Writing angry: a crash course in dos and don'ts

I write this from experience so please take a note or two. I could pass a degree on this subject if there was one to pass and so can quite easily be your guide through this quagmire.

People say don't drive angry because when you do you're reaction times are altered, your judgment is impaired and your risk taking skyrockets. 

• Reaction times are altered but generally so they are faster. This may seem a good thing but only if you're avoiding a crash. If you're winding through traffic though, that zip from one lane to another might be done a little too fast. You might clip the person behind you or you might make the change so suddenly they never saw it coming so never slammed on the breaks. Bam!
• You judgment skews as your first impulse is usually taken without further thought being applied and as we've all learnt at some time or another your first impulse is not always the best one. Sometimes you need to reconsider or risk crashing for lack of seeing an obvious issue.
• Your risk taking skyrockets because you just plain don't care so much about anything when you're right royal mad, except about what made you mad in the first place of course. You just want to assert your own way. Unfortunately the universe doesn't go along with your whims. Ever. It just does what it wants and has to and if it goes your way this holds no more meaning than your calling the right answer in  game of heads or tails. Some effort can be applied to get what you want but that is simply manipulating the causes and hoping the effects will be as desired. Driving angry is like driving with the intention of rewriting the laws of physics for your benefit. Your rewrites are never going to be accepted. Bam smash crash!

I say don't write angry or hit send without some consideration as to the consequences. Your consideration may not be enough but at least you've taken two seconds to rethink what you've written and its appropriateness. I equate writing angry like driving angry for these reasons:

• Your reaction times are altered but generally so they are faster. You'll tap or scrawl that message out so fast your fingers will blur, your mind will race but only focus on the task of screaming into the machine and you'll slam that send button down with the full force of your rage. Crunch! There goes your job, your relationship or whatever it is that connects you to the person you're raging at.
• Your judgment skews as your first impulse is usually taken without further thought. You write what's immediately on your mind with no thought whatsoever on how it could be read. You don't revise your words in consideration of the other person/s. You rant and rage and when you hit send you will later find out that you said some terrible things, things you shouldn't have. Fwomp! The sound of your confidence imploding as nervous uncertainty rushes in to fill its place.
• Your risk taking skyrockets because you just plain don't care so much about the consequences when you're right royal mad. In fact you're usually thinking "Bring It On!" or "I Don't F*cking Care!". You really do care and you don't really want an endless fight or to be fired. What you want is a quick, neat solution (hopefully to your benefit because most of us are self-serving to one degree or another) and one involving as little pain and effort as possible. Instead, what you've done by effectively screaming  "Bring It On!" or "I Don't F*cking Care!" is alienate the person receiving your message and maybe even make them bring it on as requested. Life is about to get hard.

So a tip or two from experience and from watching others. Don't write angry when:

• You're writing to an employer. Death Knell!
• You're writing to a client. Not even when you're about to get rid of them. Reputations are destroyed by an angry dismissal or rejection letter.
• When you've been rejected over anything. Breathe. Think. Try to reason. Leave it a day or two. Then respond with a clearer head.
• When writing to friends who aren't as close as brothers or sisters willing to stick around (not all do) so won't put up with any more than they have to. You will lose your friend and likely gain an enemy.
• Your neighbour. Ever. Wars are fought for less.
• Any form of bureaucrat who has control of your money, house or life, especially one you'll have to answer to again some day. They will make your life hell on a whim because you pissed them off and they have power over just how comfortable your life is. Making your life uncomfortable is revenge from a distance to them.
• Distanced family. It will end badly if they can't read what you're saying without taking into account and forgiving you that you're mad. If you've never been mad at them before and had them forgive you for it don't expect whoever you're writing to to absorb your rage without retribution. Expect a fight or even a family feud.

Cases when writing angry is perfectly fine:

• If you know that the recipient will come back to talk to you again another day. There are fewer people in the world who will do this for you than you think. It usually involves close family, very close friends and your spouse. Maybe.
• You are writing for yourself and your words will never be read by another person. Even diaries aren't completely safe so try not to keep records and records of angry spiteful b*tching in your diaries. Burn after writing is a better idea than burn after reading.
• Your rage is vented through fictional characters who aren't enacting anything close to what you're angry about.
• You are fully prepared before and after for the consequences. Mostly you won't be but on the odd occasion that "Bring It On!" is warranted and should be carried through. No one is saying you have to suffer everything hurled at you. Just pick and choose your battles with care and consideration.
• When your anger is backed by statements, studies and logical conclusions as in writing for a political or social cause etc. Anger is an element of change as much as it is of destruction. Use it wisely but don't let it be you.

When writing angry and you just can't stop or you really must express your rage:

• Somewhere in the back of your rage-filled mind, remember to curb the angriest of your statements.
• Reread what you've scrawled up and edit out the most hurtful sections without removing the point of your argument.
• Try to remember that logic is still required. Being enraged doesn't mean you can say or do anything and excuse yourself. Anger does not equal righteousness. Logic should keep you on track and your answers appropriate so send only after you've had a chance to calm down and think logically about what you've written.
• Try to see through the flush of adrenaline and/or the tears to how the other person might feel and if you think they might feel bombarded or hurt or insulted try to express that you understand but...... (insert your point of view).
• Don't hit send until you're sure you aren't in the wrong.

Right now there is one person out there probably feeling a bit raked up after I suffered an unexpected and complete meltdown, tears and raging included, so I'm not without fault. This is my advice from practice and there's no preaching involved. Do as you must and suffer the consequences you bring about upon yourself. I'm already feeling the weight of logic pressing back down on my brain, seeing through literally clearer eyes (though they sting quite a bit and it is hard to focus to editing) and feeling that numb sense of "Holy cow what just happened?" as I try to figure out which bus just ran me over.

