Jekyll and Hyde

Welcome to wwwblogs. Today we’re going to be discussing the art of smiling and “stabbing” with the knife of indifference.
We’ve talked about how we must maintain an upbeat public appearance. It’s very important to maintain a façade when in public, no matter how badly we feel. I can’t count the number of times when locals have run into me when I’ve been running errands and carried on conversations about things I really don’t care about but I smile and nod, while in my head I’m creating a new scene I’ve been struggling with for days and wishing this person would just leave me alone so I can jot down notes and not forget the important parts.
This is where we as authors must become Jekyll and Hyde. Our evil twin is tormenting us to strike out, tell that person to get lost, or that they’re an idiot. Those words are bubbling up to our lips; the temptation to release them is nearly too strong to resist, especially if the scene we’re putting together in our head is pivotal and we’ve been sweating it for weeks. Yet, another little voice, one so small we almost don’t hear it is saying, “No. Don’t do it. Remember your public persona.”
Uh, yeah, I’ve told that little voice to get lost many times but it always hangs around, keeping me from making what could be a career ending comment.
Why do I do this?
Because the day I moved from writer seeking my first contract to published author, I realized that I was no longer what I craved most—an anonymous person in the crowd that no one would bother. I had become public property when I was outside my safe office and there was nothing I could do about that. My personal life was often fodder of conversations: “Does she say potato or puh-tato.” “She writes such beautiful books, but I bet she doesn’t have time to clean her house or go to her kids’ school events.” “Wish I could be her, touch her, live her life for just one day.”
First of all, the who potato puh-tato thing isn’t real as far as I’m concerned. Just to let you know, I adore potatoes, puh-tatoes. Any kind. My favorite version is baked, dripping with butter, sour cream, and chives (yes, I know, bad for the health but it’s one of my few vices and I don’t indulge often.).
Next, my house never suffers for my writing. Oh, I know. People will wonder how I do it, or did it when my children were in school. Let’s just say there was a lot of housecleaning going on before they left for school and after they went to bed. I’ve often been accused of being a multi-tasker. I am, proudly, and I’ve honed a certain schedule over the years, where I can take a break from writing to switch laundry loads and fold the newly dried one, or start a meal (have to adore crock pot cooking!), or even help a child with their homework.
Finally, my life is utterly boring. Seriously. Most people would be very much disillusioned to discover that little fact but it’s the truth. I don’t wine and dine with celebrities (Sam Elliott, Tom Selleck, and Mark Harmon are at the top of my list to meet and talk to—and they don’t even know that!). I am as ordinary as any other person, except my office is a small room in my house and I don’t have a set start and stop time for working.
Here is where the Jekyll and Hyde thing is most evident. I am an ordinary human being. Except that I’ve been interviewed in podcasts and on television. My books are available internationally, and I am an author who writes stories I make up in my head. Not a lot of people can do that well and stay sane, but I’m managing.
So, as authors, remember to leave Dr. Jekyll in the public view and keep Mr. Hyde hidden until you need him to appear to deal with a particularly difficult character in your book.




About K.C. Sprayberry


Born and raised in Southern California’s Los Angeles basin, K.C. Sprayberry spent years traveling the United States and Europe while in the Air Force before settling in northwest Georgia. A new empty nester with her husband of more than twenty years, she spends her days figuring out new ways to torment her characters and coming up with innovative tales from the South and beyond.
She’s a multi-genre author who comes up with ideas from the strangest sources. Those who know her best will tell you that nothing is safe or sacred when she is observing real life. In fact, she considers any situation she witnesses as fair game when plotting a new story.
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