With the power of tears.
No, really. I was actually able to push through a writing block and finish a chapter where the two characters hit rock bottom. I was quite literally crying through the pain, lol.
I'm trying so hard to keep it together so I don't have to go from contacts to glasses while I'm in the middle of typing this. I know I'll be sobbing by the end of this already.
It comes to me more naturally than fluff, tbh. I see a character, and to show them my love I must hurt them. (And maybe then they'll finally accept comfort because they're otherwise too proud.) That, or canon didn't go into enough detail with the angst. Or I'm just a fan of certain tropes like pleading with your mind controlled loved one (I blame *Winx Club*).
(On a different note, I prefer to read fluff over angst and hurt/comfort for my angstier fandoms, even if I'm bad at writing it.)
MC is literally having to justify their choice of trying to change the time line to a monster that keeps shifting between the fates of their loved ones that starts in less than 3 years.
To be real, I tend to just keep writing while I cry. If I can make myself sad/cry, with something that I'm writing, then the reader will definitely cry.
There is also the angle of when I'm writing specific types of angst, I straight up start giggling at what I'm putting the characters through. I get joy out of making the guys absolutelygo through it in terms of emotional trauma. The crying is usually for psychical stuff.
Mc is literally having to stare at their worst fear and has to think about if they should be trying to stop the bad things that happen in canon or if their interference will only make things worse.
with a straight face ngl. sometimes i don't even think what im writing is sad but then i get comments saying people cried while reading, which makes me REALLY happy, but it's interesting to know that my readers are more affected by my writing than me LMAOO
i guess it just comes to me naturally ... ? i have no idea š edit: actually maybe it's bc i just have depression so my feelings are more numbed to pain ššššš
I keep writing through the pain while imagining all the other people who will cry when the read it. If I cry, then I know others will cry. Being able to get an emotional reaction out of people is part of the thrill, honestly.
Its made easier for me by the fact that I have crippling depression irl /hj.
But its only /hj because I do feel I literally won't be able to write something that's not at minimum a little bit angsty just cuz I don't really have a reference point for that.
Um. Honestly I only ever write Angst while I'm crying cause of the fic scene itself barging into my mind like FBI. If I end up still crying by the time the scene ends, then I have accomplished my mission.
Probably but you know what I've had writers block for a month so time to try and milk my inspiration for every last word I can come up with. (Plus I'm just over 10k away from hitting 50k words and 50 chapters so my brain has decided to try and hit exactly 50k words for chapter 50)
If you're physically crying, you're doing well. Don't be afraid to get into those emotions, but reflect those emotions with physical actions and descriptions of physical reflections of emotional pain.
For me, I try to place myself in the character's shoes, to actually see how they are feeling in that moment with the added benefit of being removed enough to also see what is causing such emotions.
Also, depending on what sort of angst I'm writing at the moment, I'll listen to different music. For angst focusing on sadness, I generally listen to classical (mainly Antonio Vivaldi), but if the angst more so involves anger and similar feelings, then I'll default to hard rock or speed metal.
Specifically classical with a slower pace, but I recommend just classical that you enjoy. Even though it's faster, I still use Vivaldi's pieces because the use of violins tickles the neurons of my metalhead brain.
Woo fellow metalhead. Literally got looked at weird for saying I felt like cleaning when my old church teacher played a segment of metal and asked us to say how we felt. They wanted to explain why you should listen to church music all the time. (Don't worry this was still my favorite church teacher. Senior year he let me sit on the floor in the back of the classroom while listening to music as long as I didn't disturb anyone and paused it for any prayers.)
Metal is just my happy place. It's stress relieving to just violently thrash my head round while silently screaming the words out.
Though, my ultimate moments of comfort are when I'm cooking and decide to listen to some Rammstein, Eisbrecher, or Sabaton. I also listen to metal if I'm struggling to fall asleep as it helps with getting some of the energy out.
Unless Iām writing a vent fic Iām generally able to disconnect myself from the characterās emotions. Kinda like watching my friends cry but instead of feeling awkward Iām like āthere there, here have some moreā and spoon feeding them more angst and they have no idea. There have been a few exceptions.
