“I hear voices in my head.”
This claim almost seems a badge of pride for some writers. I’ll admit, I’ve said it quite often myself, because it’s actually how I go about forming a lot of the dialog I write. I hear the characters speaking (or yelling, or whispering) to each other in my head and I let them banter back and forth and see if they actually say anything interesting and worth writing down. Writers also seem to enjoy being labeled as “crazy,” as many equate this as being “unique.” There’s a bit of a difference between those two terms, and I think they get muddled in the pursuit of originality. But does the stereotype of a mad artist, whether writer, painter, architect, etc. have any basis in reality?
This online paper touches on a few points of interest as far as being a creative individual and the actual presence or threat of developing mental illness. Among my favorite quotes is this one:
“Highly creative “normals” also tend towards over-inclusive or “allusive” thinking and…demonstrate a capacity to conceive and utilize two or more opposite or contradictory ideas or concepts simultaneously, without being disturbed by this simultaneity of opposition, as is also the case with schizophrenics. It seems that creative individuals, like schizophrenics, are subject to a widening of selective attention, which makes them more aware of and receptive to experience, with more intensive sampling of environmental stimuli.”
Think of that quote in light of writing a story from several different character point of views, or trying to get into the minds of both the pro- and antagonist. Are we driving ourselves crazy, people? One of these days, someone’s split personality is going to sue the dominant personality for defamation as the split personality was used as inspiration for a villainous character in a book. Ah, well…so long as we’re enjoying ourselves, it should turn out all right. Right, self? Right. Good.
Oh, and while we’re on the topic of craziness, check out these photos of a rather insane (in a good way) street artist. His work shows the value of having the right perspective on life. I know, groan away.
I see that smile.