Are We Writers Insane?

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Are We Writers Insane?

Posted on August 5th, 2009 in Writing by Earl Schmegley

I had a nightmare early this morning. It was absolutely the most horrifying dream I have ever had. It was deeply personal, vicious, violent and troubling. I awoke feeling that I wished I could blank that awful nightmare from my mind.

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My next reaction was to write it down. While the dream was painful and grotesque, it was also laden with compelling imagery. If I could even come close to capturing the emotions the dream inspired in me and putting them down on paper, I would have the seed for an incredible, terrifying story.

Is this crazy?

As a writer I am always listening to people’s stories; but oftentimes I am listening with the distinct, ulterior motive of stealing their story and writing it down! Or at least borrowing a detail here and there for another story I might be working on.

5 Responses to “Are We Writers Insane?”

Popider
August 5th, 2009 at 2:01 pm

If all of our thoughts were gloriously mundane, any writer’s work would be shrouded in the depths of mediocrity and no one would stand out!

So yes, I agree- I reckon you have to be a little bit of a nutjob to write something that truly stands out

The culmination of my writing at the moment is on Megalomania, the raw ambition that man can be confounded with. Historically, megalomaniacs have been branded insane. But is ambition not the very thing that makes us human, the thing that sets us apart from primates? Is insanity an inability to suppress very human emotions in some cases? Maybe writers are more normal than the rest of mankind Or maybe I’m babbling…

Greetings in California from Scotland! hehe
Karen Gross
August 5th, 2009 at 9:49 pm

I answered YES to your question before even reading it. Someone asked me where I came up with my ideas. I said it helps to have an insane family and take notes.

I have to share a computer with 2 teenage girls and a husband. They all hate it when I get an idea and I have to write it down before I forget.
Becky Boone
August 5th, 2009 at 10:18 pm

In my opinion, a few loose screws and vivid imaginations go hand in hand. Deep emotion can be seen in the paintings of visual artists. It manifests in the work of writers and musicians. Insane or not, creative people have a certain quirkiness about them.

I am driven to come up with my most creative ideas for art and writing projects by the manic component of bipolar disorder. Unfortunately, what goes up must come down. I haven’t figured out how to channel that, yet.

You make a good point with your article.
WriteEditSeek
September 9th, 2009 at 1:03 am

OK, now I’m really curious about your nightmare. I want to read that article!

Yes, I also exploit my experiences for my writing. I think all writers do–at least the ones that are worth reading. I think if writing doesn’t have some basis in personal experience and passion, it has no value whatsoever. In other words (pun intended, lol), if a writer doesn’t have some personal interest in the subject, which is based in their experience in some way, then why would he or she care about it and, by extension, why would the reader care about it? I think writing can give purpose to a writer’s life because we are mining our life for value. Though, I think what your concern is is that we are not active participants in the experiences we are living because we are only hoping to capture them in words later on–but I think that in itself is just another way of living. My life is much richer because I am at once participant and observer in my life as a result of being a writer.

Thanks for letting me ramble. You brought up some interesting points to consider.
richard wing
October 27th, 2009 at 8:44 pm

I’m a big fan of ‘Gonzo Journalism’. All Beat writers, especially William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac. Memoir writing with some exagerations or just lay it out there as you state. The truth can be far stranger than fiction almost always. Realism…Charles Bukowsli!