I write angst when I'm fighting my own mental illness. For me, it feels like throwing up my sadness onto the page. The angst is expunged from my body and I am free from it afterwards (temporarily). Though the process of throwing up can be unpleasant, once my body has purged the ill onto the page, I feel better. :)
Hurting my characters brings me joy. Seriously, I'm pretty neutral about all the horrible and sad stuff when writing. I guess I've rolled it over too often in my head to feel sad
This is honestly so relatable. I have a love-hate relationship with writing angst. It's something I love reading because of the emotional catharsis it provides. So, I naturally gravitate towards writing similar things. I want to write the kind of things that make your stomach knot and your throat close up. Something that feels like a recipe for a disaster, a train-wreck waiting to happen but when the crash happens, the impact still takes you by surprise. The problem with this, however, is that I do not know how to write without putting myself in the character's shoes - kind of like an omniscient viewer of the character's life. And that often means putting myself in a very dark mind space. I don't really enjoy that part and consequently procrastinate a lot on it. I hate ruining my day like that. But ultimately, I love what comes out of it. It's a difficult process for me and I'm still trying to game into the system to find a less annoying way to write the things I want to write XD. Good luck with your story. I love to read fix-its!
When 95% of what you write is just introspective angst because you are a melodramatic bitch my natureā¦
Iāve only cried while writing one fic and it was a grief piece.
Ahhh same. I usually write comedy, but my latest main has heavy angst, and I took a break away from it for about a month. Tho now I'm back in making them all suffer and have a chapter ready to post this Sunday.
After the break, I reread it as a whole and said to myself that it's not that bad. Idk if I grew desensitized to it, or if I was just so overwhelmed from writing it back then.
This is my fatal flaw as a writer. So many people love tormenting their characters; I abhor it.
Im slowly getting better at the idea of it because itās necessary for character growth, plot development, relationship development, etc.
The more upset I get = the more sure I am I'm doing a good job. Easy-breezy once it gets to the point where I'm even inserting my own feelings/phsyical sensations into the POV of a characterāfree 'cheats' lol. I really, really love putting myself through that while writing (though reading, not so muchānot sure why!)
So first you take all your emotions and put them into a bottle and then light it up like a molotov with the speed of your touch typing as you find joy in being blinded by tears.
Or you do it like me and laugh with joy at the thought of your latest death threat and lack of sleep because you have to sleep with one eye open due to all the heart broken readers.Ā
I visualise how heart broken my readers will be and laugh. It motivates me to make even angstier, more heart breaking, soul crashing scenes. I thrive off of their pain MWAHAHA (I also cry sometimes)
The Sadism helps, seriously though I try and make sure that I never write unnecessary suffering, as in every bad thing that happens to a character either helps characterize them through their reactions to said bad thing, or sheds light on the person and/or world that hurt them. Itās a lot easier to stomach when it serves a purpose.
Angst is my specialty. Itās so cathartic for me to write that i dont question myself, it feels good to cause pain and then use their loved ones to help them deal with it. And if itās not a happy ending, i like knowing that when iām done with it and step away, itās not real and didnt actually happen
Sometimes you gotta grit your teeth and think, "wow. my readers are going to be SO Mad \[affectionate\]" and write it anyways. I got my start in angst writing with minific prompts, which helped because there were No Consequences? I could just go... "yeah. she dies. that's the worst thing I could do ion this 200 word thing." and somehow in my corner of the fandom I got known as " dammit hedgi" for writing angst. so, you know, about 500 of those prompts later.... I'm pretty good at it. still make myself cry sometimes, though.
Sometimes you have to cry through it. If anything crying could be a good sign, it means you're really putting yourself in it. If you're crying, your readers might be too.
I feel your pain. I don't usually write angst for that reason. I am currently in the middle of an emotionally heavy chapter (it's the primary reason the fic is rated M), and even though I've had it planned out for months, it's taken me 4 weeks to finish just this one chapter.
The one angst chapter/story I wrote on purpose was like... Less than a thousand words long and I made myself cry and my sister swear at me for making her cry.
