This week, I’ve explored negative emotions, especially anger and shame: How you can use writing to deal with them, and how to write about them effectively. This is Great Stuff for Writers Friday, so here are some of the useful sources I came across in my pilgrimage this week. They come at the topic from very different angles, each with a unique take. I hope you find them useful.
Anger and Persuasive Writing. If you’ve ever tried to channel your outrage over an injustice into a convincing argument, you know the pitfalls. What sounds reasoned and rational in your head can sound like a loony rant on the page. If you want some tips on how to persuade rather than rave, take a look at this article by Tara Treasurefield about focusing anger into powerful prose. Anger and Persuasive Writing.
Shame and the Editing Process. Creative writing professor Rachel Toor writes insightfully about feelings of shame that come up for writers in the editing process. This essay, which appeared in The Chronicle of Higher Education, focuses on academic writing, but it applies equally well to any type of work. Shame and Academic Writing
Shame and the Embarrassing Topic. “Do I have the nerve to support this, or will it embarrass me?” asks Teralyn Rose Pilgrim on her blog, A Writer’s Journey. “Because once I write it, it’s mine, and I’m not going to hide what’s mine.” In “How Shame Plays a Part in Writing,” Pilgrim explores the discomfort that can come up for writers when they approach difficult subject matter. How Shame Plays a Part in Writing.
Shedding shame. Editor and publisher Jody Cleghorn discusses the danger shame poses to writers, and offers some interesting ways to rid yourself of it in this post on Write Anything. Out Damn Shame Monster.
A Completely Different Take on Shame. “When I write, I know my name (and now face) will appear next to my ideas, and I am constrained by the basic fear of public shame,” writes Yishai Schwartz in The Yale Daily News. Schwartz argues out that the fear of public humiliation can be a boon to writers: That it keeps them in check when they are in danger of crossing dangerous lines, and that it can help ensure the safety of the public forum. Writers Need Shame