(Note: This article isn't about mental health or avoiding treatment for mental illnesses. If you're sick, schedule an appointment with the appropriate doctor.)
You’re a writer, and you’re insane. I’m sure you’ve heard the clichés about writers and sanity. The truth is that writers just don’t think like everyone else, and that’s okay. Embrace your particular brand of insanity because how you think and how you perceive the world are what makes your writing great and unique to you.
1. Your Insanity Is Your Author Voice
I’m sure you’ve heard writers say that they’re going to be the next Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Anne Rice, J.K. Rowling or Danielle Steel. It’s great that these writers have confidence in their abilities, but the truth is that you shouldn’t strive to be anyone but yourself. Your author voice is what makes your stories come alive. When you think about your author voice, think about those things that make you YOU. What type of sense of humor do you have? Are you overly emotional or muted when it comes to your emotions? Are you missing emotions or have an emotion that you have trouble controlling? These same traits that make you who you are can make your characters unique in ways that other authors haven’t thought of.
2. What’s the Most Outlandish, Craziest Thing You’re Ever Thought Of?
Think about the weirdest, craziest thing you’ve ever thought of. Maybe it’s skydiving naked into a frozen pond, getting rich by selling some obscure object or practicing unethical or immoral chemistry or medicine. Whatever it is, it’d make a good plot. Your weird, unachievable, absolutely insane ideas are all good plots. In fact, the weirder, the better. What’s even better are the thoughts are bothering you, writing a book about them can help you sort through them so that you can forget about the idea, heal or come to terms with your own thoughts and mind.
3. What’s the Strangest Thing You’ve Ever Done or That’s Happened to You?
Depending on the event, you may either find it funny or wish it never happened, but the truth is that whatever that crazy thing is, it would make a good plot or subplot. As they say, the truth is stranger than fiction, and if you can fictionalize your truth, you may just have a fantastic book on your hands. The key is turning that event into a plot. For example, were you harassed by your boss? Did you have a terrible work experience? Think about how you reacted, then think about how you now wish you would have reacted. Now think about your characters. How would your character react? What would happen to your character if they reacted with your hindsight knowledge? You now have a great idea for a story.
4. What Pisses You Off?
What pisses you off or makes you angry? The things that cause a strong emotional response in you will create a strong emotional response in your readers. Maybe you’re pissed off about the economic state of your country or angry about societal rules. Maybe gum wrappers or chewing gum under a chair or on the sidewalk send you into a rage. Now, think about this in terms of plots and characters. Your weird quirks and inappropriate emotional responses can help your writing. All you have to do is give the characters a few of your wacky traits or create a plot around the thing that pisses you off.
When you embrace you and your uniqueness, you are embracing your author voice, accepting yourself and starting the process of being comfortable in your own skin. Once you do those things, you can objectively evaluate your personality, lifestyle and the events in your life and turn them into the books you wish you would have read as a kid, teenager, young adult and even the age you are now.