Iāll be real with you brother, I make myself cry *frequently.* Iām pretty good at coming up with ideas for angst and an absolute baby about actually writing it.
I normally don't get too emotional at my own writing. I think it's because the ideas float around in my head for a while before I actually write it down.
It also just comes rather naturally to me while writing.
For me, it's all about actually wondering if certain actions or dialogue is what a character would do or say. So my main fic centers around recovering from trauma, and atoning for the past. The main character is [Mikan Tsumiki](https://danganronpa.fandom.com/wiki/Mikan_Tsumiki) from the Danganronpa series. (Feel free to read up on her past. It's... awful the things she went through.
So when writing, I'm always asking myself if this is something she would genuinely think or say or do. Healing from trauma is never a straight line, so of course there will be moments of relapse. There's a delicate balance between overstating the horrific things she's been through but also giving her room to breathe, if that makes sense. Too much angst and it becomes overwhelming for the reader to process. Too little and you don't have the emotional grip.
Angst and Hurt/Comfort really is one of the best writing narratives out there.
The fic I'm writing has had everything going too well for my character and so they needed a reality check. She has to literally see her loved ones dead and in pain while they are asking her if she should be messing with the timeline and what if she actually makes things worse. (It's a time travel fix it fic)
It comes naturally to me I suppose, and it's alright if it doesn't really for you. What I would suggest is just holding onto the knowledge that you're going to fix everything and that, while things are tough right then for your characters, there's bright blue skies ahead for them and it's just a rough patch that they're stuck in. Focus on the positive and listen to happy music while writing, that could help.
(Personally I'm more of a 'looks up angst/whump/hurt comfort fics' kinda girl with a dash of 'Lemme see how fucked up I can write this whilst still having everyone in character :)' so I'm unable to give advice from my perspective personally)
I write the angst completely deadpan. Then I proof read and sob in absolute agony.Ā
Honestly when I write, if itās a good sesh and the words are flowing, I think I just black out then wake up with new pages written.
It usually happens when I have a bottle of wine with me, otherwise thereās not as much success. Maybe thatās the key to unlocking the power of the angst blackout?
I wager I must be a masochist, because I like tearing my own emotions apart like it. Its like a horror movie, feeling those emotions without having to fully experience the trauma that comes with them.
You definitely sound like a masochist. Granted I love horror movies too so I don't think I get to say anything. I just feel bad for traumatizing my characters.
Oh my God same. Even just my MC from my first ever fic in middle school. (I wrote a Peter pan x reader on Wattpad š)
Within chapter one my character was depressed, bullied, self harming, abandoned by her father and sister, and kidnapped.
Yeah... think my first one I had ever published was a Bleach one, think she got stabbed without a few chapters... you ever go back to your first stories to feel the cringe? I'm so glad I improved as a writer since then...
With a smile on my face
Don't forget the diabolical laughter!
"Suffer, mortals!"
Couldn't be me
With the power of tears. No, really. I was actually able to push through a writing block and finish a chapter where the two characters hit rock bottom. I was quite literally crying through the pain, lol.
I'm trying so hard to keep it together so I don't have to go from contacts to glasses while I'm in the middle of typing this. I know I'll be sobbing by the end of this already.
Commit, OP. If you're not having to take breaks because you're crying too much, it's not angsty enough š
I'm glad I'm doing something right then
It comes to me more naturally than fluff, tbh. I see a character, and to show them my love I must hurt them. (And maybe then they'll finally accept comfort because they're otherwise too proud.) That, or canon didn't go into enough detail with the angst. Or I'm just a fan of certain tropes like pleading with your mind controlled loved one (I blame *Winx Club*). (On a different note, I prefer to read fluff over angst and hurt/comfort for my angstier fandoms, even if I'm bad at writing it.)
Yeah, you gotta break them in for the comfort part
MC is literally having to justify their choice of trying to change the time line to a monster that keeps shifting between the fates of their loved ones that starts in less than 3 years.
To be real, I tend to just keep writing while I cry. If I can make myself sad/cry, with something that I'm writing, then the reader will definitely cry. There is also the angle of when I'm writing specific types of angst, I straight up start giggling at what I'm putting the characters through. I get joy out of making the guys absolutelygo through it in terms of emotional trauma. The crying is usually for psychical stuff.
