Writing for Liberation: Unburdening Yourself

I'm borrowing this from another site (resistance words), because I think it's an important tool everyone needs, all the time.

I'm writing this up the day after the 2016 presidential election, in which it appears Donald Trump has won the presidency.  There's a lot of fear, anger, depression, and dread going around -- even more than usual -- and that has a lot of writers in our communities losing themselves in hopelessness and despair.

It's important to remember how much power we have as writers -- we can change the world with our prose, but only if we finish it and get it out there.  And if we can't get past our own emotions to finish the books that could build the future, we're doing the world, and ourselves, a huge disservice, and giving far too much power to those around us who would bring us down.

So I give you this thread, this outlet, with an exercise to help you exorcise the dread, fear, anger, and sadness that may be weighing on you heavily enough to kill that desire to work on your babies.

Vent here.  Purge here.  Write until there are no more words.  Cry until there are no more tears.  Scream until there is no more voice.  You're not alone.  You don't have to feel alone.  You don't have to be alone.  We're all here for you, and so many of us feel exactly the same way.  We're here for you.

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From resistance words:

Sometimes some people mishandle their anger, but the feeling itself is legit. Though global injustice is wretched and ongoing, today many people are feeling an impotent anger and a lot of dread that is leaving them with low energy and struggling to think clearly. Here is an exercise to vent that anger, and perhaps even turn it into something harsh and powerful.

• Write a list of 10 objects that epitomize your feelings (eg cardboard if you feel bland, dust if you feel scattered, rusty slates of zinc for grinding-teeth anger etc)
  
  
• Take the 3-7 best of those objects and make them as specific as possible (eg pasty cardboard ripped up into small pieces).
  
  
• Write an anger poem or tiny story using your objects. Vent. Start in a place and get it out and don’t stop, and don’t edit. Let your sentences reflect how you feel – choppy and abrupt, scattered, or however you like.
  

Post your stories as a reply here.  Don't hold on to those negative emotions.  Purge yourself, unburden yourself, free yourself, and maybe -- just maybe -- you'll feel light enough to touch the story those emotions wouldn't let you finish.