I recently lost my furry companion, Sammie and for some time, I could not concentrate on everyday things and my creativity stalled. Heartbroken. A pet is such an integral part of our lives and routine, it is hard to adjust to their absence. She will always have a special place in my heart and memories.

And that is why I am writing about how our emotions and physical condition influence our moods and in turn our writing. Strong emotions, such as anger, heartbreak, or depression subdue our creativity, while feelings of love and happiness enhance it. If we are suffering an illness, our mind is filled with pain, discomfort or tiredness. Our concentration is in short supply, or our focus limited. To pour out these feelings in words can dispel some of them. Some of us journal, others have morning pages, and others just ‘write’ these feelings to expel them.

As writers, we learn to use these emotional insights to the benefit of our craft. It gives us an idea how our characters may react to a certain situation and thus breathes life into our stories. Of course when we are in the midst of these feelings they are possibly too raw to even contemplate using, but as with all things time heals. Jot down how it felt to be angry, shocked, sad, joyful, or happy.

How did your body feel different? What were the physiological changes?

Was your mind erratic, focused, or did you have tunnel vision?

When the feeling passed, what changes did you notice – emotionally, and mentally?

When you can look back at that emotion and look deeply into it, it is there we find inspiration – it will strengthen our writing – and also (hopefully) help resolve barriers in character development. For example, after feeling angry does your ‘action’ scene have more impact? Did you channel the forceful nature of your feelings into your characters? Or when relaxed and comfortable can you imagine a characters reflection on a certain subject better?

How do you find your emotional state affects your writing?

Have you used a personal emotion to good effect in your writing?

Did an emotion inspire a story?

I may have mentioned that the impetus for Life in Slake Patch, was a heated exchange with a man, who was adamant where a ‘woman’s place’ was!!! Yeah, I now he was Nethanderal in his thinking. I put him right, of course, but that conversation stayed with me and the genus of a story idea formed. The novel is a speculative fiction story of a young man living in a matriarchal society.