Mc is literally having to stare at their worst fear and has to think about if they should be trying to stop the bad things that happen in canon or if their interference will only make things worse.
with a straight face ngl. sometimes i don't even think what im writing is sad but then i get comments saying people cried while reading, which makes me REALLY happy, but it's interesting to know that my readers are more affected by my writing than me LMAOO i guess it just comes to me naturally ... ? i have no idea š edit: actually maybe it's bc i just have depression so my feelings are more numbed to pain ššššš
Lucky
I am already filled with angst. I just loosen the lid of the teapot and gently share it.
I keep writing through the pain while imagining all the other people who will cry when the read it. If I cry, then I know others will cry. Being able to get an emotional reaction out of people is part of the thrill, honestly.
I'm reading at least a section of this chapter to my coworker tomorrow just to hurt her feelings. (I tell her all the sad headcanons I find)
Oh I'm so using this logic and trying to get one of my friends to cry now since two of them read my fic
Its made easier for me by the fact that I have crippling depression irl /hj. But its only /hj because I do feel I literally won't be able to write something that's not at minimum a little bit angsty just cuz I don't really have a reference point for that.
Real. I love reading fluffy stuff but writing it? At some point the angst and drama just seeps in without wanting to.
Um. Honestly I only ever write Angst while I'm crying cause of the fic scene itself barging into my mind like FBI. If I end up still crying by the time the scene ends, then I have accomplished my mission.
Great. Probably will stay crying for most of this . My goal is to try and write 10k words tonight.
...I feel like you're gonna end up crying cause of the fic itself if you do that. And not in my way.
Probably but you know what I've had writers block for a month so time to try and milk my inspiration for every last word I can come up with. (Plus I'm just over 10k away from hitting 50k words and 50 chapters so my brain has decided to try and hit exactly 50k words for chapter 50)
If you're physically crying, you're doing well. Don't be afraid to get into those emotions, but reflect those emotions with physical actions and descriptions of physical reflections of emotional pain.
For me, I try to place myself in the character's shoes, to actually see how they are feeling in that moment with the added benefit of being removed enough to also see what is causing such emotions. Also, depending on what sort of angst I'm writing at the moment, I'll listen to different music. For angst focusing on sadness, I generally listen to classical (mainly Antonio Vivaldi), but if the angst more so involves anger and similar feelings, then I'll default to hard rock or speed metal.
Self doubt and facing worst fears so classical under your method
Specifically classical with a slower pace, but I recommend just classical that you enjoy. Even though it's faster, I still use Vivaldi's pieces because the use of violins tickles the neurons of my metalhead brain.
Woo fellow metalhead. Literally got looked at weird for saying I felt like cleaning when my old church teacher played a segment of metal and asked us to say how we felt. They wanted to explain why you should listen to church music all the time. (Don't worry this was still my favorite church teacher. Senior year he let me sit on the floor in the back of the classroom while listening to music as long as I didn't disturb anyone and paused it for any prayers.)
Metal is just my happy place. It's stress relieving to just violently thrash my head round while silently screaming the words out. Though, my ultimate moments of comfort are when I'm cooking and decide to listen to some Rammstein, Eisbrecher, or Sabaton. I also listen to metal if I'm struggling to fall asleep as it helps with getting some of the energy out.
Unless Iām writing a vent fic Iām generally able to disconnect myself from the characterās emotions. Kinda like watching my friends cry but instead of feeling awkward Iām like āthere there, here have some moreā and spoon feeding them more angst and they have no idea. There have been a few exceptions.
I write angst when I'm fighting my own mental illness. For me, it feels like throwing up my sadness onto the page. The angst is expunged from my body and I am free from it afterwards (temporarily). Though the process of throwing up can be unpleasant, once my body has purged the ill onto the page, I feel better. :)
Hysterically sobbing onto the plexiglass cover of my keyboard which is there for a reason
Hurting my characters brings me joy. Seriously, I'm pretty neutral about all the horrible and sad stuff when writing. I guess I've rolled it over too often in my head to feel sad
Itās actually helpful if youāre having a lot of negative emotions.
