On Moods and Revising

Or How Not to Go Completely Insane

My ever so patient crit buddy Carla was kind enough to link me a blog post about the effect of revisions on a writer. I couldn't have put it better myself!

Writing a novel, a love story

And linked within that one, Bad writing days.

Also somewhat related, I had an urge to listen to something nastalgic today. Some album from the '90s I used to listen to all the time. So I thought about it, and thought about it, and... oh! Jagged Little Pill. I listened to that almost every day for almost a year when I was in high school (shut up, I know that dates me). So I do a search on the free streaming part of Napster and put on my headphones.

Dear God.

I already knew that certain albums and songs had a tendency to affect my mood. Listening to late '90s Korn and (oddly) the Queen of the Damned soundtrack tends to get me in the mindset to be motivated and energetic. The Cranberries make me feel at peace. (I know. I know that's weird. There is an explanation, I swear.)

But, Jagged Little Pill... I don't know what happened. I couldn't even make it all the way through the first song before my mood plummetted straight into depression mode. It was alarming. Scary, even. I turned it off and a few minutes later I was fine. I wasn't aware that any kind of music could do that to me.

Apparently I tend to associate often played music with certain time periods and moods in my life. The Cranberries make me calm because it reminds me of my younger days and reading things like Lord of the Rings. Happy times. Korn makes me feel like a fighter, and by that I don't mean I feel like punching someone. No, it makes me feel like the world is mine, I can do anything, and to hell with anyone who thinks I can't (I may have been listening to that shortly after my breakup with an ex). The Queen of the Damned soundtrack usually puts me into concentration mode. I pay attention better, I get things done faster, and I'm just overall more efficient. That's because I brought the CD to work with me one day and was completely in the zone at that point. It stuck.

Which means that year in high school listening to Jagged Little Pill must have been a bad one. I've never before had music send me so far down, so fast. I mean, I can listen to sad music and it'll take a while for me to feel melancholy. But this... I don't know what happened. Odd thing is if one of the songs from that album gets stuck in my head it doesn't have the same effect. I have to be listening to it for the mood swing to happen.

Strange, I tell you.

I wonder if anyone else has noticed the same thing. Hmm.

Quote of the day:

(Idiocracy)
Pvt. Joe Bowers: What *are* these electrolytes? Do you even know?
Secretary of State: They're... what they use to make Brawndo!
Pvt. Joe Bowers: But *why* do they use them to make Brawndo?
Secretary of Defense: [raises hand after a pause] Because Brawndo's got electrolytes.


~Sass~