Monday, August 16, 2010

Tapping Into My Crazy

I'm a little bit crazy.

It's OK. I'm a writer. I'm allowed to be.

Every writer has those slightly seriously crazy habits that they will never admit to having - unless, of course, they have a blog, in which case they'll tell everyone on the Internet about their secret weirdness.

Which leads me to today's post.

You see, readers, I have a tendency to talk to myself. I guess that's not so weird. But you know what IS weird? Having fake interviews with yourself where you talk to a non-existent "reporter" about the inspiration behind your book, and what you're planning for your characters in the next installment.

Not only is this totally INSANE because I'm literally TALKING to NO ONE (like this conversation isn't taking place in my head. I'm actually saying the words. Aloud. To NO ONE. CRAZYTOWN.), but it also might be crazy because:
  1. I haven't sold a book yet.  (I mean I don't even have a representative to sell it on my behalf.)
  2. Probably because I haven't even finished revising my book. (But oh BOY am I close, readers. Like it's palatable.)
  3. So not only are journalists absolutely NOT lining up around the block to scoop my story, but they certainly don't care about what's going to happen in the next installment.
  4. Because there isn't a next installment.
  5. And if there WAS a next installment, I wouldn't be telling all my secrets to a journalist.
  6. Because I don't like spoilers.
  7. Also because I AM a journalist, and I know better than that.
  8. Watch out for journalists. We are smarter than we look. 
And yet. I still bring the crazy, by living out my future dreams and interviewing myself. Usually these interviews take place in the car when there's a song on that I don't like. But today it took place in the kitchen, where I have decided all the MAGIC happens because my fake interview totally helped me put the final pieces into place for the greater plot-arc of my potential series!!

So you see!! There's a reason writers are crazy! It helps us think. And plan. And figure things out. So that when (not if - when! - you must believe, dear readers) my book sells, and when my Awesome Agent scores me a totally Sweet Deal with an Excellent Editor, and all my dreams come true, and my book becomes a series, I won't be staring at my Mac going, "CRAP! But that's a clue I needed to leave in the FIRST book! STOP THE PRESSES! REDACT! RECALL! ETC.!" Instead, I will say, "It's cool. I've got this covered. I went all crazytown in my kitchen for a reason."

So, basically, readers, what I'm saying is this: It's OK to be crazy sometimes. Writing is hard. It's exhausting. Sometimes you're living on little more than coffee/tea and chocolate, which is pretty much a diet of caffeine and sugar, and possibly no sleep, so if you didn't embrace the crazy you'd be in trouble. So go a little crazy, have your great ideas, then come online and write blog posts that make little to no sense whatsoever.

Tell me readers! Have you ever embraced your crazy and ultimately had it work out for the best?

5 comments:

  1. Crazy is just another word for awesome. I'm convinced. Err...okay, not all kinds of crazy are awesome. But writer crazy is awesome. Perhaps I should've made that disctinction....

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  3. This was great, Heather!

    Talk to myself, check.
    Out loud, check.
    Carries on the other half of the conversation, with ridiculous self-aggrandizement, check.
    Almost finished editing AND being suddenly hit with "I don't have a sequel, wait this would be perfect, I want to leave this for the sequel."... Uh-HUH!

    Yeah, this is a little scary close to home! Great post!! Embrace the crazy.

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  4. I do this ALL THE TIME. I can't tell if I'm relieved or frightened to know I'm not the only one.

    I do have a question: when you're acting out this interview, do you speak both sides out loud, or hear the imaginary interviewer's questions in your head and answer them out loud? Not that it affects the level of crazytown either way...just, you know, the *flavor*.

    It was so great meeting you at SCBWI this summer (it feels so long ago already)! I can't wait until you are proven NOT CRAZY, merely WELL-PREPARED.

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