In creativity theory, there is an interesting result, first published by two guys named Trope and Liberman. [1] It states that making intuitive leaps tends to get you thinking about things in a more abstract fashion, and that it works the other way around, too: if you can get yourself contemplating things abstractly, you will tend to make more intuitive leaps in your thinking. And when I say “intuitive leaps in your thinking,” you should immediately translate that as: “creative ideas.” Cool concept, but what does it mean to you and me?
It suggests that you are not a slave to the whims and fancies of your state of mind – those states can be controlled (to some degree at least) by what you choose to think about. Well, I had an experience today that suggests to me that this phenomenon extends further than just creative moods, and I’m taking it as further evidence that the writers who spend all their time trying to establish appropriate ambience for their writing time, or waiting for the muse to strike them have it all wrong. You don’t get yourself into a spooky mood in order to write spooky. It works the other way around – writing about a mood makes you feel it.
One of my favorite characters in Strange Places is the exuberant little girl, Winry. She’s in the middle of a tough childhood, only she doesn’t seem to know it. Like all five year-olds, she’s curious and energetic, and she doesn’t know how to be quiet about any of it.
So today, which started out a bit gloomy, I sat down to write a scene with my favorite five-year old, and by the third paragraph, I found that my mood had changed completely. I’m now as bubbly and as energetic as any pre-schooler has ever been.
Beyond simply curing my own Tuesday Blues, I’m wondering if this is an effect other writers have noticed. Do you find that you can use your writing as a sort of emotional self-medication? Do you find yourselves choosing which scene to work on next by assessing which emotions you find currently lacking in your own emotional tapestry?
- [1]Yaacov Trope and Nira Liberman in Psychological Review, Vol 110, Issue 3, 2003.↩
Whoa, Jeff, something in my head just went click. Thank you for this. Many people suggest you wrote first thing in there morning to evade the self-sensor, who apparently sleeps in . When I wake up I find all my defences are down and with them my mood. So write up-beat on the morning you say. :-) I’ll try it.
If it helps, you’re quite welcome. And congratulations. I think you might be the first official commenter on The Creativity Hacker blog. Fabulous prizes coming your way just as soon as I go dig through the sofa cushions. :-)