Give me one assignment and I WILL mess it up. Wednesdays are my Scriptor Familia designation and I forgot. Lounged around eating graham crackers and peanut butter watching Mystery Science Theater and neglected to make my weekly contribution.
I've heard people say that writers are insane. I've also heard it said that writers live entirely in their own heads, which is often why they're more comfortable with silence and seclusion than the average bear. I fit well into this category, especially the part about insanity and dwelling in my own cerebrum.
I think that's why it's unbelievable that we can all function in the day-to-day world at all. We have entire alternate realities spinning around in our heads. I talk out scenes with my characters in hushed murmurs when I'm doing activities and sometimes forget that other people exist (flesh and blood people) and find talking to yourself offsetting.
I was watching a Giants game where my future husband was pitching. He was up on the mound and his lips were moving. The commentators started making all kinds of excuses for him. "Oh, uh...he's talking to himself...probably saying this or that..." I was sitting there with the neck of a cold beer clasped in my indignant hand. "WHAT? He can talk to himself. I would be. The poor guy can't even talk to himself?!"
No, it's socially unacceptable for your lips to be moving and a blue tooth not hooked over your ear. For this reason, I once had a blue tooth and put it on just so I could get away with talking to myself at a normal tone of voice or in my vehicle. The only problem with that is when you start slipping into a manly British accent and gesticulating madly before lapsing into a feathery, feminine voice that answers the previous voice's questions...the blue tooth doesn't exactly take you as far as you need to go in terms of providing mental credibility.
Which is why it's sometimes advisable to not give a crap what people think. Once and a while, I forget that I'm living on planet Earth and all of these amusing creatures weren't actually created for my amusement alone.
Another example is Duwayne. He is a Chipotle employee who I find infinitely amusing. He's lackadaisical, has a long ponytail and jokes around with people who come through the line. Well, Duwayne stopped coming into Chipotle and we were depressed. This creature we had practically invented had disappeared. So I go in late one night and catch sight of a ponytail through the window. Lo and behold, Duwayne was there! I was so excited that I stood in line with my mouth in an opened grin and my hands out like, "It's you!" Duwayne was salting the rice and he slowly looked up and stared at me. It took me a good 30 seconds to realize that Duwayne and I are not old friends, he doesn't know we have an entire back story made up for him and this entire exchange probably appears bizarre and possibly creepy. Duwayne's name is not Duwayne, he has his own life that I didn't write and any other character qualities I've dreamed up exist in my brain only.
So yes, I agree that writers do have a certain level of insanity. We have to, in order to be creative. We have to view the world in narrative, with the colors just a little brighter and just a little more vivid than the standard 9-5er.
LIVE LONG AND PROSPER, WRITERS.
I've heard people say that writers are insane. I've also heard it said that writers live entirely in their own heads, which is often why they're more comfortable with silence and seclusion than the average bear. I fit well into this category, especially the part about insanity and dwelling in my own cerebrum.
I think that's why it's unbelievable that we can all function in the day-to-day world at all. We have entire alternate realities spinning around in our heads. I talk out scenes with my characters in hushed murmurs when I'm doing activities and sometimes forget that other people exist (flesh and blood people) and find talking to yourself offsetting.
I was watching a Giants game where my future husband was pitching. He was up on the mound and his lips were moving. The commentators started making all kinds of excuses for him. "Oh, uh...he's talking to himself...probably saying this or that..." I was sitting there with the neck of a cold beer clasped in my indignant hand. "WHAT? He can talk to himself. I would be. The poor guy can't even talk to himself?!"
No, it's socially unacceptable for your lips to be moving and a blue tooth not hooked over your ear. For this reason, I once had a blue tooth and put it on just so I could get away with talking to myself at a normal tone of voice or in my vehicle. The only problem with that is when you start slipping into a manly British accent and gesticulating madly before lapsing into a feathery, feminine voice that answers the previous voice's questions...the blue tooth doesn't exactly take you as far as you need to go in terms of providing mental credibility.
Which is why it's sometimes advisable to not give a crap what people think. Once and a while, I forget that I'm living on planet Earth and all of these amusing creatures weren't actually created for my amusement alone.
Another example is Duwayne. He is a Chipotle employee who I find infinitely amusing. He's lackadaisical, has a long ponytail and jokes around with people who come through the line. Well, Duwayne stopped coming into Chipotle and we were depressed. This creature we had practically invented had disappeared. So I go in late one night and catch sight of a ponytail through the window. Lo and behold, Duwayne was there! I was so excited that I stood in line with my mouth in an opened grin and my hands out like, "It's you!" Duwayne was salting the rice and he slowly looked up and stared at me. It took me a good 30 seconds to realize that Duwayne and I are not old friends, he doesn't know we have an entire back story made up for him and this entire exchange probably appears bizarre and possibly creepy. Duwayne's name is not Duwayne, he has his own life that I didn't write and any other character qualities I've dreamed up exist in my brain only.
So yes, I agree that writers do have a certain level of insanity. We have to, in order to be creative. We have to view the world in narrative, with the colors just a little brighter and just a little more vivid than the standard 9-5er.
LIVE LONG AND PROSPER, WRITERS.
It's so true. I talk to myself all the time. Often with an accent or different tone of voice.
ReplyDeleteAwesome post!
Thank you! I think the writing insanity is the best kind.
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