Emotions and Creativity – the Rollercoaster of the Writing Life

Eight years ago I went down a hole called ‘my writing life’ and never came out. I’ve always been an emotional person, and the mediums of painting and writing have brought me joy and understanding in equal measure.

Yet, whilst painting is an outlet that leaves me calm, writing can play havoc with my moods. It’s as if once you’ve opened the door to allow the myriad of emotions to enter, it remains open.

To create interesting and layered characters, writers mine the full spectrum of feeling. They go within and find the exact timbre they need to make their characters’ inner lives seem real, based on their own experiences. This can feel like having numerous therapy sessions and leaves us raw and vulnerable. If you do this often enough, it creates an almost permanent state of heightened emotion.

There have been studies on the correlation of intense emotion and the capacity for creativity. The ability to face these emotions head-on, to confront and analyse them, is the realm of creative people. It is just what we do and it’s exhausting. On reflection, I can’t say that any writers I know are insipid. They are often intense beings – sensitive and empathetic feelers. They don’t skate on the surface of life, but plunge deep within its depths, searching for answers to life’s questions.

So where does that leave us as writers who are emotionally depleted? We need strategies to regain our balance. Meditation is a tool I use most days and whilst I still have ups and downs, they are a gentle curve rather than the spiked peaks and troughs of an ECG monitor. I nurture myself by seeing friends, because too much solitude can leave me flat, my thoughts circling in an unhealthy loop. To counteract the self-absorption of the writing life, random acts of kindness to people both in our circle and outside of it can elevate our mood. Then there are the more obvious measures of time out from writing, sleep, exercise and nutrition.

The irony is that we need our open hearts, our tender places and our angst to create work that touches others and stimulates thought. We must never close off, harden or build walls – this would mean a creative desert. As long as we pay attention to self-care and balance, we can lead productive and creative lives, unravelling the puzzles of the human condition without unravelling ourselves.

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For more info:

https://hbr.org/2015/08/the-emotions-that-make-us-more-creative

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10902-015-9615-y

Kate Murdoch is the author of Stone Circle. She exhibited widely as a painter both in Australia and internationally and was a finalist in a number of prize shows before turning her hand to writing. In between writing historical fiction, she enjoys writing short stories and flash fiction.

Her short-form fiction is regularly published in Australia, UK, US and Canada.

Stone Circle is a historical fantasy novel set in Renaissance Italy. It was released by Fireship Press December 1st 2017.

Her novel, The Orange Grove, about the passions and intrigues of court mistresses in 18th century France, will be published by Regal House Publishing in 2019.

Tags: featured, historical fiction, women writers

Category: Contemporary Women Writers, On Writing