Writers
live with multiple personalities in their heads. It’s no secret that writers are outside the
norm anyway, but all writers I know have characters, scenes, and story lines
running through their minds. This all
starts with daydreaming, usually beginning in childhood. It never stops. As a child, I could make up stories with
which I could terrify myself and my best friend, Kathi. She didn’t make up stories but she would
convince her mother to drive us to the local theater where we would see horror
movies that only fed my already vivid imagination. These caused nightmares that sent me
scurrying into my parents’ room to sleep with my mom while my long-suffering
dad took my bed – where he inevitably caught a cold. And he had to go to work the next day!
Eventually,
those nightmares turned into daydreams of the ‘what if’ variety, and that’s
where it gets fun, as in, ‘What if an ordinary situation, like a dog bringing
in something he’d found, turned out to have sinister or hilarious consequences?’
In yesterday’s
blog, Cheryl Harper wrote about the ‘gifts’ her dog Jack brings her. I had a dog who did that. Monty sometimes brought in birds, which were,
thank goodness, still alive. When he
placed them at my feet, thinking praise and treats would follow, the birds
would fly up, flapping their wings while I ran around, flapping my arms, and
trying to head them toward the open door.
All of this was accompanied by Monty’s barking as he tried to figure out
why I didn’t act more appreciative. What
if he had brought in a lady’s old-fashioned evening glove with a fabulous cocktail
ring on one of the fingers and a diamond bracelet at the wrist? Now, there’s a scenario that could keep a
writer happily plotting for days or weeks.
I guess what I’m
saying is, be gentle with the writers in your life. Remember that even though their brains are
very crowded, they usually function pretty well – for someone who’s lost in a
daydream.
--
Patricia Forsythe's next Harlequin Heartwarming is At Odds With The Midwife, which will be a November 2016 release. She got the idea while daydreaming beside a lake.
It would have been fun to know you as a child! :-) November seems so far away to wait for your next release, but it will be here before we know it. Best wishes with it!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kate. Actually, I was a goofy kid.
DeletePatti, You have really hit on something that writer-types have crowded heads. That's why sometimes we look as if we're off on another planet or totally spaced out. The part that I wish I could curb, though, is when those ideas that aren't connected to anything come at night and keep me awake. There's no more mama's bed to go burrow into. Looking forward to your next release.
ReplyDeleteThe unconnected ones are frustrating, aren't they? I never think to write those down for future reference.
DeleteDaydreaming can also be an embarrassment or dangerous. When I have that spaced out look Roz mentioned, I'm not in the real world. Lovely blog and I look forward to your coming Heartwarming - something pleasant to do while we're dealing with the election.
ReplyDeleteI know. I've missed my freeway exit many times because of daydreaming.
DeleteThat's so true! We really do deserve credit for living real (I can't say normal) lives, when we're hosting another, fully populated world in our heads! I'm going to demand more respect! Congratulations on the November book. Dare I ask what's in your head now?
ReplyDeleteHa ha! Right now, I'm creating a somewhat outrageous horse-whisperer as a minor character.
DeleteSorry - me, again. Meant to ask - what is that photo from? It's gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteSorry, Muriel. I don't remember where I got it. I must have downloaded it a while back, but waited to use it -- and, of course, I've slept since then.
DeleteSometimes I feel as though my head will explode from all of the thoughts swirling inside.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Roz on the thoughts coming at night. Sadly, mine are usually worrisome thoughts that always arrive at 2:00 a.m.
Congratulations on your November release, Patti!
Thanks, Jill. I've found that doing mindless chores like pulling weeds (ugh!) helps settle my thoughts. Of course, that might because I'm whining about pulling weeds.
DeleteI could watch horror movies when I was younger, but now I can't. What does that say about my imagination LOL. I think it got more detailed. Arg
ReplyDeleteI used to crawl in bed with my mom, too, and Dad would head to my bed. Not sure he got a cold.
I can't watch horror movies anymore, either, or even gritty crime dramas, or any movie where there's even a small possibility of a child being mistreated.
DeleteThanks for telling me what goes on inside of a writer's mind. Must be tough holding conversations with people while daydreaming, LOL. Actually, I do that sometimes I'm ashamed to say. Looking forward to seeing your new book.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Laurie. Sometimes the people in your head are more interesting than the one your talking to, though, of course, you can't tell them that.
DeleteI can't tell you how many exits I've missed because I'm plotting a book. I remember not being able to go to sleep as a child and telling myself stories...or pretended to be Robin Hood and on a merry adventure. Can't wait to read your book!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Patricia. I had many adventures with Robin Hood, too.
DeletePatricia, what a great post! I love the "crowded brain" comment. That is exactly how I feel most of the time. I'm also laughing at your comment about being a "goofy" kid. That was also me and my brain became crowded at a very young age. I had an imaginary friend named Harold and he and I would solve "mysteries" together. My poor mom. She asked me one time, Harold and I had climbed on the roof of the house looking for a clue, why I couldn't be a "normal" kid. LOL.
ReplyDeleteOh, that's so funny! I bet you were lots of fun. I admit that I was never brave enough to climb on the roof.
DeleteI have all those interesting things happening in my brain, and then a real person rudely interrupts to ask if I've put the laundry in the dryer. Maybe I need an occupied sign on my forehead.
ReplyDeleteI want to know what happens after the dog brings in the glove. You'll work it into a story someday, won't you?
I have all those interesting things happening in my brain, and then a real person rudely interrupts to ask if I've put the laundry in the dryer. Maybe I need an occupied sign on my forehead.
ReplyDeleteI want to know what happens after the dog brings in the glove. You'll work it into a story someday, won't you?
I'll try to work that in. I hear you about being interrupted by a real person. Life always intrudes, doesn't it?
DeleteI was always accused of being a daydreamer as a child. I always attribute my writing to that. smile. Must have known I would be using that gift one day.
ReplyDelete