Talking to Yourself

It’s not just for crazy people. Some of us have been doing it all our lives. I’ve had lengthy discussions with various imaginary characters, inanimate objects, pets and food. Yes, they talk back. When I write, my characters tell me their stories, criticize my word choices, and ask me if I’m going to hog all of those dates for myself.

In return, I learn more about my characters by listening to them talk than by any other method. I hear their dialogue as I write it. It’s important to me to know the tone of their voice, their cadence, how they choose their words, and their accent. Once, I wrote a mute character and I listened to his thoughts instead of his voice. Oddly enough, he sounded a lot like me.

When I was young and I’d play board games by myself, each of the playing pieces or game components had personalities, quirks, and characteristics that guided their decisions and actions. Certain domino’s were more friendly than others. (I’m still not speaking to double 6.)

I don’t think I’m alone in this. As I understand it, some other writers indulge in a similar pastime. I asked the troll who lives under the stairs near the trapdoor to my subconscious what he thought. He took a long sip of tea before assuring me that this is completely normal. Of course, trolls are extraordinarily sarcastic, so that may not prove anything.I really shouldn’t put too much stock in his opinion. He also wears ear socks, plays with a rubber lizard and talks to himself. Some people are just plain crazy.