Terry Hickman's Light Bulb Alley: Top 10 Writing Neuroses
The following was generously shared by Jim C. Hines on Speculations Rumor Mill (a message board for spec fiction writers; you don't have to subscribe to the quarterly spec fiction market gold mine known as Speculations to participate, but usually people who become involved in the RM end up subscribing, because it's so valuable for a writer).
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Top Ten Writing-Related Neuroses by Jim C. Hines:10. OMD (Obsessive Mailbox Disorder). The need to check one's mailbox every 5-10 minutes in search of rejections or acceptances. (A similar phenomenon has been observed with online correspondence).
9. Manuscript Perfectionism. "Let me help you write that thank you note to Grandma. First of all, let's make sure it's in Courier font, 12-point, and double-spaced. Now put your name and address in one corner, and the word count in another...
8. E-mail Retentiveness. The need to point out and/or correct typos, grammar mistakes, punctuation, etc, in e-mail and other online correspondence. (BTW, This list was fully spell-checked. Twice!)
7. Cinematic Impotence. The inability to enjoy movies, due to constant analysis of storyline, character development, and plot holes.
6. AADD (Authorial Attention Deficit Disorder). "What was that? Sorry, I was thinking about a story idea...."
5. Sleep Disorders. When one jolts awake at 2:00 am to write down an idea. (Note - said ideas have only a 25% - 30% chance of coherence when viewed the next day).
4. Mini-Depression. Usually seen upon receiving another rejection letter. "But _____ was my best story! What's wrong with these editors? What's wrong with me? I suck at this! I should just give it up. I'm the worst writer in the world! Hey, what if I rewrote it in first person and chopped out the bits with the octopus? Yeah, that would be perfect!" Often leads to...
3. Manic Episodes. "Get out of the way. I need a computer/notepad/typewriter NOW! I've got the BEST idea, and I can't do ANYTHING ELSE until I write this ENTIRE STORY!"
2. Inappropriate Affect. When the emotional response doesn't match the situation. "Your cousin got stoned and crashed his Corvette into a Chinese restaurant? Wow, what a great story starter!"
1. A Perverse Love of Rejection. Who else would proudly state, "I have over 300 rejection letters sitting in the box under my dresser!"
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