I Can Explain...

Wednesday, July 13, 2011 - Posted by Shelley Sly at Wednesday, July 13, 2011

If you visited me, and you got nosy enough, you might read the bulletin board that hangs above my computer desk. And you'd probably mildly amused for the most part.

Here are some things you might see: addresses of friends and family members, letters and cards from friends, business cards of doctors and hairstylists and other professionals, a few inspirational quotes... and a weird handwritten list.

It looks something like this:

dork
geek
nerd
loser
jerk
idiot
fool
doofus
butthead

And you'd probably raise an eyebrow (if you can raise only one eyebrow, which I can't) and make an excuse to leave.

But wait, I can explain! I'm a writer!

See, when I first started writing for children after completing two adult novels, the insults on the tip of my tongue weren't kid friendly, so I had to find some cleaner alternatives. Since my main character was going to be an eleven-year-old boy (a demographic I know quite well from working in elementary schools), I knew this kid wasn't exactly going to call his friends "silly" or "funny." No. Boys this age are quick to make fun of each other. So I did some research.

Now that I'm pretty firmly planted in the middle grade genre (for now), I need that list handy on my bulletin board. Because kids -- real and fictional -- are mean... and sometimes funny. (My personal favorites are geek and nerd, because I am both.)

What kinds of things in your life might seem strange to someone, especially someone who isn't a writer, but you could explain away by saying, "I'm a writer!" Do you collect something? Keep a list or log of anything? Find pictures of people who look like your characters and save them on your hard drive? (Guilty...) Do share!

Labels: children's books, middle grade, non-writers, quirks

16 stories from friends:

Love it! I haven't printed mine out, but I have a couple of lists of Victorian words for my steampunk. One is of curse words, one of put down names like yours, one of criminal slang. One of my faves is that a prostitute at the time was often called a dolly-mop :)

Jemi Fraser on July 13, 2011 7:22 PM

I have a journal of ideas, things I hear, see, or think of that may one day show up in a book, but other than that, no lists as of yet ...

Joanne on July 13, 2011 8:15 PM

I talk to myself and often respond as various characters. I cry for seemingly no reason when mentally drafting an emotional scene. I have a picture of my muse hanging above my desk. I refer to my characters as though they are real people. (I maintain, who's to say they aren't? Hm? HM?)

Oh. I'll also drift off when an idea oc-

*drifting*

E. Elle on July 13, 2011 8:53 PM

I take quote notes - if I hear someone say something goofy, I enter it on my blackberry notepad so I can use it later in a wip.

Michelle Teacress on July 13, 2011 9:49 PM

I write down kids names from rosters. When I subbed at schools, I'd find some interesting names, so I wrote them down.

Miranda Hardy on July 14, 2011 7:14 AM

What people find weird about me is how reclusive I can be. They ask me, "What do you do all day?" I feel awkward saying I'm a writer because they immediately want to know what book I have out. Except I'm don't have one out yet. So they say, "Ahh," and nod their heads but I can almost hear them thinking 'loser'.

Shellie on July 14, 2011 8:22 AM

I second Shellie; I definitely feel the weight of hermitude when people ask what I've been up to. I also have a bag of gemstones, a deck of tarot cards, and cards of aromatherapy and herbal properties I got from a magazine years ago on the off-chance any of the above will inspire an idea. Makes me look like a damn hippy, but if I ever need to write about a psychic or include some herblore in a fantasy, I am good to go.

Sophia Richardson on July 14, 2011 9:21 AM

ooh. I'm totally jealous of your handy-dandy MG slang list. I need to make one for YA Fantasy

Sarah Ahiers (Falen) on July 14, 2011 12:33 PM

That sounds like a great list to have.

The strangest looks I've gotten from non-writers come from having to explain that I can't write when I don't hear the right voices in my head.

:-D

Misha on July 15, 2011 8:43 AM

I have an odd sleeping pattern since I like to write late at night or early in the morning.

So far I don't keep any lists.

Medeia Sharif on July 18, 2011 3:09 AM

Yeah; kid speak these days clashes with my 80's childhood. Weird. And when we use the same lingo, it is so contextually different.

Love the idea of your list. I think I need to consider this :)

........dhole

Donna Hole on July 18, 2011 4:39 AM

Oh yeah, I have pictures of my characters and places from my stories. While working on Syzygy I had clippings from science magazines and catalogues with cool stuff my character Finn would be interested in.

Then there are the sticky notes on the kitchen cupboards (because I think of things while cooking) that say things like, "Rick's song at the Orc bar" and "Too much in her head- modify."

I'm either insane or a writer. ;)

Amanda Borenstadt on July 18, 2011 7:07 PM

You must be onto something because there's the series The Dork Diaries. Yes, kids can be mean. Silly and funny ain't their language.

I've had scraps of paper with strange things next to me - mostly words and their definitions. If it was a term I didn't want to forget, that I thought I'd use later, I wrote it down.

We writers all have our odd methods.

Theresa Milstein on July 19, 2011 9:19 AM

Umm, recent research into romance novels featuring centaurs. Then I had to buy one. Research for a shiny, new idea.

I collect photos, too, and keep them in a folder 'potential characters'.

M Pax on July 19, 2011 6:22 PM

My Google searches. There are times I pray no one ever sees them.

I have been known to save pictures of characters, though it's often hard for me to find the *right* ones. :)

But really, I think my Google searches take the cake.

Melody on July 23, 2011 11:17 AM

Thank you all so much for your comments! I enjoyed reading what you all had to say and learning about the various writerly things you guys do! Please forgive me for not responding personally (and responding so late) but I do appreciate that you took the time to comment!

Shelley Sly on July 27, 2011 1:41 PM