Living with a writer is hard. I know this because I've lived with myself for twenty-eight years, and trust me when I say, I'm not easy to live with. Ask my husband. We both consider ourselves experts on the subject. I'm difficult to live with despite the fact that I'm a writer...and the fact that I am has only managed to complicate things.
The complications don't come from my words or my work. They come from within, because when I write I becomesomeone something different.
Most of the time, I transform into a temperamental and pissed-off badger (my husband's description, not mine), hell-bent on getting a story down on paper and not caring who I hurt to make it happen. Once transformed, even a sneeze can provoke a particularly evil version of the stink-eye and annoyed little huffs and sighs. And no, this badger doesn't want to hear about a particularly cool part of your video game or that the cats just did something incredibly cute. To put it simply, when I write, I'm usually a bitch.
But sometimes...sometimes I transform into something a little different. Sometimes, I become needy, helpless. Sometimes I want you to speak, to edit my work, to provide me inspiration. And don't you dare look back at your video game until you've given me what I need...or else the badger will return. Yes, that's a threat.
I feel sorry for my husband. Even as I write this, he has withdrawn to his respective corner of the couch, as far away from me as possible, careful not to move too much in one direction or the other, lest he should disturb the beast. As self-aware as I am about my problem, I can't do much to stop it. I know what a bitch I can be, but when I'm writing, it's like I can't control it. Just call me Ms. Hyde, I guess.
And Jeremy puts up with it all! He not only puts up with it but is the most supportive and wonderful husband I could ask for. I'm one lucky badger. He deals with my crap, supports my writing in countless ways, and is a continued source of inspiration. Just this morning, he helped me with a writing prompt.
Now, I haven't technically participated in this prompt, so I'm not linking up, BUT it did inspire this post, so I'm grateful to Write on Edge for such a fun writing exercise. I encourage you to check out this community if you haven't already. It's filled with talented and probably less-temperamental writers who will dazzle you with their words.
This week's RemembeRED memoir assignment was to write a Title and Tagline that captures your life. On our way to get breakfast this morning, I told Jeremy about the assignment, asked him what he thought. As usual, he provided me with interesting feedback.
"The title should be: 'Jeremy and Katie Go To Waffle House.'"
I laughed. It was not quite what I had in mind. "No, I think you're missing the point. It's not supposed to be a title of what I'm doing right now. It should be representative of my entire life."
"Actually, I think that title is a perfect microcosm of your life and our lives together. We get along. We fight a little, and in the end, there's a always food." Ah, there's the tagline. The guy never misses a beat.
The funny thing is I actually considered using that title and tagline for the linkup. In fact, I agree with him that it does pretty much sum up our lives. Of course, it also makes us sound incredibly boring. Trips to Waffle House aren't exactly something that set us apart from everyone else. What does set us apart is the fact that I sometimes transform into a badger and that Jeremy usually lives through it, and really, what more could you ask for in life?
Are you a temperamental writer? Do you "transform" when you write?
The complications don't come from my words or my work. They come from within, because when I write I become
Most of the time, I transform into a temperamental and pissed-off badger (my husband's description, not mine), hell-bent on getting a story down on paper and not caring who I hurt to make it happen. Once transformed, even a sneeze can provoke a particularly evil version of the stink-eye and annoyed little huffs and sighs. And no, this badger doesn't want to hear about a particularly cool part of your video game or that the cats just did something incredibly cute. To put it simply, when I write, I'm usually a bitch.
 |
| Cute but deadly. |
I feel sorry for my husband. Even as I write this, he has withdrawn to his respective corner of the couch, as far away from me as possible, careful not to move too much in one direction or the other, lest he should disturb the beast. As self-aware as I am about my problem, I can't do much to stop it. I know what a bitch I can be, but when I'm writing, it's like I can't control it. Just call me Ms. Hyde, I guess.
And Jeremy puts up with it all! He not only puts up with it but is the most supportive and wonderful husband I could ask for. I'm one lucky badger. He deals with my crap, supports my writing in countless ways, and is a continued source of inspiration. Just this morning, he helped me with a writing prompt.
Now, I haven't technically participated in this prompt, so I'm not linking up, BUT it did inspire this post, so I'm grateful to Write on Edge for such a fun writing exercise. I encourage you to check out this community if you haven't already. It's filled with talented and probably less-temperamental writers who will dazzle you with their words.
This week's RemembeRED memoir assignment was to write a Title and Tagline that captures your life. On our way to get breakfast this morning, I told Jeremy about the assignment, asked him what he thought. As usual, he provided me with interesting feedback.
"The title should be: 'Jeremy and Katie Go To Waffle House.'"
I laughed. It was not quite what I had in mind. "No, I think you're missing the point. It's not supposed to be a title of what I'm doing right now. It should be representative of my entire life."
"Actually, I think that title is a perfect microcosm of your life and our lives together. We get along. We fight a little, and in the end, there's a always food." Ah, there's the tagline. The guy never misses a beat.
The funny thing is I actually considered using that title and tagline for the linkup. In fact, I agree with him that it does pretty much sum up our lives. Of course, it also makes us sound incredibly boring. Trips to Waffle House aren't exactly something that set us apart from everyone else. What does set us apart is the fact that I sometimes transform into a badger and that Jeremy usually lives through it, and really, what more could you ask for in life?
Are you a temperamental writer? Do you "transform" when you write?
