The inside of a writer’s head…
Today I was catching up with Twitter and came across the most gloriously humorous tweets from kaytsukel about things she’s learned by being a writer. I related to most and laughed a lot and thought that writers are all in a common place. So whilst I walked the dogs, I tried to think if there were any idiosyncratic points peculiar to me … and decided nope, there were none.
But what I learned was:
1. That I spend most hours in a day in a world apart from the one in which I live. 
I carry a world and adventures in my mind which is why I trip, drop and fall quite a lot. Mind not on job.
2. That I am becoming more solitary by the day and risk being a crusty old woman with two snapping Jack Russells in tow. And because of 1., they tangle at my feet and ‘I trip, drop and fall quite a lot. Mind not…’ and so on.
3. That when I’m in company, I’m boring. No one wants to know what Gisborne is doing, how many words I typed today, how many I deleted. My head is in a space they don’t understand and I’m not concentrating so ‘I trip, drop and fall quite a lot. Mind…’ well, you get the picture.
4. The tendonitis that happened in a tripping accident last year has got worse due to relatively long moments of inactivity and when I get up from sitting at the coalface, ‘I trip, drop and f… ‘ yeah, yeah!
5. I’ve become a chocaholic, especially when the fallow periods occur and when I get up to fetch more chocolate, ‘I trip, drop…’
6. I have the potential to become alcoholic because those fallow periods can be deathly awful and ‘I (really do) trip…’
7. I’ve become a time waster: I should write so I walk the dogs, check emails, Facebook, Twitter, WordPress stats. ‘I trip and fall’ to the chocolate cupboard. If the sun’s over the yardarm, ‘I trip and fall’ to the fridge for the wine. 
I daydream. I flick through stored images telling myself its fact-finding or inspiration!
8. My friends have strange names like Bo Press, Resabi, November Bride, Summer Dreamer, Hyaline, Fiction Witch, Servetus and many others and I can put a pin in every country in half the known world to represent them. And I don’t ‘trip and fall’ when I do it.
9. I’ve become a slight nerd. I can wade through the vast techno-lingo to get back on line when the server drops out. The fact that I can’t text or even FIND my messages on my mobile is neither here nor there. If ‘I trip and fall…’ at all, its more to do with cables in the former and concentration in the latter.
But 10. is super revelatory. I’ve learned to fight fear and submit my work to readers, be they professional assessors or real readers. In each case, I’m laying myself open to ridicule and rejection and I don’t care anymore. It’s all a learning curve and as the curve sweeps and bends, I become a better writer.
So you see, that’s 10 things I learned today when I examined my writerly life. Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s almost sun over the yardarm time and I’ll just ‘trip and fall’ to the kitchen …
Interesting points I ‘ve been reflecting on for a while, then I came back to comment. Why? Because, I’m not a writer but… some of those things are happening to me too!
Not n.10, that is not my case of course.
I’m sure you are not boring company, Prue, I bet on that. And be sure I’d love to listen to you telling me how many words you typed and what Gisborne is doing now … and whatever else comes to your mind. If only we could walk the dogs together!
But what’s the Net for? Glad we can meet at Mesmered’s, twitter, facebook, watpad… at least!
I’m sure this has changed , complicated yes, but enriched and improved all our lives.
Thanks for sharing. Hugs. MG
Enriched and improved. Heavens, yes! Perfect words, MG. Since 2008, my life has been wonderful.
Awesome list, Prue! My husband still can’t get adjusted to the way my mind works!
I can sometimes read something in the news and gleefully say: oh Kiana could use that!
He goes: who is Kiana?
I talk like crazy about my character as if she exists.
He asks: where did you meet?
Me: in my head!
He looks at me like I am utterly bonkers!
And I really agree on 7! I read the net everywhere on my iPhone, starting as soon as I wake up lol
i’ve put a note on my fridge:
‘One cannot write a book without dedication. *And the support and understanding of one’s family.*’
I wish I could get back into my imaginary worlds. Sometimes I miss them! But right now life is too busy with the mundane and when I do get time to myself my brain shuts down. Hopefully this is only temporary. I know those worlds are still inside me somewhere! One day I will venture forth into them and meet a whole batch of new friends.
Nikalee, you have a little boy and there’s plenty of time later in life. I find the imaginary worlds are pure escapism. Love it at night when I’m trying to sleep. Damn nice dozing off with an image of Gisborne on the mind!
”…dozing off with an image of Gisborne on the mind!”
Gisborne must be a pretty busy man, as i suspect you are not the only one doing this, Lady mesmered…
I do wonder what it would be like to have my life sit in one world alone. I’m not saying that writers have a monopoly on otherworld(lines)s, but I do believe that avid readers and writers have a very strong bond there.
I’m actually starting to realize (this is not rationalisation, I swear it!) that one of the beauties of being a writer is that there’s no such thing as wasting time. Every moment can be cultivated into fodder for some short story, chapter, article or scene.
As for the tripping … well, that can also be the light fantastic.
I do agree about minutes not being wasted, but take yesterday… I have the chapters in my head for gisborne and should be writing, but instead I grabbed the dogs and headed out. I pottered in the orchard checking fruit, picked quinces, apples and pears, sat in the sun on the principle that winter’s coming and there won’t BE any sun. In fact i did anything but sit at the keyboard.
