I was being nice, I didn't say stupid things people say t writers. No matter you're genre, we all get it. So what's the worst you've all heard?
"So what is your favourite ship?" "A ship? I don't know much of naval-" "No, couples. Dating. Relationships. Sex!" Deep sigh. Or something to that extent. As if writing must inevitable contain love and whatnot.
My other favorite: "Oh, what do you write about?" "I don't know, Paul. People and things, usually. But, sometimes, I write about other people doing different things."
I don't tell friends or family that I write. My sister didn't know I was a writer until I sent her copes of a book I dedicated to her. There is no point in it, IMO/IME. People don't know how to respond, so you get a number of awkward questions and a vague "I'll have to read one of your books sometime".
I don't know how you find the time. Usually followed with that judgy look. No one asks my hubs how he fits other activities in with his commitments. Closely followed by, I'd like to write a book, but a proper one. Sigh.
I wanna write a book too!!!!! Ooh that's cool, what ideas do you have? I dunno, I just know I'm gonna write a book someday.
Mine let's about what is said and more like the reaction I get every time, every time Me "I write novels" Person "Ohhh, that's wonderful. So, what genre do you write? I love [insert one of those authors who writes books really geared to grocery shopping mom and dads you know those books]" Me "Well I actually write Speculative Fiction, I like blending genres together. But if I was going to go with a specific genre it would crime fiction or horror fiction" Person "You write horror" Me -big smile- "Yes. I really love a good deep psychological horror as well. I like diving into minds and other interesting things, rather than gore and mayhem" -I don't get a response. Just The Look. The look you always get when you tell people you write horror novels. The look like I got lad or gal locked in my boot of the car right now screaming for their life while me and this individual are sipping coffee. Or I got someone in a basement somewhere- What is it with people and giving me a look like I am the freak because I write horror
"What you write glorifies death." Person: So what do you write? Me: Sci-fi, and a General Fiction. Person: So what are writing now? Me: Aliens, space, you know, stuff. Person: (Walks away a bit at a loss and confused.)
I have one for you; "Your writing paints a negative viewpoint of those with mental health" "Well considering I have mental health issues as well and my novels are written from the experiences of friends I know or people I meet in my groups, I'm going to agree to disagree" "Can't you write something more positive about mental health? It's not that hard. You're just not looking at your own conditions positive enough and that will change your perspectives of your writing" "Right, the next time I have a negative episode I'll remind myself to make suicidal ideation positive," "You're just not trying hard enough" "Thank you this was a nice conversation we had" -I walked off because I was not going to have the rainbow, unicorn conversation for the fifthyth time-
I feel like there must be a word missing... I mean, mental health is positive thing, right? Do they mean you should be positive about someone's LACK of mental health?
Yeah, well that was half of what they said to me. Granted people die in horrible ways in a war setting. It is not like every single scene is just a mindless horde of giddy blood hungry kill squads mowing people down with a smile. Some people like to jump to conclusions on things they have no idea about on the whole.
Most of my novels are about the way the conditions affect them and the failure of society to provide adequate resources for them. Few of them are serial killers. And because I have paranoid schizophrenia a lot of my psychological horror is less about killers or disorders killing people, but the nightmares these conditions cause their suffers. The demons and ghost are the disorder itself. It's a bit like the criticism Split had for portraying all people with borderline personality as raging homicidal maniacs. And can't seem to associate that just that particular person was a killer and happened to have borderline personality disorder. And that the movie is not saying all people with this condition are murders.
Okay, but what I was saying is that mental HEALTH is a good thing. It's the lack of mental health that's a problem. Like, paranoid schizophrenia isn't mental health, it's a LACK of mental health. Do we no longer say mental illness?
Oh yes, in this case it was meant to be used in the terms of mental illness. What they meant was I portrayed mental illness negatively. But they used the word mental health. I did not.
"You should write my idea! [Very stock and overdone concept with no interesting details.]" That's okay, thanks. I actually tend to write to get my own ideas out
"Really? Can I read one of your stories? Oh, that's pretty short, isn't it?" <reads a flash piece> "That's, uh, nice. Um, thanks..." <calls Social Services>