Your Writing Mood

[sarillia]

How does your mood affect your writing? And do you have any methods to get into the mood that makes you most productive?

I always look back on 2010 with a bit of wistful nostalgia because of how much writing I was doing and how much I liked what I wrote. But that's the only part of that year I'm nostalgic for. I was in a really bad place. For a while I thought that I could only be that prolific when I was trying to escape from my crappy life for hours at a time.

Then I remembered how I seem to write best and most productively when I'm in a good mood. Which didn't seem very compatible with my original idea.

Now I'm even more sure that it wasn't my depression that fueled my work because I realized something that made me facepalm when I thought about how I had overlooked it: the time right after that most prolific period of mine was when I picked up other hobbies. I started knitting and started turning into a film buff who watched movies all day. That took up a lot of time that used to go to writing, so of course I didn't get as much writing done.

Now I'm just rambling. But I think I have it figured out.

I still think that element of escapism is there. It helps to want to "live" in the world of my story more than my own life for a little while. So sometimes being depressed might help. But once I start writing, I work best when I'm feeling light and enthusiastic. Or sometimes it helps to be in the same mood as my main character. Seems like it would be difficult to write a death scene while in my bubbly, head-bopping-along-to-fun-music mood. Speaking of music, that sometimes helps put me in the right mood.

So have any of you thought about this at all?

Comments

[splinteredstar]

It helps to be in better mood. Because a significant part of my depression is lethargy, sleeping too much and not bothering to do /anything/. If I want to escape, I just go back to bed and dream. (On that note, my dreams get more elaborate when I haven't written anything in a while.)

For me, boredom is what is most inspiring actually. The "fuck, I need to do /something/....ooh, notebook!" I've come up with several ideas just for lack of anything better to do. Like in boring classes.

[jesseszen]

This is pretty close to the question I asked about being inebriated when writing. My best writing period was also a very emotional time for me - not exactly depression but it was after a divorce - I was feeling pretty lonely but there were other strong emotions as well - a new freedom, a different living arrangement, i.e. a big move and yeah, I have other things I'm doing now that I didn't do then, like volunteering.

The thing is - I don't really want to start drinking again and you probably don't want to be depressed in order to get some words on paper. So how do we get back into that groove? Maybe feeling answerable to a writing partner? Deliberately putting aside something we do now that takes up our time previously devoted to writing?

Also, you mentioned music. This, for me, is a very important part of the process. I would make playlists for different projects and when I sat down to write I'd click the playlist and slide into the mood of the story. Our writing is, as you say, a place we'd like to live. It's one of our dream worlds, but a good writer can make it a place where others can step in and visit or if we're very good, get lost in.

Best,

Ki

[inkdust]

For me I think it's a weird balance. I have to have enough going on to keep my brain active and wanting to be active, but I need enough quiet downtime to actually focus. A little melancholy can help, but actual depression kills my work.

There was a post on fandom secrets yesterday about feeling the urge to write when you're supposed to be doing something else (don't know if that was someone here or unrelated), and I've noticed that's absolutely the case for me. I always felt like writing in class, and now I notice that often if I do some work, I'll start to get into a writing mood. Getting my brain going, regardless of my mood, seems most important for me. But it's generally easier to get my brain going when I'm in a decent mood.

[ayumidah]

It comes and it goes. I write my best when I'm in a calm mood-- not angry, or particularly happy, just being. When I'm happy, I generally get too hyped to focus thoroughly, or when I'm angry or sad, or whatever else, I just want to rage or pout and again that affects my writing. Though sometimes I can write through it with a little force.

[caecilia]

It's better when I'm feeling good. Writing can help get me out of a bad mood, but I have to force myself to do it. When I feel good, I feel productive, and getting things done makes me feel better. When I'm depressed I just get more depressed.