26 Comments
User's avatar
Esperanza's avatar

Generally, I believe that experiencing strong emotions can be alleviated not just through writing, but through any form of art. Whenever I felt overwhelmed by intense sadness, shame, or anger, I found it crucial to channel these feelings onto paper, whether through drawing or poetry. Creating something, no matter how allegorical or abstract—actually, the more allegorical the better—helps capture and express those profound emotions more succinctly. That's how it works for me.

Expand full comment
Hanna Delaney's avatar

Without wanting to sound dramatic, I do mostly write when emotional. Whatever nonsense is going on gets channelled into my work. It's given me a lot of energy out of something that would otherwise be draining.

Expand full comment
Marco.D.Blanco's avatar

I wonder if this has happened to others, I have written in the past while I was pretty miffed and I was really drinking in how much of that energy was going into the story.

But when I read it later without all of those feelings, the anger just didn’t come through on the page, even though I still had the memory of how good it resonated before.

Expand full comment
Sean Patrick Hill's avatar

I learned how to be a poet the most when I wrote angry. Then it just roared out.

Expand full comment
Tom Kuegler's avatar

I'm in total agreement, David. Use all your emotions. When you're really feeling an emotion deeply, it's the best time to write. Might even save us from a few interactions we'd otherwise regret with people if we just chose to write our way through our emotions rather than go out and make rash decisions based on them.

Expand full comment
Jack Livaditis's avatar

Legend!!!

Expand full comment
Simon Allen's avatar

Great post! I think writing from emotion is really important and I completely sign up to your idea of authenticity and how a few mistakes here and there actually can capture us more. This is also true in music which is why listening to live albums is so great.

Interestingly, I often find I reverse this process when I write. I regularly start writing calm or clear minded, but due to what I am writing about I end it with anger, angst or fear flooding me.

Thank you for the article!

Expand full comment
Regina Peralta 🇵🇭's avatar

Wonderful insight. Often, I find myself too scared of those intense emotions (despair, frustration, anger) and end up not writing about them, not even in my journal. Thank you for pointing out that these raw feelings are very much a part of the human experience that so many can relate to.

Expand full comment
Catriona Knapman's avatar

I actually think making some decisions is good when you are angry. When you have put up with a bad situation for too long I think anger can be a great catalyst to act on our self worth and change things.

Expand full comment
Ebere Christian's avatar

I don't really care about perfection. I wrote how I feel. I mostly channel my strong emotion writing to my journal. I never really thought about publishing them.

I have made a mental note of it. Thank youu

Expand full comment
Janet Autherine's avatar

It is challenging to write poetry in a calm state of mind.

Expand full comment
Mustafa Qamar's avatar

They always say before you take out your anger you need to take a moment to realize the situation, and in the other hand writing is like thinking but in a slow process. Which is why I agree with you.

Expand full comment
Jack Livaditis's avatar

Don’t just spew your thoughts onto the internet like an angst-ridden teenager chasing heart emojis on Bebo in 2006.- Absolute Gold. love the idea of authentic over perfect writing. Just subscribed!

Expand full comment
Johnny Zhu's avatar

So true! I was somehow superior at writing when I giving bad reviews for restaurants because of their disaster food.

Expand full comment
Pranita Pramodrao Deshpande's avatar

Any artist or writers are mad only.

Expand full comment
Angie's avatar

I see how most people in the Notes here feel so connected to this idea and while I do agree, I find it so UNBELIEVABLY hard. I think I’m getting better at it as time goes by, but the moment it happens, I just can’t help but look at the blank page without really knowing how to transform my emotions into words. Any thoughts on this? I’d love to hear some advice! :) x

Expand full comment
Pranath Fernando's avatar

At least it’s a great way to overcome writers block and get the creative juices flowing even if it ends up overcooked? 😂

There always editing after 😉

Expand full comment