Writing Through Stress

Last Week was tough, when I had to say goodbye to the best black lab(ish) ever.
As a friend pointed out, it never gets easier.

Leading up to that point, I found myself wanting to write more and more. Maybe it was a sort of escapism, but it didn’t feel like it. It felt like I was processing the situation, and allowing the emotions to be worked out some.
Since Annie’s gone to heaven (or doggy heaven, if you like), I’ve wanted to write… but haven’t gotten to it much, partly due to circumstances and partly because I couldn’t think of what to write. (hence, the most recent section of Elvey’s Adventures being a day late)

That’s how it’s always worked for me. During stressful times, I feel an urge to write, and sometimes it feels it doesn’t even matter what write.

Interestingly, it doesn’t seem to help much if I write about the stressful situation. It depresses me.
It’s thoroughly satisfactory to write about relatively random things, like different realms, time travel, conversations characters are having, or — to put it simply — whatever I happen to be working on at the time.
That, I think, is the oddest thing.
If things are rough at home, the dishwasher needs to replaced or something, I don’t write about my characters dealing with something horrible and traumatizing. I write about whatever’s happening next in my current project. Or if there is no current project, I start something new.

There’s no visible change.
Except, whatever character happens to be my main character, the ‘relationship’ changes. Since I’m writing them during a stressful or sad time, they’re more like good friends who stick with you through tough times. There is a definite, different relationship with them.

So, Terrance Elvey, thanks for being there when I needed you, and welcome to the Stressful Character Club. (I think I need a different name for it)

What do you do to deal with stress or grief?