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Blogs by Melva J Henderson
The voices in my head . . . 10/31/2017 10:46:17 AM
When asked what I do, implying the question of what I do for a living, I usually receive a blank stare when I tell them that I write. Not that I actually make a living from my writing, considering that sales are normally not all that great for a self published writer lacking the penchant for promoting themselves and the product they produce. A writer is generally seen as strange, I suppose, someone who never outgrew the imaginary friends of childhood, whether they had imaginary friends or not. It’s true that as I write I hear my character’s voice in my head as the characters take over and write their own story. But I never answer the voices, so I assume I couldn’t be considered insane per se; I’m merely the implement for the achievement of putting my characters’ existence into words. I don’t know whether all writers are subjected to audible illusions produced by their characters, but I suspect that most, if they are honest, would probably admit to the experience. Maybe we are a peculiar breed at that as we allow the various personalities in our heads to move their stories along! The characters residing in our heads only become a nuisance when their voices keep us awake at night to the point that we end up getting out of bed to bring their words into existence through the use of pen and paper, or the click and clack of a keyboard. Small wonder my mother was convinced I was nuts when I was small and she caught me singing to the birds in the trees. I was merely practicing the art of listening to the voices of nature, the songs of birds and the conversations of barking squirrels from those same trees. I never made the acquaintance of imaginary friends as a child. I suppose I was too busy making friends with the things in nature. Maybe that does make me an odd duck, but I dare say I’m probably not as alone as I’ve always felt I was because of it.
