Not too long ago in one of my writer online groups, someone said they were feeling a lot of anxiety about their novel-in-progress, and they asked other people if they sometimes felt the same way. Plenty of people said yes, they did.
It’s good for writers to know they’re not the only ones. But then, the conversation took a disturbing turn.
Several people suggested that angst was necessary to writing — that, in fact, if you didn’t feel angst, you weren’t challenging yourself as a writer, and frankly, you weren’t producing good work.
This is possibly the worst writing advice I have ever heard, and what’s more, I think it’s dangerous to people’s mental health.
Angst is an occupational hazard of writing, but that doesn’t make it necessary or desirable. It’s like saying you’re a poor runner if you don’t suffer knee injuries.
In my long career as a creative professional, I have never seen people’s performance improve because they were freaked out. It’s exactly the opposite. When people are terrified of failure, they make more mistakes, they give less convincing presentations, their creative work falls flat… or they are simply unable to work at all, because their brains lock up. I think of Dune — fear really is the mind killer.
Would any creative person really argue otherwise? Would you say to your manager, “Hey, constantly yell at me and tell me I suck, because I do my best work under those conditions?” Well, it doesn’t work any better for writers who are mentally doing that to themselves. In fact, anxiety and fear keep many people from writing at all.
The even bigger problem with anxiety is that it hurts our health. It raises our cortisol levels, which in turn compromises our immune systems. It makes us lose sleep, which damages our overall health in many ways. It raises our blood pressure and the risk of cardiac arrest. Prolonged anxiety can lead to addictions or cases of serious depression.
If angst is a secret weapon for writers, it’s one pointing right at us.
You can see how dangerous it is to believe that angst fuels creativity. This belief could prevent people from taking steps to reduce their anxiety and from seeking out help with mental health when they really need it.
You might say, “Well, this famous writer said that s/he needed angst to write.” I am unconvinced. Plenty of writers have said that about alcohol and drugs, too. Like most people, writers can be resistant to personal change. The fact that someone was able to do good work while they were anxious, drunk, or high doesn’t prove that the anxiety, alcohol, or drug was necessary.
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I can understand why people might say they require angst. Sometimes we fear that if we’re contented with who we are or what we are, we won’t have the drive to improve. It’s not really the case, though. Peace of mind and determination can co-exist very well.
We are capable of believing that we’re okay even if we’re not perfect, and that we are going to make huge improvements in our work. Those aren’t contradictory ideas.
We can say, “I’m doing something risky in this story, but I’m not going to freak out if people don’t like it…” And keep on saying it, until we really mean it.
A lot of angst comes from the belief that if our creative work isn’t good, than we aren’t valuable human beings. Think about that idea. You can tell that it’s crap, right?
I know I’m saying the obvious here, but human beings are inherently valuable. You can produce twenty terrible novels in a row and still be just as worthwhile of a person. You don’t have to produce a thing to be important and to deserve happiness.
And if you wait until you’re completely satisfied with your creative work or your success to be happy, then sorry, but you are going to die waiting.
Please don’t approach your writing as the justification for your existence. Your writing is there to entertain you, challenge you, inspire you, immerse you in new ideas or new worlds… and to connect with other people and help them do the same thing. If you’re a writer, the more you can enjoy the process and approach it as a pleasure, the happier your whole life is going to be.
Do you have any advice about overcoming creative angst? Please share it in the comments! I learn so much on this blog from other writers and creative people. And if you want to follow my blog about writing and living a happy life, you can subscribe below. Thanks for reading!
You Go, Girl!!! Years ago (many decades, actually) I wanted to pursue singing as a career. My stepmother (a professional singer) told me my voice wouldn’t be ‘whole’ until I experienced life’s pains. Now as I watch American Idol, I see how ludicrous that statement is. My advice to writers is – be honest about what you want. I used her comment as an excuse to quit trying – but in reality, competing in show business was harder than settling for a job in a bank. If you want to bail out of the hard work writing can be, then this is as good an excuse as any. But to the rest of you: stay happy, stay in love with the process, and keep writing!
