Feeling Sucker-Punched? Use that Sh*t!

Best. Writing. Sessions. Ever! Because some jerk ruined my week.

Recently, I received some bad news.

Then I got more bad news.

And then a little more.

This wave of disappointment came to a crescendo in a particularly rough conversation I had with someone. I fought to keep my composure, while the other person completely failed to see the circumstances and repercussions from my perspective, or even that I was clenching my jaw to hold back the tears that were starting to blur my vision. Thank goodness it was over Zoom, so I could thank them for their time and sign off quickly.

I left this conversation not only disappointed, but angry and frustrated. I felt like no matter what I do, it’s never enough, and it will never be enough no matter how much of my blood I pump into it.

After weeks of my writing moving forward at the same lightning speed as a dying man crossing a desert, this little gem of an interaction was more than I was prepared for. I was FUMING!

Wait, fuming?

Didn’t I just write a chapter in which one of my characters was “fuming?”

Hey, it was Ludovigo. His life is a spiraling dog poop bag of frustration and setbacks. If he was here right now, we could commiserate over a beer. Or two.

But Ludovigo is always here. He can’t drink an actual beer, but that leaves more for me.

I sat down at the keyboard and poured my escalating tensions into his soul. I thought about the tragedies, reversals, hurdles, and enemies that he’s faced, and I let my personal frustration rip through him and out of him. It was cathartic!

Now, some of you may say, “Duh, that’s what a writer is supposed to do:  use their emotion to create emotion in the reader.”

I completely agree, but I have never experienced it to this level with negative emotions this intense. I usually choose not to write when feeling down. We are often told how important it is to be and stay positive, but we’re not told how to channel negative things, which inevitably happen, into positive purpose.

But then something more happened that I didn’t expect.

My faith in my ability to write a good book took a huge jump. My feelings about how close I am to being done transformed into something far more optimistic. Although I’m still upset about that conversation, I can now see that particular part of my life is a complete dead end.

But my writing isn’t a dead end. That’s where I should be spending my time and energy.

After that ludicrous exchange, I wrote more than I have written in months, and it was better writing. I am ignited!

So, my friends, the next time the world stomps on you (and you know it’s out there waiting for you), use that sh*t. It’s pure gold.

Have you ever experienced any intense emotion and then channeled it into your writing? Or have you ever read a book and felt intense emotion from it, like nothing you’d ever felt from a book before? Drop your story in the comments below. I’d love to hear about it.