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!
