So i was watching a movie called Dog Year the other night. It's about a troubled writer who adopts this abused dog who basically turns his life into a living Hell. Anyway, I went back to work (Blockbuster) and was telling my coworker about it and how I hated that the main character loved the dog but wasn't doing much to help him and about a few things Jeff Daniels did in the film. Well, it was this one comment that stuck out to me. "Well, he was a writer, right? Writers are weird people." I laughed and pondered this. Are we weird people?
I'm not sure I even know what "weird" is. Surely, to know that you'd have to have a concrete definition of "normal"? Hands up anyone with a concrete definition of "normal". Anyone? Hello? I find that, all too often, us "creative sorts" like the idea of being "weird", "odd" or "a bit wacky". We're probably all anything but. But sometimes I do feel aquamarine.
I agree with you, Jim. The "norm" according to "normal" people is what? Going about your day to day activities, having no real push to use your talents or just being robots in society? IMO, I am not weird for being who I am.
It is a valid point that assigning a concrete description to "normal" isn't really possible, but we've all come across people who are a bit more quirky than most. I proudly admit that I am one of those people. Though I'm not sure that is in any way related to me being a writer...
I think creative people share one thing, no matter what they create: If the thing is any good at all, it contains you. Parts of you, at any rate. Most folks can conceal themselves. We cannot if we expect to do what we do well. It's terrifying. We do it, anyway. Because we have no choice. Which is ... weird.
For the most part, people who exercise their creativity have a distinctly unique view of the world. So do I.
Of course I'm normal *BLATANT LIES*.... I'm extremely weird, if my hair-petting (I stroke the hair of pretty much all of my male friends), random singing (my writer mini-me and I burst in spurts of Juno songs when we get the chance), my obsession with consistency (or at least, even inconsistency), my gestures and expressions (my mini-me and I mimick each other from across the classroom, and we're rather fond of the "awkward turtle" sign) and my all-around personality is any indication. But in a good way, according to most. Of course I have redeeming, "normal" qualities. I strive for good grades, giggle over boys, HATE homework, make up hilarious inside jokes with my "band geek" friends. I just love emphasizing the weird .
I'm weird in some ways, but I'm not outrageously weird and I don't think whether I'm weird or not is linked to being a writer. As a few have pointed out, it depends what defines 'weird' and 'normal'.
I'm VERY weird. Like, several people actually tell me I'm weird. The only moment when I feel really comfortable is when I'm alone, because I can be weird and not care about what other people think. But that's not linked with being a writer in any way. I have been weird since I was a kid, long before I even thought about writing.
Weird? Perhaps. I actually have no idea. I mean as cliche as it sounds, what's normal? Though if writers are anything, they are borderline sadistic freaks. I mean most of what we do is plotting ways to make our characters lives all that more difficult. Frame them for murder, have them go up against impossible odds, kill off their entire family. Make a boy going through puberty go up to the chalkboard... We just love thinking of ways to make our characters as miserable as possible. or is that just me? Anyways. Yeah I think I am fairly weird in my own way. But whats the point in life if you are not weird?
Well, I am eccentric. I'll come up with my own plans that might not fit the "norm", for example. I can see myself as the eccentric old man in the corner who writes stories decades from now. EDIT: I concur, Unit. We are sadistic freaks to our own characters. Hey, characters? Would you care to share- Characters: YES! Now shut up and stand aside!! Link has done so much damage to us. He's burnt our homes down, killed our friends and families, he makes up all kinds of scenarios where we're undergoing so much difficulties. He's even thought up of ways to kill us for God's sake! Only to satisfy his selfish need for the dramatic! No one is safe! NO ONE!!! Hah, all right...um...thanks for the input characters, now back into the stories you go.
I've always thought that being truly "weird" would be like being truly "crazy". Y'know the saying - "true crazies don't think they're crazy". If you're sane enough to ask the question of whether or not you're crazy, then you're not. I reckon the same applies for "weird". True weirdos aren't willfully or knowingly so, they just live how they want and like what they like and assume/think it's normal. So, in actuality, if you think you're normal, you're probably a weirdo. If you think you're weird, you probably just like the idea of being weird.
I think I'm pretty normal, and so does my girlfriend, but from what pretty much ALL our friends tell us we are the perfect couple because we are both incredibly weird. I never thought so but yeah, we get it from everyone, even our parents. "We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love"
Yes. I am weird. When I was younger, all I wanted to be was normal... but recently I've come to realise the last thing I want to be is 'normal', I just want to be more like myself, and belong! Luckily there are plenty of weird people out there to belong to! I like to think everybody's absolutely batty; the people in the street are just labouring under a bourgeois facade for no reason at all, because they think they must... But weird people bring smiles to people's faces every day, so I'm not bothered, I'll just keep knitting my South Park characters and writing about exploding rubber chickens...
