About Being Moody

Post 1853:

Mood affects pretty much everything in life. No revelation there. What does it do to your work? For me, I have to fight my moods hard. But I’m super moody. Like, for real and stuff.

I’ve learned to control my moods though extensive cognitive and behavioral therapy, self-help seminars, positivity courses, crying, meditation, yoga, pattern recognition analyses, running, lifting weights, and mostly alcohol and drugs.

Kidding. After all my years, I’m not all that good at regulating how I feel. I’m either the life of the party or I don’t show up. But what about when I have to show up, i.e. work?

This is where necessity becomes a beautiful thing. When I’m writing, it’s no good for me to let my moods take me away. Inexperienced writers do. I used to let my passions rule. Now I let the story rule my passions. It’s more economical that way.

Now, writing sad if you’re feeling sad or mad if you’re feeling mad can produce great stuff, don’t get me wrong. The catch is, the words will be about you. You is not the point of writing—fiction, at least. It’s only the story and people that might take time to read it that matter. Me being lucky or unlucky in love shouldn’t have anything to do with it.

This is probably a good rule of thumb for anyone’s work. If you work at the car rental place and you throw the keys at people and tell them you hope the brakes fail and they careen into a bridge embankment every time your team loses on Sunday, that’s not the best. Leaving it at the door is important. There are other terms for it. Being a professional is one I like. As an amateur, it makes me feel especially good. Puts me right in the mood. Cheers and see you after.