This is a guest post from author Vince Guaglione. The amount of writing we are able to crank out and the quality and tone of the writing is directly tied to our emotions. One of the influences of our emotions is where we sit down and write, our writing zone. Vince walks you through emotional writing, and how to get your writing zone set up for maximum productivity and quality.
Emotional Writing
I’m an emotional writer. Most of us are in some way, shape, or form. We craft characters in our minds based on parts of our own personalities, and as we bring those characters to life on the page, we pull parts of ourselves, including our emotions, into our creations. Some days, we craft heroes, other days, we craft villains, and lots of times, we craft something in-between. What we put on the page is an extension of our own psyches. Who we are is right there on the page, for the reader to drink in—if she is schooled enough in reading between the lines.
As writers, we are emotional. I am to the nth degree. The core of what I put on paper is what I consider my own form of journaling. Whatever I’m thinking, feeling, or wrestling with in my head usually finds it way onto the page, in as raw a form as I could ever imagine—sometimes more than I’d care for it to be. But I am an emotional writer, and as one who goes through many highs and low, I know that my emotional state highly affects the type of writing I do.
Why do I categorize myself as an emotional writer? There are two reasons. First, I have seasonal affective disorder. The weather and the time of year does affect the type of pieces I craft. In warm months, I craft light, fluid, airy pieces. In the dark months, I craft turbulent, chaotic, and uneven pieces. Second, for me to feel “right”, or feel like I can get in the writing zone, my setting, time, place, and the elements have to line up and synchronize. When I’m at my best, I’m writing in the early evening, sitting outside in fresh air, and under a warm evening sun. The cacophony along a busy promenade gives me my white noise. It’s here that I am home, and can do my best work. Take any one of those elements away and I feel strained, disconnected, and unbalanced. Every one of us has been there. The trick is in understanding how these internal and external factors affects you, and your writing.
How To Get Into The Writing Zone
So how do you get in that writing zone when you don’t seem to feel “all there?”
First, go to your happy place. I know that I need to be outdoors to do my best writing so the first thing I do, is head outside. I place a level of importance on each factor that contributes to my bliss, and make sure I get most, if not all of those elements in place before I start writing.
Next, if you’re the type of person who needs complete quiet, or, if you are like me, needs some white noise, create this environment for yourself. I can’t write in a vacuum so I make sure I get a little white noise going wherever I’m at. If I’m outside, I’m sitting at an outdoor café or coffee shop. If I’m indoors, I use a white noise machine. Those are pretty great but if you don’t have one, improvise by running a dishwashing cycle, turning on the HVAC system, or running a few overhead fans.
Finally, eliminate anything that you consider to be a distraction. I can write with the sound of rush hour traffic streaming across the highway that less than two hundred feet from my balcony, while others need complete solitude. If you’re the type that is easily distracted and it impacts your writing, be mindful of it. Power off the smart phone to eliminate the alerts, turn off the television even if you’ve muted it, set up shop in the quietest room in your house. Whatever you find distracting, remove it from your writing space.
Each of us is unique. We work differently so we have to find the things that give us the best chance at being productive. But when we can’t seem to find our zone, I have a few things to share that help me.
Tips for Getting In The Zone
Most importantly, listen to yourself. If that inner voice is telling you that it’s not right, then most likely, it’s not right. I’ve done battle with the inner voice many times and have lost every time. As an emotional writer, I know that I won’t ever do my best work when I’m not feeling right, so I no longer try to force the issue. There are times when I will be able to salvage a few nuggets, but most of what I put on the page winds up in the scrap heap. Spend the time thinking about a new concept or idea instead of forcing words onto a page.
Next, identify the environment that works for you. Know it and live it. If you are aware of your ideal, seek it out. Don’t settle for something that is just ok in your mind because you already know you aren’t going to be doing your best work.
And finally, don’t be afraid to experiment. There will be plenty of times when you can’t get into your zone. But that time doesn’t have to be wasted. Try to do some writing in an uncomfortable setting, a strange place, an odd time of day, or wherever you feel less than harmonious. See what comes of it. Go back and analyze the work. Learn what’s different about it—how fluid it is, how seamless it flows, or how uneven and choppy it feels. You will probably learn a few things you didn’t know about yourself including how easily your emotions translate to words.
Each new day offers an opportunity to grow and learn. Why not spend a little time getting more in touch with that inner writer, to gain a fresh perspective on what drives the writer you show the world.
Vince Guaglione is a guy who asks lots of questions, not only of himself but of his society and the world around him. Although he claims he’s found no real answers, that hasn’t stopped him in his quest to gain perspective on a little something we call life.
The core of Vince’s work lives in the personal transformation genre, but he also writes short fiction and dark poetry. His Narratives collection of works can best be described as his unique brand of personal journaling focusing on humanism, consciousness and thought, philosophy, and self-discovery. Originally from Philadelphia PA, Vince now resides in Raleigh NC.