Inside the mind of a writer.

 I realize I've already written a post today, but this is on my mind right now and I'm sure plenty of you readers can relate to this topic. If you're a writer or even an avid reader, you know what it's like to live in that fantasy world. An alternate reality more than a fantasy.

As a writer, I often find myself drifting into my character's head. I'm no longer Lindsey, I'm Philip (the narrator of my novel-in-progress). When I dwell on that, I realize how odd and scary it is. Here's this seemingly non-existent being with a mind of his own, thinking freely into my brain. Sometimes Philip likes to lock me out (I sound crazy, I know).  It's always when I really want to write that he does this. In fact, I'm locked out right now. (And I wonder why I only have 14 completed pages?) So instead, I'll write this blog entry about a writer's relationship with his/her writing. Do you think writers make up what they write about? No, they're just relaying this message that came to them.

It makes us sound crazy, but if we weren't crazy, every story would be a copy of something else. To an extent, many stories inevitably are a copy (most love stories turn out like Romeo and Juliet, etc.). But each story was given to the author on its own.

I want to say it's almost like having imaginary friends. They come in, tell you about their life and you write it down. But really it's more like having a split personality. I don't talk to Philip, I become Philip. Philip and I met Calli (another character) when looking a photograph. Philip didn't even exist yet! But the way I felt when I found that photograph is exactly how Philip felt about seeing her for the first time: Intrigued, curious. Who is she? Why is she giving me that look? And now, we've met Calli and completely understand that and more.

So to conclude my madness, I'll leave you with this. If you want to write, but you're sitting there thinking about how you have nothing worth writing and what not, stop. It's not about deciding what to write. It's about writing what reveals itself to you. One day, you'll find your Philip.