Writing Your Emotions

Last evening as I spoke with a local young adult group about my grief journey, I realized how important my voice was to the telling of my story. I could have cried through the entire account of it, but only once did I break down. I could have spent the entire hour yelling about how angry I was to have to even share this story, but anger only came through at times. I ended with telling them that this second life has really been quite wonderful and despite my sad tale, there is hope.

This morning on my drive into work I thought about all the types of writers I enjoy. I love cynically hilarious tales by Laurie Notaro. I adored the harsh realities of Andrea Lankford's 'Ranger Confidential' I found an eerie hope in William P. Young's 'The Shack.' All of these writers share a different stories with extreme variances in their voice.

If had ended the tale of my story last evening with a sob, with a shout, with a "that's just life and it sucks" that's exactly how it would have ended. I ended with hope, not a false kind as to tie the situation up in a nice package, but in a way that I can embrace that in all bad circumstances there is usually some good. Without that voice, my voice of hope, my story might not be as appealing.

We all have those blogs or those pieces we write that are just a vent or a rant of frustrating situations in our lives. In between those I encourage you as not only the writer, but as the giver of a good story, to pass on all of that emotion to your readers. Find your voice not in one fluid emotion, but in all the emotions that the situation deserves.

Originally published through Whole Story Media Group.