You’re not crazy. You’re a writer.

You’re not crazy.  You’re a writer.

Picture this.  You’re in a doctor’s office.  Let’s make it a Psychiatrist, just for fun.  The doctor gives you a bunch of tests and you are pretty sure you pass all of them.  Now it comes time for the interview.

“Come in and have a seat.  Are you comfortable?”  The voice is nice and soothing so you take a seat and get comfortable.  “Let’s get started. I just want to find out a little more about you.”

He or she asks questions like where did you grow up. Where did you go to school?  Parents good to you?  Buy you that pony for Christmas?  That sort of things to get you relaxed before you get the hard questions.

Just when you think you are safe the first bomb drops.  “Do you ever hear voices?”  What are you supposed to say?  Before you can answer, you’re hit with another one.  “Do you respond to those voices?  Do they often tell you what to do and do you do it?”  Now you’re stating to sweat.  “When you hear those voices do they make sense and do you talk back to them?  Do you ever imagine you’re someone else…you know…and really get into their head?”

You want to jump up and run as far away as you can, but you don’t because you know what’s coming.  His diagnosis is that you’re crazy as a bedbug.  Let’s pause here for a word of explanation.  I have no idea how crazy a bed bug is and I doubt anyone else does, but it’s an expression I’ve heard all my life and the only other analogy I could think of was “crazy as a shithouse rat” and I didn’t want to say that in case I offended someone.  Okay, back to the couch.

You’re not crazy.  You’re a WRITER!  If you don’t hear voices how are you going to know what your characters want to say.  If you can’t become your character how will you know how he or she acts in the situations you have planned for them?  Do you talk to your characters?  Come on.  You can admit it.  No one is listening.  I do and it’s some of the most interesting conversations I have.  Where else can you talk to a space monster, a bank robber, a serial killer, a gardener or any number of other people you may never meet?

Never mind what the doctor says, let the characters talk to you and it’s okay to talk to them in response.  You may never get the chance to do some of the things your characters do in your real life.  When you are sitting at the computer or yellow legal pad composing your story and breathing life and words into your characters, if you’re not true to them your readers will know in a heartbeat.  You owe it to both your characters and you readers to listen and respond to your characters.  Do what they tell you and don’t worry about the doctor.  There are enough legitimately slightly off-bubble people out there to keep him busy for a while.

And now if you’ll excuse me. I hear someone calling me.