Take a look at these prime examples of blog posts which came from anger:
5 Reasons I Hate Plane Passengers
Are You A Jealous Writer?
4 Reasons I Won’t Fly With Spirit Airlines Again
I believe writing out your rage is a form of therapy. Writing yourself happy is something I believe in hugely. Last Autumn when I was going through a bad patch, before I went to bed I wrote a list of three GOOD things about my day. This helped put me in three ways:
- It set me in a positive frame of mind for a good night’s sleep
- The diary gave me a positive way to start the new day when I read it the next morning
- It reminded me that things weren’t so bad, and good things still happen, however small
- Perhaps it even had an influence on my dreams
Sometimes an event or attitude makes me so angry, the only way I can get my thoughts in order and improve my mood is to write something. Come on, I need an outlet for that emotion! Often, no one sees what text manifests, but occasionally, the content makes it to my blog. A great example of this was when I was so upset about the horrific incident in London this summer where a soldier was brutally attacked on the street. I felt so angry I wrote a blog on a terror theme. It still managed to have a positive spin, in a poignant way, I hope, but the writing definitely came from a dark place.
Oddly enough, some of my readers seem to like it when writing comes from negative passion. A post from April this year, 3 Things I Hate About Being A Writer, had one of the highest retweets and visitor numbers of all my blogs, and people felt compelled to contribute in the comments box. I love it when people leave me comments! (That’s your cue…)
I am not an angry person. If I have a bad day, the most I get is a bit wound up, and I work it off at the gym. I don’t get mad; it's more that I get sad. Sad for the people who think this is appropriate action or behaviour. For instance, my car bonnet was keyed a couple of weeks ago when I had the audacity to leave it unattended outside my house for a whole hour. If I’d caught the crim red handed, I would probably have felt more anger, but I just felt sad that there was someone, possibly a neighbour, who thought it was acceptable to vandalise someone else’s property.
I remember very few times when I have been truly livid, and believe me, you'd know about it if I got more than just annoyed. The prelude to any minor or major outburst is when I force my lips shut, perhaps trying to hold back the words I feel might express my feelings the best, but which might not do me any favours in the long run. A few monster-like noises leap from my mouth. That’s also when tears might spring from my eyes; I’m not sad, really, just so angry!
Yes, some of my blogs come from anger, or are written with an angry voice. Mostly, I just hope my blogs are interesting and enjoyable to read. I hope readers who like the content make the effort to share them on their social media, and I have the small hope that my material might even inspire someone, somewhere to write something. I enjoy blogging, it’s good discipline as a writer to have a weekly blogs (in my case, two!) and I promised to attempt to be a happier blogger between small, sporadic bouts of rage. Please don’t worry for my mental well-being if I slip into a subject based in annoyance or bad feelings. I’m a happy person, really, and the following posts prove it!
My Next Big Thing (my current work in progress)
The Best Travel Decision I Made This Year
Being a Writer: What’s Not To Love?
My 30 Before 30 List
Sidmouth: The Best Of British Seasides
This Is Power Writing
I’m Home
Happy (?!) writing all, see you next week.
Lou x
Find me on Facebook
…And on Twitter
Born To Be A Tourist