Hey Demity! Ohh, that was such wrongheaded advice about singing (or any art). I think children experience plenty of life’s pains, sorry to say… and more will come soon enough. “Be honest about what you want” is such good advice!! And so is “stay happy, stay in love with the process, and keep writing!”
Thank you for writing this! I can say from experience that when life collapses around me, all creative processes in my brain come to a screeching halt.
YES, same here, Jinxie. Thanks for reading!
I’m so glad you wrote this! I’m a happy writer. I don’t usual mention this to other writers because the writer angst belief is such a real thing. Thanks again, Stacey. You rock.
Thanks, Stephanie! I was so shocked at how many people bought into that idea. Thanks so much for the kind words and for reading 🙂
This is such an important point. Because writing is such an isolating activity, I feel many writers are prone to anxiety and depression. While I think it is extremely important to connect with others who understand those afflictions, they are not a requirement of being an artist.
I think writing requires two things, acceptance of who we are, our ambitions, our dreams, our shortcomings, etc. And it requires courage. The courage to face our shortcomings, our possible failures, our readers and the courage to fling our sacred work out into the world in spite of the judgements that others will make about it.
We can have both acceptance and courage without being filled with angst or depression.
I hope everyone reads this, Frances… so many wise words here! I absolutely agree.
And you know what, I never thought about writing feeding anxiety and depression just because it’s so isolating… and that makes total sense. Even introverts (and I am one) need connection and interaction to be happy… it’s probably one of the reasons I blog. 🙂
Great thoughts. Thank you!
Oooooooh… this is a great post, and it also reminded me of one of the most amazing articles I’ve ever read about the similar idea that a comic has to be depressed/tortured to be funny. One of my favorite people of all time, Rob Delaney, wrote it back in 2010 and I’ve read and re-read it so many times, because I myself have fallen prey to the idea in the past. CW/TW for discussion of depression/feeling suicidal/and lots of naughty language. But it’s seriously one of the best things I’ve ever read in my life, and I’ve read everything he’s ever written since. (he has a great book out, and also a show on Amazon now called Catastrophe that is wonderful, FYI)
“And since I’ve gotten healthier, I’ve gotten funnier too, by a lot. One myth I’d like to beat to death in an alley with a bat is that you need to be “tortured” to be funny. I actually heard one comic urging another comic NOT to go to therapy when he was having a tough time with panic attacks and drinking because “the angst is where the funny is.” What a stupid asshole. First of all, therapy’s not magic, so if you go into the therapist’s office a weirdo, you’ll come out a weirdo.”
http://www.vice.com/read/comedy-545-v17n10
MICHELE, OH MY GOSH. I don’t know anything about Rob Delaney, but WOW, is he smart and a good writer. I loved that piece. And it’s pretty brutal. And true and hilarious. I haven’t read a post I loved so much in I don’t even know how long.
(And it kind of makes me wonder if I shouldn’t write a little more about my past. I don’t because I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for me… but then again, I DO want people to know how much better it can get, even after being really bad, you know? Hmmm, something to think about.)
You should definitely write about your past, if you’re comfortable doing so. You are such a positive and happy person that I think it would be inspiring to know that you can get there without being born that way…
The part about the cat calendar was what really made me fall in love with him, haha. I went to see him do stand-up live in LA a bunch before he got his show, and you DEFINITELY need to be following him on Twitter. Here is one more, which I tend to share on FB every year around the time magazines start putting out their “Swimsuit Season!” issues. It still makes me laugh every time, and that last paragraph… so good.
https://www.vice.com/read/take-a-stroll-problem-areas
Oh also- here is his book if you are interested.
http://www.amazon.com/Rob-Delaney-Warrior-Yardstick-Cabbage/dp/0812983181/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1457640742&sr=1-1&keywords=rob+delaney
Great topic, Bryn – and I really appreciate you opening this for discussion. For me, any angst is a result of overthinking a character, a scene, or the whole development arc. So, when I realizing that I am not making my current writing problems better, I usually go outside and feel the air brush against my skin, or listen to music and let it cascade over me. Getting lost in beauty around me helps alleviate the tension within me.
