I'm relatively new at this fiction thing, but I've been writing long enough to know my moods affect my writing. When I'm upbeat and happy, the prose flows and I come up with some funny lines. But when I'm tired or down, I have to force the words onto the page only to wish I hadn't bothered.
What about you? Do your moods and energy level affect your writing? Do you write anyway? Or put off the word count until your sun comes out again?
Absolutely mood affects my writing. Sometimes too much so I fear. I'll use music to help me get in the right mood but that doesn't always work. When that happens, I'll take a break and come back to my writing when my head has cleared. Forcing the word count doesn't work for me, it always ends up being deleted in the end.
My moods totally swing my motivation... so if I'm serious about getting a certain word count I really have to whip out the cattle prod. And I may not be thrilled with that day's output, but all forward motion is positive. I can edit anything that I've written... but I can't edit what's not there.
Good point. My problem is that I find it easier to write it right the first time. Once the words are down, I sometimes have trouble writing it differently (unless I've been away from it a long time). However, if I'm really stuck, I'll get something down just so I can move past it.
Yes, definitely. Actually if I'm TOO happy, I have a hard time writing, because I can't get a grasp on my concentration. Lol. Also, when I'm flat out exhausted, the words don't flow at all. It becomes a chore, and writing should NEVER become a chore. That's why I tend to cut myself some slack when I simply too tired to write anything worthwhile.
Definitely, my mood affects my writing. When I'm not in the mood to write, I can barely get a paragraph down. When I'm in the mood and happy, oh yes, I write away like there's no tomorrow. In either mood, I put my heart to it and that matters.
When I first started out, my mood played a big factor in my writing. However, as time went by the exact opposite started to happen. The scenes I write and the emotions of my characters tend to shift my mood one way or the other. It turns out I am very empathetic to my characters and their situations. ;-)
Oh, yes! That happens, too, and did from the first novel. I literally cried tears and sniffled into tissues when I wrote the last scene of To Have and To Hold. It affected me for days.
It is t.o.u.g.h. to write when my mood is sour. I'd love to say I push through it, but I don't. I do, however, experience negative moods like a writer. I take mental notes of how I'm feeling, where I'm feeling it, and think about how I might write the emotion in a scene. It's a sickness...
Absolutely mood affects my writing. Sometimes too much so I fear. I'll use music to help me get in the right mood but that doesn't always work. When that happens, I'll take a break and come back to my writing when my head has cleared. Forcing the word count doesn't work for me, it always ends up being deleted in the end.
ReplyDeleteMaybe not so much my moods as my physical state of being. If I'm exhausted, it's difficult to even think.
ReplyDeleteMy moods totally swing my motivation... so if I'm serious about getting a certain word count I really have to whip out the cattle prod. And I may not be thrilled with that day's output, but all forward motion is positive. I can edit anything that I've written... but I can't edit what's not there.
ReplyDeleteGood point. My problem is that I find it easier to write it right the first time. Once the words are down, I sometimes have trouble writing it differently (unless I've been away from it a long time). However, if I'm really stuck, I'll get something down just so I can move past it.
DeleteThanks for visiting--all of you. :)
Yes, definitely. Actually if I'm TOO happy, I have a hard time writing, because I can't get a grasp on my concentration. Lol. Also, when I'm flat out exhausted, the words don't flow at all. It becomes a chore, and writing should NEVER become a chore. That's why I tend to cut myself some slack when I simply too tired to write anything worthwhile.
ReplyDeleteYup. Sometimes a break and some rest can do wonders. :)
DeleteDefinitely, my mood affects my writing. When I'm not in the mood to write, I can barely get a paragraph down. When I'm in the mood and happy, oh yes, I write away like there's no tomorrow. In either mood, I put my heart to it and that matters.
ReplyDelete"In either mood, I put my heart to it and that matters."
DeleteWell said. :)
When I'm in a bad mood, my characters start bickering. *Grins*
ReplyDeleteLOL - But is that necessarily a bad thing? :P
DeleteWhen I first started out, my mood played a big factor in my writing. However, as time went by the exact opposite started to happen. The scenes I write and the emotions of my characters tend to shift my mood one way or the other. It turns out I am very empathetic to my characters and their situations. ;-)
ReplyDeleteOh, yes! That happens, too, and did from the first novel. I literally cried tears and sniffled into tissues when I wrote the last scene of To Have and To Hold. It affected me for days.
DeleteI write anyway cause sometimes it improves my mood. But yes, this is a big problem for me!
ReplyDeleteHI, Lisa. Thanks for stopping by. :)
DeleteIt is t.o.u.g.h. to write when my mood is sour. I'd love to say I push through it, but I don't. I do, however, experience negative moods like a writer. I take mental notes of how I'm feeling, where I'm feeling it, and think about how I might write the emotion in a scene. It's a sickness...
ReplyDeleteLOL - yes. It is.
DeleteLove your new pic! :D