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Tuesday's Tinted Ink

Can you take stressful situations and turn them into creative outlets?

What is stress, anyway?
My dictionary says:

pressure or tension exerted on a material object:

 a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances:

 particular emphasis or importance...

I would originally have said no. Stress makes me physically sick. I don't handle it very well and do my best to avoid stressful situations.

but look at the last definition up there^^ particular emphasis or IMPORTANCE.

So you stress things when they are important? Sure! But I still don't like it. My stomach hurts, I lose my energy, and I generally can't concentrate on anything but the stressful situation. AND, I cry. Yes, I'm that kind of women.

But I do know that everything happens for a reason and when things don't turn out as I planned or hoped, I cling to the thought that

It will make me a stronger, wiser, person.

And that, my friends, makes my writing more creative because it gives me fuel to write more emotionally charged scenes. so my creativity grows in leaps and bounds.

But, I still don't like stress....

What about you, beautiful guys and dolls? How do you handle stress? What does it do to you in the creative field?

Comments

  1. TamaraJanuary 22, 2013 at 1:12 PM

    I hate stress--like most people i suppose. I seem to handle most stresses by ignoring them, which is both a good way to handle things (leaving me much less stressed) and a very bad way to handle things as I sometimes ignore the things that I need to take care of and then they just get bigger and bigger until they're insurmountable and it's way more stressful than it would've been if I just hadn't buried my head to begin with. haha

    BUT--writing stress/querying stress is different for me than any other kind of stress. It's the one thing I seem incapable of ignoring. From the moment I start thinking about querying, my stomach hurts.

    The last time I queried a book with real consistency I had a stomach ache for approximately two months. That is, unfortunately, not a lie. On the upside, I lost ten pounds cause I never wanted to eat...

    ReplyDelete
  2. T.J.January 22, 2013 at 5:37 PM

    I write to handle stress. Losing myself to an alternate reality gives a much needed break, and time for the back of my brain to think of solutions. I'm a solution oriented type, I can't keep stresses hidden.

    Writing stresses - querying, blogging, contests, writer's block, editing, etc - are ones I enjoy. In the beginning they were overwhelming, but now, I look forward to each step.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Rick RoweJanuary 22, 2013 at 5:49 PM

    Breathe, listen to old MTV Pearl Jam unplugged videos, watch a Fringe episode, find the light glowing in the darkness of my mind, then imagine a world I'd like to go to and write until my fingers hurt. Hmm, perhaps I shared too much. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yolanda RenéeJanuary 22, 2013 at 6:58 PM

    I don't handle stress well either. It cause physical responses and I hate that even more.

    Now I'm consciously trying to read more inspirational pieces, forgo the news -- especially the political and the hardest one of all -- I'm really trying to distance myself from my kids choices. Stress doesn't usually help my writing, it's a negative impact on everything, so prayer is my go to solution -- not that I get the answers I want or need, or any answers at all -- it is very calming.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Someone in the Pacific NorthwestJanuary 22, 2013 at 9:34 PM

    If I get too stressed, I have seizures. Fun, right?

    In November I wrote a blog post that is relevant to this topic. It's part of who I tend to write scenes that can be so painfully realistic that I have to pull back.

    http://alysbcohen.wordpress.com/2012/11/03/writers-toolbox/

    Long story short, I write down how I feel in various instances and refer back to it as needed.

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownJanuary 23, 2013 at 11:06 AM

    Stress is second cousin to tension, which is what I think drives a book forward.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Tara TylerJanuary 23, 2013 at 2:05 PM

    sometimes i yell, sometimes i cry, sometimes i go for a walk...a glass of wine or some chocolate doesnt hurt either =)

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousJanuary 25, 2013 at 9:12 AM

    I make a point to breathe...just breathe...

    ReplyDelete

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