Geez PJ, this is such good advice and I so appreciate it. When I get stuck, I mess around online… which does NOT help with finding a solution. This is such a good reminder to me, because I KNOW that long walks really fuel my creativity… but I forget, and I don’t do it. Thank you 🙂
A lot of people I know need to see this. I make a lot of jokes about needing angst to be a good writer. Most of those jokes were made when I was taking a class on modernist American literature. Looking back it’s easy to say, “Wow, I guess authors aren’t allowed to have happy lives.” But it isn’t tragedy that makes good writing. It might influence bits and pieces, but it isn’t everything, and in the end, it hurts people. I mean, Hemingway was an incredibly unhappy man, and he felt the need to take his own life… Thanks for this!
Oh man, yeah, the Lost Generation writers were not a happy lot in general. I think there are a lot of facets to this issue of creativity and mental health, and your comment is giving me some more ideas. Thank you so much for commenting!
I don’t get anxious when I write. However, I do get stuck and when that happens I take a break by doing some deep breathing, go play with the kids, listen to music, draw, and bake. If I’m still having a problem I step aside from that project and work on another writing project. Then, I’m able to come back in and fill in the gaps.
I was just saying on another comment… I really need better strategies for when I get stuck, because “messing around online” is not really cutting it. 🙂 I love these suggestions! You know, it’s funny… I love to draw and I never do it. I should try that when I get stuck.
Thanks, CJ!
Wenn bei 20 Wetten auf den Fateoivrn oder leichten Favoriten gewettet wird und mehr als 12 Wetten davon falsch sind, dann ist das einfach nicht mehr Pech.
I use writing to help me get rid of the other types of angst in my life. I’ve been at this for a while as I get ready to release my 6th novel and writing has never caused me angst. It’s not having the time to write more that increases my angst level.
Ohh I agree Don. Not having time to write is the worst angst.
Congratulations on your upcoming 6th novel release!
Brilliant post, Bryn. I shared it on Facebook and Pinterest.
Oh thank you, Kathryn. And thanks so much for sharing!
Your post is brilliant and I related to it in every word of it.
When I worked on my second job as a Pre-KG teacher I was stressed, I don’t eat well because of my upset stomach due to stress, lack of sleep, and the worst kind I didn’t have the time and energy to write.
That was angst.
But, I have a question about the subject Angst. I’ve seen and read writer’s angst stories and they are all amazing that some of them made me cry, mad, sad, or pity.
Is angst is an important genre as the rest of the genre?
Hi Nismah! Thanks so much for your kind comments! In terms of painful subject matter — I think it’s a different thing from worrying and angsting about writing in general, if that makes sense.
When we write about painful and difficult things, it does take a toll emotionally, though. When writers are dealing with that kind of material, I think they need to come up with ways to take real mental breaks from it. And some writers wind up gravitating to traumatic personal material because they get rewarded for it in various ways, but focusing on personal traumatic stories might not be the best for a writer’s mental health in the long run.
Awesome forum.Much thanks again. Really Great.
Oh, thanks so much, William. Thank you for reading!
Great post, here.
When I’m going through a lot, it closes me up so that I can’t write worth anything. The emotional stress blocks me, which then starts a vicious cycle of noncreativity leading to anxiety leading to noncreativity, et cetera. It’s damaging to a person’s self-esteem to have to deal with something like this. It weighs heavily, and gets nothing accomplished.
As for angst as a genre, I think it can be very cathartic sometimes. So many of us, myself included, have inner demons gnawing at us. It’s vitally necessary to get all of that out of a person’s system, in order to try to heal. Angst, in the genre sense, is a good way to try to explore the negativity, and to hopefully purge it. Mind you, I’m not saying that it is an adequate replacement for professional help, if such a thing is needed. But it’s a good start. I agree, though, that dwelling on it can be unhealthy. It’s like indulging in junk food; you don’t want to do it too frequently. But it’s good on occasion.
Thanks for another great article. I hope to catch up with everything posted.