It Takes a Crazy Person

Pop quiz: You have to be crazy to be truly artistic and/or creative. (T/F)

It's something I've been thinking about lately. When I was growing up back in the Stone Ages *cough* I mean, in the 80s, that was somewhat the prevailing view.

The truly creative, artistic people were all total nutjobs. Some writers even went so far as to cultivate a crazy persona to be taken more seriously. Remember this post?

Why am I thinking about this? Two reasons. First (and most importantly), I'm trying to rationalize my own nutty behavior as of late. It's all that latent creativity coming out. (Right?)

But also, thanks to Nathan Bransford, I watched Stephenie Meyer on Oprah, and she's just the most normal-seeming person on the planet. Jo Rowling, too.

These ladies don't seem crazy, but they've each created something that everyone loves. Perhaps you would argue that their books aren't particularly original or creative. Or artistic.

In the case of Twilight, I can see much borrowing from the classics. But in the case of Rowling the same can be said. She reimagined many old hero stories and myths--the Alchemist's stone? I think both ladies are great writers and demonstrate much creativity. Yet they're both just average, stay-at-home moms.

So what's the verdict? True or false?

I know, crazy is a charged term. I hesitate to describe anyone, myself included, that way. But there is something different.

Maybe it's more a matter of learning to let go. Losing a grip on self-discipline, schedule keeping, fitness regimines, keeping up with family events, the appearance of actually listening when someone's talking to you...

I guess the way most writers act when they're chasing down an idea does make them appear somewhat crazy. Or air-headed--fer sure--a bit like those absent-minded professors.

Artists can be the same way. Musicians just hum a lot and tap on everything.

I'm going to answer False, but I think the appearance would lead the uninitiated to say True. You?

Just some fun before I head back into the revisions cave--here I go again. Have a great week, reader- and writer-friends. Til Thursday~ <3

Making the sausage

Over the weekend, one of my good bleeps was debating her author photographs on Facebook, and it got me thinking about how the Information Age is eliminating the distance between readers and writers.

We live in a time when readers can find out everything about their favorite authors. Where they get their ideas, how long it took them to write their books, how many times they were rejected, the plot-choices they made during revisions, the music they listened to while writing. Even mundane stuff like where they live, their favorite ice cream, the brand of laundry detergent they prefer. We can read their blog posts and tweets...

And I wondered (again) if all this knowledge kills the author's power.

(I've wondered this before with regard to my own blogging. I haven't cultivated a persona, and I've considered whether my silly, southern-girl self might influence how seriously my books are received.)

It's the whole thing about not seeing how the sausage is made. Like, take Stephen King for example. I normally don't read his books because they scare me.

And in the past, my imagination of what he was like (based solely on his author photo) really boosted that sense of creepiness for me.

I don't mean to be rude, but I think his unique appearance fits perfectly with the subject matter of his novels. Creepy person = creepy books, right?

Then he started writing a column in Entertainment Weekly about all his favorite movies, music, and books and why he liked them. And many of them were just so regular and not creepy at all. Then I read On Writing and got all his thoughts on the craft and his approach to writing books...

Now I wonder if I'd be as frightened reading one of his novels as I used to be. Or if I'd approach it as "Oh, this one's by that fellow in Maine, who's just like (insert favorite uncle). He's not so scary."

On the other hand, a response I've been hearing lately from my local friends when they read one of my books is, "(As I read) I completely forgot you wrote this." Or, "It's so weird to think you write these books."

So I don't know. Maybe it doesn't matter how well your audience knows you...

What do you guys think? Is the Information Age killing the author-mystique? Does it matter if an author cultivates a particular persona?

Try it this way: Would you have read Twilight differently if Stephenie Meyer behaved more like Anne Rice than just an average, middle-class Brigham-Young grad? 

Did knowing her background and religious views influence your perception of the story?

Have a great week, reader-friends! Until Thursday~ <3