Writing Angry, Don’t

Don’t write angry. If you’re crying, writing can help. If you’ve been hurt, it’s cathartic. If you’re nostalgic, it can bring memories alive. If you’re angry, it’s best to put down your pen.

You can express your anger in writing, but I would take a breath first. The reason is this, when you’re angry, that’s your primary focus. Your writing will suffer. If you’re trying to write a persuasive argument, you first need a little distance from the heat of temper.

After giving yourself time to process your emotions, three things will help you write out a compelling defense of your position. The first is the most important. It is, do you really need to put it on paper?

Ask yourself, even though writing it may help you feel better for the moment, is it going to hurt you in the future? Ask yourself this twice, the first time your brain will lie to you. The second time may save some trouble long term.

If you still feel you need to articulate your concerns, treat it the way you would a business proposal. Take, as much as possible, the emotion out of it. This way you will approach it passionately, and that’s needed, but with a better perspective.

Third, view it from every angle, including the one you disagree with. If you know the opposing view, you’ll know how best to counter it. It also may help you to find some common ground, to end the argument all together.

Writing angry isn’t your best writing. I want to encourage you to showcase your best work. Don’t allow an incident to define your writing career. Allow your writing to to speak to your strength, and not to temporary problems.