I’ve noticed in the past that my mood influences my writing.
It’s been a really busy last few days, as I mentioned yesterday. I’m trying to take things a little slower now and plan some of my day ahead of time.
But it’s still busy. And that, unfortunately, makes me cranky. I don’t really like to be busy. But busy is a way of life for me.
I noticed my crankiness coming through a character a couple of days ago. The scene involved a neighbor’s visit and was intended to be a springboard to set up a murder.
My protagonist, though, didn’t want to be visited. She wanted to be very still and drink herbal tea. She was decidedly grouchy when she answered the door and ungracious during the course of the visit. And she wasn’t supposed to be!
I stopped writing the scene and worked on another part of the book—a section where there was real tension in the room and the characters were all angry with each other.
I could write tension and conflict perfectly. :)
Some books I’ve written straight through from start to finish. If I run into a block, though, or if the writing gets too close to me (because I don’t write myself into books) , it’s better to just open another Word document, save it under a scene description, and write the scene I’m in the mood to write.
Fortunately, most books have as many different types of scenes as there are moods.
Sometimes I’m in a really peppy, lighthearted mood and comedy comes easily to me. If I’ve got excessive amounts of energy, then I’ll write an action scene. If I’m not feeling particularly creative, I’ll revise a book (I usually have a book I’m revising and one that I’m writing.)
My muse and I have never been on speaking terms. Luckily, I can work around her.
Do you write out of order sometimes? Do you ever feel your mood leaking into your writing?