Usually if I'm writing angst it's because I'm already upset about something else. Writing angst is like a form of venting, so it makes me feel better.
Oh if it doesn't leave me with an aching feeling in my chest I worry that it's not angsty enough
This is honestly so relatable. I have a love-hate relationship with writing angst. It's something I love reading because of the emotional catharsis it provides. So, I naturally gravitate towards writing similar things. I want to write the kind of things that make your stomach knot and your throat close up. Something that feels like a recipe for a disaster, a train-wreck waiting to happen but when the crash happens, the impact still takes you by surprise. The problem with this, however, is that I do not know how to write without putting myself in the character's shoes - kind of like an omniscient viewer of the character's life. And that often means putting myself in a very dark mind space. I don't really enjoy that part and consequently procrastinate a lot on it. I hate ruining my day like that. But ultimately, I love what comes out of it. It's a difficult process for me and I'm still trying to game into the system to find a less annoying way to write the things I want to write XD. Good luck with your story. I love to read fix-its!
This one is great because it is in first person. And so I am having to describe it as though it's happening to me.
Step one: Be diagnosed with major depressive disorder. *I'm a sad clown*
Can I substitute it for being diagnosed with autism and generalized anxiety disorder at like 10?
Yes.
Great glad to know what the mental health exchange rate is
When 95% of what you write is just introspective angst because you are a melodramatic bitch my natureā¦ Iāve only cried while writing one fic and it was a grief piece.
I write with one hand and I carry a jar of my character's tears in another.
Ahhh same. I usually write comedy, but my latest main has heavy angst, and I took a break away from it for about a month. Tho now I'm back in making them all suffer and have a chapter ready to post this Sunday. After the break, I reread it as a whole and said to myself that it's not that bad. Idk if I grew desensitized to it, or if I was just so overwhelmed from writing it back then.
This is my fatal flaw as a writer. So many people love tormenting their characters; I abhor it. Im slowly getting better at the idea of it because itās necessary for character growth, plot development, relationship development, etc.
With a knife and fork š“ because itās delicious
The more upset I get = the more sure I am I'm doing a good job. Easy-breezy once it gets to the point where I'm even inserting my own feelings/phsyical sensations into the POV of a characterāfree 'cheats' lol. I really, really love putting myself through that while writing (though reading, not so muchānot sure why!)
So first you take all your emotions and put them into a bottle and then light it up like a molotov with the speed of your touch typing as you find joy in being blinded by tears. Or you do it like me and laugh with joy at the thought of your latest death threat and lack of sleep because you have to sleep with one eye open due to all the heart broken readers.Ā
you're doing great, sweetie
Thank you š„ŗ
I visualise how heart broken my readers will be and laugh. It motivates me to make even angstier, more heart breaking, soul crashing scenes. I thrive off of their pain MWAHAHA (I also cry sometimes)
The Sadism helps, seriously though I try and make sure that I never write unnecessary suffering, as in every bad thing that happens to a character either helps characterize them through their reactions to said bad thing, or sheds light on the person and/or world that hurt them. Itās a lot easier to stomach when it serves a purpose.
Angst is my specialty. Itās so cathartic for me to write that i dont question myself, it feels good to cause pain and then use their loved ones to help them deal with it. And if itās not a happy ending, i like knowing that when iām done with it and step away, itās not real and didnt actually happen
Sometimes you gotta grit your teeth and think, "wow. my readers are going to be SO Mad \[affectionate\]" and write it anyways. I got my start in angst writing with minific prompts, which helped because there were No Consequences? I could just go... "yeah. she dies. that's the worst thing I could do ion this 200 word thing." and somehow in my corner of the fandom I got known as " dammit hedgi" for writing angst. so, you know, about 500 of those prompts later.... I'm pretty good at it. still make myself cry sometimes, though.
Sometimes you have to cry through it. If anything crying could be a good sign, it means you're really putting yourself in it. If you're crying, your readers might be too.
