Emotional Discipline

A recent newsletter from Jessica Page Morrell included her musings on the subject of emotional intelligence. I began reading expecting it to be about the logic of my character arc. It wasn’t. It was about me–and every other writer out there. Jessica was discussing the ability to do what needs to be done despite how I feel at the moment. Can I be depressed, feeling miserably misunderstood and undervalued, and still put my butt in my chair, get my eyes on the screen and put fingers to keyboard and write? Can I channel those self-destructive energies into character conflict instead of into tearing my own ego to shreds?

A very interesting, thought-provoking read, especially coming on the heels of a short motivational piece by Ralph Marston about how my time use highlights what it is that I really want, as opposed to what I say I want.

I want to be a full-time, published writer. If that’s truly what I want, then my choices, what I do with my time on a daily basis, will reflect that desire. If I allow my emotions to get between me and my keyboard, I’m shooting my dreams in the foot. So emotional intelligence becomes an issue that I need to be aware of. And it’s not that I shouldn’t honor my emotions and acknowledge my feelings, it’s that I then need to channel them into my writing instead of allowing them to deflect me away from my work.

I think a better term is emotional discipline. Intelligence works as far as informing me that the potential roadblock exits, but it’s discipline that will get me around (or more likely over!) that blockade.

Feeling like a fraud, like my writing sucks? Write a story or an essay.
Feeling depressed and miserable? Write a story …
Feeling angry and upset? Write a story and allow the characters to act on those emotions … and witness the carnage I’ve avoided in my real life.

But whatever emotion I’m experiencing, I need to learn to deal with it, soothe it, put it away with honor, and get my butt in my chair and my hands on my keyboard.

Why? Because I want to be a full-time, published writer and my time use needs to reflect that desire.

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