Here's another useful take on writing angry if you're prone to it:

Tips for starting out as a writer

Over the years I have spoken to several people who've been interested in becoming authors or who have had a story they wanted to write but weren't sure how to start. To be honest, I can see how writing an entire book can be daunting as I came close to feeling like when I first started scribbling down ideas. The one piece of knowledge that saved me was that I knew all creative activities require immense work and practice to appear as polished and/or beautiful as they do when shown to the public.

So, for those interested in writing but feeling a bit daunted I decided to put down a few starter points on writing a novel in hope of encouraging those prospective writers to take up pen and paper or their laptop and have a go. 

Knowing how to start putting down such complex ideas as usually appears in a full length novel is vital. It is also an essential skill for constructing short stories as although short stories seem to have fewer ideas or details they often have as many, just woven a little tighter. Knowing what to include and what not is a skill increasingly required the shorter the writing length.

(Don't get me started on poetry. I couldn't formulate a decent poem if I were sitting amongst flower filled rolling hills. More often than not my mind refuses formulate such incredibly concise descriptions or details.)

But lets get back on track. Even if you are writing solely for yourself or for a small audience you should know how to set down your ideas so that they are understandable and fun to read.

A starter list for the prospective writer:

• Research whatever necessary: whether your research is on your characters, the setting, ideas already published or the desired style of writing it is essential that you do most of it before you begin writing. Research will help you ground your ideas.

• Formulate in your mind the basic story: dream up the story in full, not just the beginning of it, or you may find yourself with a thing called writer's block half way through. The other problem that can occur is what I call writer's drivel, where you end up writing on and on aimlessly and the vast majority of what is written being unnecessary or pointless. Neither is desired.

• Create a skeleton of your ideas by noting very basic details under chapter headings: this allows you to tie down when events should happen and how they are related. Think carefully on cause and effect, your character's reasoning and intentions, time lines and on what needs to be written out in full versus what needs only to be referenced.

• Start writing: I find it easier to untangle any contradictions by starting my writing from the first chapter and progressing straight through to the end of the book. Only in cases where more though has been required for a particular section have I skipped over it to come back later. If you find it hard to write from the beginning then choose the section most vivid in your mind and write that. This should get you started.

• Research as you go: try to get any topics requiring grounded detail in the descriptions (for example, the scientific principles behind a sci-fi novel) set out correctly in your first draft or two. If the information used as the base of your story is full of contradictions or irregularities then the entire story may be ruined as it just won't be believable (even if the reader is suspending disbelief).

• Once your first draft is written, be prepared to rewrite and edit it at least 4-5 times: only by rewriting and editing is any piece polished into a one readable by the masses. I know of absolutely no one in the present market who's written a single draft best seller. There might be one or two classical authors who've managed it but lets face it, the vast majority of published authors nowadays will not make it to the classical listing in the future. Only the very best will and the selection criteria is far more extreme now than ever before. You can't just be popular and have a way with words. You need themes, social applicability, rounded arguments and reflections on humanity. A good read is not a classic read but a good read is what you should aspire to no matter your audience so keep polishing your work.

• Don't be afraid to change big details: this is far easier to do nowadays, what with computers having word search, so feel entirely free to search through your work and change the placement or details, the wording or a series of phrases, the order of events or anything else that may occur to you. In fact, most editors will do such things and call it substantive editing (copy editing is an in depth edit of grammar, punctuation etc. while proofreading is a light look at these same issues). I find it bet to do several substantive edits, focusing on sections hard to read for whatever reason, and at least two copy edits.

• Get feedback from trusted readers as you go: I suggest writing at least two copies before sending your work out to those willing to give you opinions on topics, style, content, readability etc. Just know that your work is still likely incredibly rough so it will be hard to read and will, hopefully, receive constructive criticism. This criticism will guide you in your editing from there on in and without it you are working partially blind of reader expectations. Don't be too shy to show your work, just find the right readers.

Tips on surviving the judgement:

• Don't judge your initial works (your first draft or your practice works) as worthless or terrible if you are only starting out as a writer. Look at your work as objectively as possible and try to see what needs improving. Seek advice if necessary but again, don't take negative non-constructive feedback as absolute truth. Know that whatever the problem is you can likely fix it by writing another copy and that is where constructive criticism should be welcomed and often acted upon.

• You may not find your talent in one style of writing but you may in another (as mentioned, I'm absolutely atrocious at writing poetry but quite good at essays and prose). Find your style, through trial and error if necessary, and start practicing.

• Know that writing is both a craft and art. Like all such things practice is needed and lots of it before an initial talent can become a skill.

• Much work is required to polish a single piece into one presentable to an audience. If you have presented your work to an agent or publisher before it was ready then don't be hurt by negative feedback as you likely just need to write another copy. You will be told if your work is unpublishable due to plagiarism, liable or its marketability. These can be fixed, depending on what has been initially written.

• If you truly want to write then don't give up. Select the audience, style and level or professionalism for yourself at each stage of your progression. You don't need to aim for being a bestseller to write. And you don't need permission from critics. You simply need to keep practicing, updating your aims as you go.

Reasons to give up on any particular piece (not writing entirely):

• If you can't imagine or work out a beginning, middle and end to your story.

• If your work plagiarises someone else's.

• If your work is likely to get you taken to court for liable.

• If your work is unmarketable when you were aiming for it to be marketable (if you weren't aiming to be published through a house then disregard this point as you please. Self publishers wishing to make a living should still live by it though.).

• If you can't seem to formulate the base details to your satisfaction, even with help (by that I mean the principles behind your imagined world).

Reasons for giving up on writing altogether:

• Your own disinterest.