Reader Friday: Are You Daft?

“The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they’re okay, then it’s you.” – Rita Mae Brown

So, writer, do you ever feel a bit “different” around “normal” friends and relatives? 

17 thoughts on “Reader Friday: Are You Daft?

  1. Well, now, I suppose you’d need define “daft” to get a clear answer here. And as well, to define “normal” don’tcha know.

    This is Gnillii, filling for my brother Fillii, who would normally be filling in for Basil (who is deep in narrating audiobooks for a project of a famous SciFi writer’s old backlist and Fillii himself being off on a charity fund-raising venture somewhere in a place called Bagnaddashibooglibooistan or something like that).

    Daftiness is a very subjective place to consider. Much like draftiness, note the ‘r’, as there are some who prefer to have a room be still and warm and find comfort in sweaty stagnation of the air about them, while others like all of us here in Basilistan prefer fresh breeziness and cool air exchange on an hourly basis or less.

    Are we writers daft. Well maybe. Are we stupid? Well, there is a distinct probability among some, less for others.

    Are we toast?

    Well then, are you referring to plain old-traditional wheat bread or a nice multi-seed thingamachigee?

    Daft, Different, Normal, Sane…
    all in the eye of the beholder.

  2. Yeah, I think that’s a given. We spend all our time making up these pretend worlds and mentally living in them. I remember someone once saying “Everyone is nuts, but not everyone needs a strait jacket.” It’s just a matter of making your “daftness” work for you. My friends (not the imaginary ones I spend my work time with) all agree I’m a little nuts, but they respect my way with words. One once said if we were a primitive tribe, I’d be the shaman, because words are magic.

  3. All creative people appear to b fruit loops to their families- I accept my unique madness – badge of honour – the sheep may be able to hide but I cannot – even when I desperately want to

  4. Why should I feel different around others? I subscribed to a motto long ago,made popular by a Mad magazine.
    “What me worry?”
    Who in this craft of writing fiction, wants to be sane?

  5. Jim–
    Let’s be bold here: writers are among the sanest people on the planet. Whose fault is that, because they must live among lesser beings, writers can from time to time be a little testy?

  6. Jim, all I know is I seem happiest around other writer’s. When I speak to normal folks I am around out in the world and tell them something, they automatically look at me questioning. My granddaughter always said You made that up didn’t you? One thing about it though my sister only ask once. She always expects a plain answer, and cannot understand why I only shave on Saturdays.

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