The other day a close friend of mine told me “ You
are so different from other writers. For one you aren’t arrogant and two you
don’t constantly talk of your stories and writing and three you don’t look down
on people and four you don't keep correcting people's mistakes.” To be honest I was very happy with his assessment, but I was also
unhappy about the view he had of writers in general. He also told me that his other
writer friends drive him crazy.
This fun post is triggered by that thought. How Writers
can Drive People Crazy?
Writers should talk
non-stop about their stories to family, friends, neighbours, acquaintances and
even strangers on the road, to the extent that people run away when they see
them.
Dinner table
conversations should only center around their stories. It should be me, my
stories and my characters. If family members start eating dinner in their
rooms, that’s their problem. The writer can still talk to an empty room as it
will be full of his or her characters.
If people call or
message us we should use the opportunity to our advantage by narrating our
plotline or revealing details of our stories. If people stop keeping in
touch, it’s really their loss. Writers can keep in touch with their characters.
Writers should start
calling people by the name of their characters. This way even when we aren’t writing
we will still be close to our characters.
Writers should accost
strangers on the road and tell them that they remind us of our characters,
especially our antagonists and eccentric characters. If writers get beaten up,
they should consider this a part of the writing life.
Writers should and must
start correcting people’s grammar and sentence structure. If people take offense
or consider it rude behaviour, that’s their fault. After all once we take up
the noble profession of writing, then it becomes our duty to correct people’s
grammar mistakes and guide them, even if they don’t want to be guided.
Writers should look
down upon non-writers. We who live in the world of words and stories cannot
afford to breathe the same air as the rest of the population.
Do you all want to add
any other way writers can drive people crazy? Feel free to do so in the
comments section.
P.S. This was a purely
fun post with no offense meant to anyone.
P.P.S. Be sure to check
back on 1ST June when Ninja Captain Alex Cavanaugh will share his
amazing tips on Developing Characters in our stories.
This is akin to teachers syndrome of correcting people, telling what not to do etc :)
ReplyDeleteLOL. I would include spamming on facebook wall with their own books, their wonderful cover reveals, their own glowing reviews, etc. Just for fun, my comment too... ;)
ReplyDeleteDestination Infinity
Fun post. You could add: E-mailing everyone your manuscript and demand they beta read it for you.
ReplyDeleteThis was delightful. I love how it ends up with writers only interacting with their characters. I think you could add generating computer calls about your book. You know those calls, they just go on and on, and you can't interact with them. And they come back, even if you hang up. :-)
ReplyDeleteLOL I loved this!!! So glad I don't do most of them...:) And yes another way is to beg everyone you know to read your WIP and then get mad when they don't love it. :)
ReplyDeleteThat would be like some young moms who talk about their kids nonstop?
ReplyDeleteI suspect this is one of the reasons writers are known as introverts--they prefer to be at home alone with their characters for company. Being out in the company of non-writers and being expected to make conversation is unbearably stressful. :D
Funny:) The thing is, lots of non-writers do plenty of annoying things too...I think it's more about being human than beign a writer;)
ReplyDeletethat was a riot! most of my writer friends are very cool - but i do have one that is completely obnoxious. here on the blogs it's hard to tell what kind of real life personality they have, but most i've met match their friendly, down-to-earth online persona. i think the movies give writers a bad impression! so not prima donnas!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giggle, Rachna. I may not correct people out loud, but I do correct them in my head. I can't help it, lol.
ReplyDeleteHi Friends, I am glad that you all enjoyed this post. Many people have a horrible opinion of writers, which is sad, as most of the writers I know are simple, helpful and just adorable!
ReplyDeleteCorrecting people’s grammar and sentences is the biggest put off for me.
ReplyDeleteI wonder why they have to "show" that they know everything.
This was fun! I suspect some of us might do that in our heads occasionally, lol. Like Lynda, I often revise the grammar in my head. When listening to a speaker, I sometimes think of ways to tighten the message. I guess it comes with the territory. :)
ReplyDeleteThat is a sad view of writers. I don't do any of those things either. Actually, I purposefully don't bring up my stories and writing to family and friends because I know they won't care. And I don't correct people because I sometimes need correcting. :P
ReplyDeleteYour post was really funny though. And I enjoyed reading the comments.
That is a sad view of writers. I don't do any of those things either. Actually, I purposefully don't bring up my stories and writing to family and friends because I know they won't care. And I don't correct people because I sometimes need correcting. :P
ReplyDeleteYour post was really funny though. And I enjoyed reading the comments.
That's kind of funny, but a little true. I know quite a few writers who constantly push their books. You have to market, but you also have to know when enough is enough.
ReplyDeleteI thought that was a great read indeed!
ReplyDeleteA very funny read, but it's sad your friend has that view of writers. I'm sure there are arrogant people who look down on others, but those traits definitely can apply to people of all professions and backgrounds, not just writers. We can go a little crazy in sharing our ideas/stories/characters/etc. sometimes, though. That's the danger of living in other worlds sometimes. :)
ReplyDeleteWhile this isn't a hard and fast rule, I've found most true writers don't talk about our stories. We aren't writing to impress others--we're writing because we feel compelled to write. It's something that comes from within us and it's deeply personal. Talking about it just feels uncomfortable because we have that connection between us and the page. But I have known successful writers who do love to tell the world about the next great book they're writing...they usually spend more time going to conferences and get-togethers than writing, but they have talent so when they DO write, it does well.
ReplyDeleteMost writers I meet have been wonderful. I've only met a few who've rubbed me the wrong way: novices who don't know what they're talking about, the ones who want big favors, the ones who are always trying to sell their book, and a few seasoned ones who've been arrogant.
ReplyDeleteHa ha, most writers do have a weak spot called the ego.
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed the blogging world writers that I have met and interacted with, but I have had that experience in rl--some writers tend to be exclusive and wear me out with their tips. I just let them talk...
ReplyDelete