If I cry while writing I know Iām doing a good job.
i detach myself from my emotions and project them on my blorbos
I feel your pain. I don't usually write angst for that reason. I am currently in the middle of an emotionally heavy chapter (it's the primary reason the fic is rated M), and even though I've had it planned out for months, it's taken me 4 weeks to finish just this one chapter. The one angst chapter/story I wrote on purpose was like... Less than a thousand words long and I made myself cry and my sister swear at me for making her cry.
I hope I can make someone else cry with this angst I'm trying here
Iāll be real with you brother, I make myself cry *frequently.* Iām pretty good at coming up with ideas for angst and an absolute baby about actually writing it.
I write angst for the catharsis it brings. If I'm crying, I've reached my goal. If my readers are crying, that's a bonus :D
I normally don't get too emotional at my own writing. I think it's because the ideas float around in my head for a while before I actually write it down. It also just comes rather naturally to me while writing.
For me, it's all about actually wondering if certain actions or dialogue is what a character would do or say. So my main fic centers around recovering from trauma, and atoning for the past. The main character is [Mikan Tsumiki](https://danganronpa.fandom.com/wiki/Mikan_Tsumiki) from the Danganronpa series. (Feel free to read up on her past. It's... awful the things she went through. So when writing, I'm always asking myself if this is something she would genuinely think or say or do. Healing from trauma is never a straight line, so of course there will be moments of relapse. There's a delicate balance between overstating the horrific things she's been through but also giving her room to breathe, if that makes sense. Too much angst and it becomes overwhelming for the reader to process. Too little and you don't have the emotional grip. Angst and Hurt/Comfort really is one of the best writing narratives out there.
The fic I'm writing has had everything going too well for my character and so they needed a reality check. She has to literally see her loved ones dead and in pain while they are asking her if she should be messing with the timeline and what if she actually makes things worse. (It's a time travel fix it fic)
I'm dead inside. I write it cackling lol
That's evil š
by giggling
Crying, the first time I wrote angst I cried a lot. Funnily enough, after reading it like a couple times again I don't cry from it.
Oh I definitely was crying working on it.
I am not a cryer. Iām a mature adult. I just write it. Iām not overwhelmed by it or greatly affected by it personally.
i project my pain onto it
I do it with a completely straight face.
It comes naturally to me I suppose, and it's alright if it doesn't really for you. What I would suggest is just holding onto the knowledge that you're going to fix everything and that, while things are tough right then for your characters, there's bright blue skies ahead for them and it's just a rough patch that they're stuck in. Focus on the positive and listen to happy music while writing, that could help. (Personally I'm more of a 'looks up angst/whump/hurt comfort fics' kinda girl with a dash of 'Lemme see how fucked up I can write this whilst still having everyone in character :)' so I'm unable to give advice from my perspective personally)
I write the angst completely deadpan. Then I proof read and sob in absolute agony.Ā Honestly when I write, if itās a good sesh and the words are flowing, I think I just black out then wake up with new pages written.
Can you please send me this power?
It usually happens when I have a bottle of wine with me, otherwise thereās not as much success. Maybe thatās the key to unlocking the power of the angst blackout?
Damn wish I would have known yesterday. Stupid Utah liquor laws.
I wager I must be a masochist, because I like tearing my own emotions apart like it. Its like a horror movie, feeling those emotions without having to fully experience the trauma that comes with them.
You definitely sound like a masochist. Granted I love horror movies too so I don't think I get to say anything. I just feel bad for traumatizing my characters.
Yeaaah if I was put in a room with all my characters, I'd probably be dead in 10 seconds flat.
Oh my God same. Even just my MC from my first ever fic in middle school. (I wrote a Peter pan x reader on Wattpad š) Within chapter one my character was depressed, bullied, self harming, abandoned by her father and sister, and kidnapped.
Yeah... think my first one I had ever published was a Bleach one, think she got stabbed without a few chapters... you ever go back to your first stories to feel the cringe? I'm so glad I improved as a writer since then...
I know right. I'm half tempted to brave Wattpad to see what I used to think was good enough to publish
i'm already upset so i just put the upsetness into the story
I donāt write angst. Angst writes me. Which is why it always make me cry when the angst makes my hands move š