidence spiral and nothing gets written for weeks.

Which is where I'm at at the moment, unfortunately.

 

[ronde]

I don't really get emotional when I write, so my emotions don't really affect my writing. If I feel emotion when I read the story, though, my emotions tell me if I got it right or not.

 

[Zenith77]

Which is where I'm at at the moment, unfortunately.

May I suggest hitting up r/writingprompts on Reddit, and bashing out a 750-word response to something that appeals?

This got me back in the frame of mind for writing after a few weeks of zero productivity.

 

[SamScribble]

For the past four or five years, there has been much going on in the world that I have found more than a little depressing. But writing - about pretty much anything - cheers me up no end.