A lot of people generalize anger as a “negative” or “unproductive” emotion. Personally, I have found the opposite to be true. In fact, anger has done wonderful things for me over this past year.

Pure rage has resulted in writing that’s received three different acceptances (and two personal rejections for a particularly unflinching story of mine). In the past, anger has made me hone my craft like a knife, making my work a cutting thing. My novella Hooker, which is going out of print this month from Unnerving Magazine, was written purely out of raw anger. Now I aim for more precision, to turn my clumsy blade into a true scalpel, every time I sit down to write.

The trick, I’ve found, is to let all that hot, tempestuous feeling boil up into the creative brain. Let the meat really marinate in it and create; some of your ideas will be glorious, some of them will be trash. Wait until you cool down and then revisit those ideas – which ideas feeling giving to you? –   which ones churn up an infinite spring of creation? Those are the ones to work with.

Anger is one of my favorite emotions to get on the page. If you let it play out honestly, it will reveal so much about you along the way.

It’s a great way to get to know yourself.

What about you? Do you use your anger in your creative process? Do you have any methods you like to use?

Happy angry writing!