This is post inception. I am responding to a response. In typical Jenny fashion, she saw a preconception, arched an eyebrow, and said, “I think not.” Generally, I agree with my petite friend. In this instance, however, I have to somewhat disagree…and announce that I am half a stereotype. It is most likely nature, trying to balance me out. Anyway, here are my responses to Jenny’s response to Rachel’s response…or something like that. Sally forth.
Stereotype: Writers Never Sleep
Truth: I have no difficulty in growing tired. I have great difficulty in falling asleep. When life allows, I sleep in well past noon. It isn’t because I enjoy missing the morning; it’s simply because I love night more, and my dreams are so vivid that I don’t feel rested even after a long sleep.
Stereotype: Writers Obsess Over Naming Their Characters
Truth: I wouldn’t say I obsess over it, but I find it highly important. If a character is not properly named, they won’t behave. I’ve tried writing characters with ‘working names’ before, and they always (no exceptions) dig in their heels and refuse to cooperate until I give them a proper name. Also, I find it impossible to begin a novel unless I have the title.
Stereotype: Writers Dwell in the Darkest Mental Corners
Truth: It depends on what kind of novel you write. I hardly think A. A. Milne thrashed about with nightmares. On the other hand, I believe the more difficult and nitty-gritty you write, the more hard subjects you tackle, the more you will struggle with those mental corners. This is a tough tightrope to balance, and something I struggle with.
Stereotype: Authors Are Always Killing Characters
Truth: While it is true there is a small graveyard where the ghosts of characters past glare at me from headstones, I do find it useful to keep two thirds of my characters alive. Besides, there are some I simply couldn’t kill, as I just don’t have the guts or sadism (or both) to carry out such an execution.
Stereotype: You’ll Spend Half Your Life Hating Your Work
Truth: Why would I write if I hated my work? Writing is difficult and brain-wracking and emotional and gut-wrenching, but I love it. I feel it’s what I was born to do, and I am never happier than when spinning a new story together.
Stereotype: Writers Consider Their Characters to be Their Babies
Truth: Babies? No. Friends, enemies, jesters, lovers, teachers, and hooligans? Yes.(Disclaimer: I refer to my characters as my ‘babies,’ ‘children,’ etc. on occasion. However, this will cease once I have a physical, flesh-of-my-flesh child, as I don’t aim for family jealousy.)
Stereotype: Writers Are Exotic Creatures
Truth: Yes. I am an exotic creature. Like a luck dragon, or a platypus.
Babies? No. Friends, enemies, jesters, lovers, teachers, and hooligans? Yes.(Disclaimer: I refer to my characters as my ‘babies,’ ‘children,’ etc. on occasion. However, this will cease once I have a physical, flesh-of-my-flesh child, as I don’t aim for family jealousy.) <— That is the best thing ever. xD
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*raises hand* I’m a night person too! It’s kind of appalling how often I end up writing at 2 a.m. but some of my best scenes flow then.
And it warms my heart to see your response to the character-killing one, and know that there are some characters you love too much to kill. This gives me hope. Because I love so many of your characters SO MUCH. <3 And if you were one of those sadistic writers who constantly kill off characters, I'm not sure my feels would survive. (My feels hardly survive as it is with all the stuff that happens to the characters while alive!)
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This is the best! Love the part about not hating your work because it’s true, why would you write if you hated everything you did write?
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I love this, and I agree with it. I love my own writing, sometimes looking back at old writing can be painful but I can tell that I improved. I also don’t think of my characters as my children because they have more in common with imaginary friends. I too think we are exotic creatures, we seem to be to rare in this world.
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Platypus, eh? ;) I totally agree with these! I actually feel like I could sleep forever actually…particularly after finishing a book draft. XD But hey, maybe A.A. Milne DID thrash about with nightmares…maybe Pooh’s Corner was a lot more sinister and we only got the happy light version, whilst really dark creatures roam 100 Acre Wood…. MWHAH AHA.
Sorry. XD
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The HEFFALUMPS
and
WOOSELS
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I think it depends on the writer sometimes; I fit some of these and I don’t fit some of these :) Just depends on the person :)
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I think it depends on the person :) Some of these fit me, and some of these don’t. For you the ‘characters are their babies’ doesn’t fit you, but it fits me. I totally consider my characters to be my babies (at least, Zooey and Adam :)) Muggles is something else though! XD haha!
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Platypuses! They are seriously my favorite animal. I used to collect stuffed platypuses. :P And i still have most of them…
Character’s names often give me lots of grief. So do place names. Usually, if I’m writing the story, but don’t have a name, I just substitute “?????” for the character’s name.
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like a “platypus”??? Oh, Mirriam, I smirked gleefully more than once. While I DO think it is an individual sort of writer-living, there are stereotypes because a good bunch of writer types have shown to be so, perhaps. I am grateful that each quirky, unusual difference means that each book will have differences, a character of its own. thanks for sharing…
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