I really believe there’s something to the saying that writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia. I’m thinking it’s much more like having multiple personality disorder myself. When your mind goes into that creative space you cease to exist, just like when you read, and something else takes over.

I keep a note book with me when I’m not at home for taking notes. I’ve done this since I started writing. I have ideas that get jotted down on paper to be transcribed later. Sometimes it’s just a line or two. Other times a whole scene will hit me. Today on my lunch I wrote two steno pad pages, front and back, of notes about my current WIP (work in progress). It’s crazy and kind of disjointed, which is normal for me. There is no rhyme or reason to my notes. I just write what I’m thinking. I think this says a lot about my thought process. It’s scattered!

I had someone suggest that I let a helper type up my notes for me. No, this would never work. Here’s why. First, I have very nice handwriting until I start making book notes. It doesn’t even look like I wrote them! Why does my hand writing change when I’m in the zone? Maybe a second grade teacher could make it out but I don’t have any of those hanging around.

Second, I’ll be writing dialog and suddenly go off into my thoughts about the whys, wheres, and what-ifs of the story. I talk to myself about how the character feels about what happening to them. Then without my knowledge (really I don’t remember writing this crap.) I’ll add personal pats on the back. (Hell yeah! That was awesome!) True story. How would someone else know what was part of the story and what was my personal feeling on the ideas? They wouldn’t. But they would very soon believe me to be insane.

Looking at my notes hours or days after they’re written, when I’m not in that crazy creative mental space, is like reading love notes from a serial killer or maybe Mrs. Hyde left Dr. Jekyll notes about his escapades. Yup. It believe there is a serious mental disconnect when creative people go to “that place” no one else can see. I like it there. I think I’ll go there now.