And you know exactly what I mean by that. One second you're putting on your sunglasses and backing out of the driveway. The next, you're pulling into work without any recollection how you got there--or if you even drove. Your daughter is no longer in the back seat. You wonder if you dropped her off at school, or if she was ever in the backseat to begin with. The only thing you know for sure is that you figured out that snag in your plot. The one you've been losing sleep over. In that moment, your delight overwhelms any embarrassment or shame you should feel about minding speed limits, stopping at red lights, or transporting your daughter to a safe place.
You turn off the car, grab the keys, and walk in the building as if you're a normal person. You wish, sucka! You're not normal. You're a writer. Welcome.
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It's even better if you're talking it out, running the dialogue in your head, and waving your arms around as you talk to the imaginary people. Then you can look like a lunatic, while having no idea of what you're doing in "the real world."
ReplyDeleteI've never done that while driving (that I'm aware of anyway). Did do it in the bathroom at work once. Did get caught. Try explaining that one to whoever's laughing in the neighboring stall...At least when you're driving, you could be listening to music. Kind of nerdy, but within the standards of 'normal.' Talking to yourself on the toilet is just creepy. But the dialogue was brilliant...
ReplyDeleteThis is so true! So many times I'm lost in daydreams and I don't notice the traffic light changing.
ReplyDeleteI love this last part "and walk in the building as if you're a normal person".
It's great not being "normal", isn't it?
Oh, yes, I've done that before. In fact, I've done it so much that I got concerned about it (if I don't remember, how do I know if I ran that red light?) that I looked it up. Turns out, there are plenty of people who have the autopilot syndrome. And, luckily for all of us, we actually drive safer on autopilot than when we remember every scrap of what we've been doing.
ReplyDeleteSo plot on.
I do this all the time, but are you kidding me? I plot and work all the time. Sometimes I've found myself already to the end of someone's intestines, while my head fills with storyline, and I wonder, "How long was I gone for?" Lol. Don't worry, no body parts were harmed in my hands. You say people like us are crazy, perhaps a danger to all those around us, but I say that people like us are gifted.
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