The Doctor Who Couldn't Find His Brain

I figure not everyone would want to see an image of a brain, 

so here's the idea instead.

Someone told me that since I’m a writer, all of my posts should be advice for other authors. Who am I to give advice? I can write about what works (or doesn’t) for me, but I’m no expert.

This blog is for readers, too, so sometimes I might write about the funnier side of things, or vent a little about things that annoy me, like political correctness. I try to relate everything to writing, but in all honesty, sometimes I’m fudging.

Sometime back I wrote about a friend who was diagnosed with a brain tumor, not a funny thing. However, two things she told me stuck with me and I’m recreating them from an earlier post.

The first was that when the doctor told her about the tumor, she started to laugh. He told her it wasn’t funny, and she kept laughing. It was a reaction. We don’t always react the way people think we should. Okay, keep that in mind when creating situations in books.

The other story she told me cracked me up. The neurosurgeon who would do the surgery wanted to show her the logistics, using an artificial brain. He said he didn’t like the one in the exam room and he’d bring in his own artificial brain. The next thing she knew, he was out in the hallway, upset and saying, “Who took my brain? Where’s my brain? Would someone please return my brain?”

I don’t know if he was trying to lighten the mood or if he was serious, but my friend cracked up.

That’s not the end of the story.

The doctor finally gave up and returned to the exam room to use the artificial brain he didn’t like to show her what was what. He picked it up and the parts started falling off. While he talked, he calmly reached down and replaced the fallen parts of the brain.

Funny stuff.

Another repeat story is about a friend who writes romance novels. Many years ago she wrote her first book, a contemporary romance, and she’s quite talented. Unfortunately, when she submitted it the publisher told her she had to include sex scenes in a contemporary romance story. My friend was an older woman and maybe a bit straight-laced. However, she was determined to give it a shot.

She was well into a sex scene when she realized that her fingers were flying on the keyboard, but she was looking out the window, across the room and in the air. She couldn’t look at what she was typing. Her arms were extended and she was sitting as far away from the keyboard as possible.

I couldn’t help picturing this in my mind and it struck me funny. I don’t know if she appreciated me laughing or not, but she told the story so well.

She scrapped the book and went on to write some Regency romances in which she didn’t have to include sex. This was several years ago, and she’s moved on. She can now write about sex without looking away.

So are you wondering why I told these two stories? To entertain you. That’s it. Maybe you don’t find them to be funny, but they cracked me up.

What do these stories have to do with writing? Not much, except they’re a reminder that anything that happens in life can happen in a book, too. Of course, there will always be a reader who will say, “Pooh! That’s not believable.” Sure it is. Life can sometimes be much stranger than fiction.

My advice for this week? Don’t overthink what you read or what you write. You can drive yourself nuts with rewriting sometimes. Believe me, I know from experience.

Until next time, think of some of the funnier things that have happened in your life. They help offset the not so funny times.

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Remember, books make great Christmas gifts, and it’s that time of year. Make someone happy!