Friday Shorts--Better to Rant and Rave or Tell a Story Full of Managed Emotion?

Humans all feel emotions, but great writers use them effectively

On Substack, an interesting writer, @Ral Joseph, inspired this week's Friday short. Ral made an observation in Notes about emotional writing, and I thought I'd expand upon it. Emotion makes writing compelling if we can manage and control our emotions. If we spew all over the page with no thought for coherence, we may fail to engage anyone.

There's a romanticized notion among inauthentic writers that intense emotions (especially suffering) automatically make one a profound artist or a more compelling person. Joy, in and of itself, sounds like a perfect theme. Sadness is always compelling, no? No. Simply having an emotion doesn't make you special or noteworthy.

We all feel things. Joy and sadness are universal. They aren't unique selling propositions. You have to add value to the basic expression of emotions.

Here's where the rubber meets the road. True strength and success, especially in creative fields like writing, isn't about feeling intensely, but about managing those feelings. Can you experience the depths of despair or the heights of elation, yet still show up for your creative endeavors? Can you keep writing, keep building, keep doing the thing that matters, regardless of your emotional state? Can you express those emotions in a relatable way without ranting or gushing?

It's about resilience and discipline.

Reframe. Instead of seeing emotions as overwhelming mysteries that control us or define us, consider that they are simply information. Your sadness might tell you something isn't working, or your joy might indicate you're on the right track. Read those signals, insights into your internal world and experiences, then decide how to write about them. They're valuable inputs, not outputs.

And here's the kicker. Feelings are data, information, but you're the one in charge. You're behind the steering wheel. The information (your emotions) might tell you about road conditions, speed limits, or scenic detours, but you are still responsible for navigating the journey and reaching your destination.

Action and agency are paramount. You can't just passively experience feelings; you have to act in spite of them, or use them, to keep moving forward. Ranting might stir an instant reaction, but intuitively telling a story that manages emotion is more satisfying to writer and reader.

In essence, there's a call to move beyond mere emotional experience and into emotional intelligence and productive action. We can let our inner world derail our outward progress, but it's more useful to integrate it as a helpful, albeit not defining, part of our journey. Thanks, Ral.

---

Enter the paywall! Take an annual subscription to make sure you never miss a gem.