Sometimes i THINK i prefer to have the chapters in my head because at least its comfortable and I get to dream but once they are written, they are out, down, not mine anymore. I have a vision of Dumbledore placing the wand by his head and withdrawing his memories so that Harry may see them. It’s similar. Of course, psychologists could suggest its partly the fear factor at work, couldn’t they?
Loved this post! And oohh, ooh *jumping up and down, waving hands* I want to know what Gisborne is doing and how many words you’ve typed! *big smile*
And…so THAT’s why I trip and fall and drop things so much…my head’s in a castle in Ireland with Guy and Marian and …oh never mind!
Ann Marie, see above. In my head, the whole story’s there…
I hope you don’t mind my coming back again to make a more general comment.
Like Maria Grazia, I am not a writer, but I would like nothing better than to become one and my attempts bring me a lot of pleasure, if not a little despair!
So it was interesting and also very comforting, to read your post. It gave me hope that just maybe I am on the right track, since I am experiencing some of the symptoms you describe. Though my clumsiness is more of the order of pouring tea into the sugar bowl, and putting the telephone in the freezer, than tripping. I don’t get off my chair enough for that.
I was particularly struck by point number 10, on feeling the fear and doing it anyway. If only that came in handy pill form…
Hi Giselle, welcome back any time.
The fear, in larger or smaller doses, is always present. Right now, my fear is that The Stumpwork Robe and The Last Stitch will sink without a trace.
But my largest fear is the novel I have invested two hard years of re-shaping and re-modelling and which is in London currently, won’t get past the starting gate. The fear of that rejection is powerful and I spend time addressing that. I will be gutted when it happens, but I will give it only a day or two of grieving, then I shall (I always do) pick myself up, dust myself off and take up Plans B, C and/or D.
It’s a matter of having to. Giving up is not an option!
Great post. No one ever said we must be *normal* 🙂 But we are normal to one another–and that’s a comforting feeling, that community!
‘Normal’… love it, Rowenna. And what’s normal anyway? One person’s normal is another person’s eccentric, is another person’s mad. i love that community!
Your #10 really resonates with me, Mes. I was thinking about how terrifying it must be to write something and then put it out for others to read. But then I dawned on me that I do that every time I sing, or play the piano or do a new technique on a cake. That sort of thing once kept me from trying ANYTHING. Not sure what changed but will think about it some today. My first art display was beyond nerve racking. I wouldn’t go inside for fear of hearing not so complimentary comments. Not smart.
Love this post but have a question: yardarm??
@Nikalee…YES, what Mes said! Maybe you could journal daily about your child and fulfill 2 worthy goals: have a day by day memory of sweet child AND keep your writing skills honed?!!
I’m with Ann Marie. I CARE ABOUT GISBORNE!!!! Lots. Immensely. So go ahead. Make my day. Bore me!! :)) And try to avoid tripping and falling please? Ouchy!
The Strange One 😉
@NB,
I truly do just love you…you always have me laughing!
Ah, NB…
It’s so true. Every time anyone creative offers up a piece of any sort for public scutiny, they are laying themselves open to be cut down, aren’t they? But for as much as all creatives might be reclusive, fearful etc, they are in essence tremendously courageous. It’s taught me that maybe i’m not as afraid of fear as I thought!
Yardarm? On the old sailing ships, a yardarm is a high cross-spar that holds the sails and when ‘the sun’s over the yardarm’, (must be an old British saying from the days when England ruled the seas) it’s drifting down and nighttime is approaching, hence the ‘correct’ time for a drink!
i care about Gisborne too. I will bore you rigid between 14-21 March, i promise!
Like Ann Marie, I love your comments. Always laced beautifully with common sense and good humour. Cheers!
OK, people. You just heard the woman. She PROMISED!! A whole week of Gisborne=paradise…
Thanks for the interesting definition of yardarm! Now I have a new cool term for hubs, re: “Darlin’, get your sweet self home cuz the sun’s over the yardarm!” That’s sure to win me points??!!
@Giselle- you made me laugh out loud when you poured tea into the sugar bowl and put the phone in the freezer. I feel like I’m in good company now! Altho when I do things like that, it’s usually due to day dreaming about a certain Dark Knight…
Mes, I am proud to announce that my books arrived and they waiting for me patiently on my nightstand. I promised myself I wouldn’t start them until I finish The Pale Horseman. I should finish it tonight. I also made a bookmark for each book! 😉
You guys are too nice. We need to meet up for coffee! Wouldn’t that be fun? Cheers back at ya!
Sympathize bigtime with #3. 🙂
Oh Servetus,
Your pieces are so perfectly enunciated on so many levels, I can’t believe you suffer from #3!
@NB and all Gizzy’s Girls:
You are invited to coffee whenever you get here! Any time!!!
Ok NB et al…we have that invite in writing! Mwahhh…*toddles off to find Tasmania on the map*
@AnnMarie…lol, I had to do the same thing last week! And we could learn a thing or 2 about sheep farming/ranching/raising..not sure what the correct terminology is “down there”. Does it make anyone else dizzy when you put Tasmania and the Antartica together?
Look for Antartica and New zealand and we’re sort of round there. close to Hobbit country!
Wonderful post! and exhorting too.