Saturday, June 12, 2010

Talking to Yourself

Do you have a conversation with yourself inside your head where others can’t hear?

Ponder that for a minute while I share some happy information with you.

I’d like to thank Stephen at Breakthrough Blogs for awarding me the Aweomous Maximus Award this past week. Stephen has just revamped his awesome blog. If you haven’t visited him recently, be sure to do so he has very informative and entertaining posts

and his book, BEAKTHROUGH, will soon be re-released. Thanks so much Stephen.

Congratulations goes to J. E. of Ontario and Patricia S. of Colorado for winning a copy of Jill Mansell's RUMOR HAS IT. Thanks to everyone who commented on Jill's post.

Back to talking to yourself. I’m not talking about carrying on a conversation with yourself to the point that the men in the white suits are looking for you with a very special jacket of your own. I’m talking about a quiet discussion in your mind between the left and right side of your brain or the pro and con of a querry.

And you’re wondering where did this topic come from. Well, yesterday I was having a quiet conversation between pro and con in my brain when the middle of my brain thought that could be used as a blog post. The pro/con conversation was about a parasol.

When was the last time you saw a parasol? I can’t remember it’s been so long. I had taken my umbrella into work with me because we’ve been having pop-up showers every afternoon. Yesterday it didn’t rain, but as I was walking to my car with the umbrella in my hand I thought a parasol would be neat (kind of like the one Abby has used in NCIS).

A parasol would help keep the sun off of me and help some with the 90+

degree weather we’re having.

The con side spoke up and reminded me that no one carries a parasol anymore so I would be odd and definitely stand out in a crowd. Con also pointed out that since I normally have both hands full carrying bags I would need a third hand to hold the parasol.

Pro chimed back in with “oh, but it would be so cute.” The thought of carrying a parasol just seems “Southern” and brings to mind magnolia blossoms and sitting on a porch swing sipping sweet ice tea.

In the end neither side really won because there was no where to purchase a parasol yesterday even if I wanted to. Maybe I should do some online browsing, hmmm.

What about you? Do you have conversations with yourself? As a writer do you include these inner conversations in your stories?

I read a couple of books recently where the protagonist in each story did have conversations with herself. It enriched the reading in these books for me because given the same circumstance I would have been talking to myself too.

Now if you’re having conversation with yourself where others can hear, then we need to talk about that in another post. J I won’t say that I’ve never done that because as a young child I did have imaginary friends I played with. What about you?

When having those right and left brain conversations remember to let the middle brain have a say every once in a while. Now if I’ve made you smile or at least grin, be sure to pass it on it someone else today. Have a safe and happy Saturday.


21 comments:

  1. Yea, I talk to myself all the time. It's been going on so long, it would be weird to stop!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mason, I do indeed have conversations just as you mentioned--pro and con. I also chat to myself--usually about characters or issues I've had. Sometimes, even imaginary conversations with someone I wish I had said something else.

    I loved Abby's parasol. I thought it was beautiful. There are some to be had online.

    Thanks for the link to Breakthrough. Hadn't visited before but I agree, you're pretty awesome. So congrats on the award. you deserve it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. If your umbrella is spiffy enough, you cold use that as both an umbrella and a parasol - problem solved! When I lived in Maryland/DC, I had no car, so I had a longish walk every morning and then back again in the afternoon. My landlady told me that she often used her umbrella to block out the sun, because otherwise it would just get too hot in the summer. So I learned to do that. Of course it looked stupid walking around with an umbrella when it wasn't raining, but I preferred that to arriving sunburned and soaked.

    And I talk to myself all the time. Or I talk to random items, such as I just told my dishes it should wash itself (problem is it didn't listen).

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh I have conversations with myself adn within myself all the time. Perfectly normal, as far as I am concerned. But I have never been able to bring it into my writing yet.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Mason .. oh yes - I bring myself back into line .. and rationalise that most of the time it's their problem not mine & let me get on with my life: doing the best with what I've got and what I can learn.

    I do write letters and posts in my head .. not much good as I have to redo them here using my fingers!

    Still clarification in one's own head is definitely useful ..

    Thanks - good thoughts .. Hilary

    ReplyDelete
  6. I talk to myself all the time too, sometimes even spoken (of course no one is around, although that one time). I think it relieves some of the stress you may have by talking it over.

    I love the internal thinking when I read it in book, makes the characters come alive.

    Good post.

    ReplyDelete
  7. How would I ever make decisions if I didn't have conversations with myself :-) ? I just assmed that that's what everyone does.

    Congrats on the award!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Vicki, I know what you mean. I'd be lost too without that inter talk.

    Sia, thanks and I think you'll find Stephen's blog very informative and entertaining.

    Cruella, glad to know I'm not the only one that also talks to items and you're right, they never pay attention. :) An umbrella would help block out some of the heat from sun when it's 90 degrees.

    Rayna, when the right voice comes along I think you'll be able to add to your writing just where it's needed.

    Hilary, if I could connect the keyboard to my thoughts I'd have wonderful letters and posts. But by the time I get to jot them down all of the great words have left me. :)

    Dru, when characters have some of our own actions it does make their seem more realistic to us. To me that does make the book that much more enjoyable.

    Ingrid, thanks. Those little talks we each have with ourselves do seem to help with decisions. Glad to know I'm not alone. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Mason - Congratulations on your very well-deserved award : ); that's wonderful!

    Now, to your question: I talk to myself all the time, actually. Sometimes, those conversations can get pretty intense, too, especially if i"m trying to make a difficult decision. I think that wider perspective one has, the more likely one is to have those kinds of conversations: one can see things from "both sides," so to speak. Good to know I'm not the only one : ).

    ReplyDelete
  10. Abby is so quirky, she can get away with a parasol. I'd end up dropping it while juggling groceries and purse and car keys.

    I do talk inside my head sometimes. I would have a character do it, but only briefly, I think. Although, I could see it being a character trait.

    Straight From Hel

    ReplyDelete
  11. I talk to myself all the time! I saw parasols all the time when we lived in Auburn - lots of the international students would use them when it got hot.

    ReplyDelete
  12. First of all, I love Abby's character. She is so different and yet likable.

    Secondly, Of course I talk to myself, I get good conversation that way. Someone told me once that it is ok to talk to yourself- even to answer yourself, but if you say huh? to yourself in conversation - then you might be in trouble. :)

    PS If I don't want it to rain, I take my umbrella with me, if I want it to rain, I make sure it's nowhere to be found. Yes, I have that much power. Didn't you know that?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Margot, thanks for your kind words. And, no you're definitely not alone in talking to yourself. It does help to work things out in my head first.

    Helen, the juggling act with a parasol and other items would be hard. I try to carry too many things at once now.

    Kathy, I don't think I've seen any one around my town using a parasol in quite some time. Kind of sad that I haven't.

    Teresa, your comment made me laugh. I don't know that I've said 'huh' to myself yet, but I have had to stop and get my thoughts back in order when I'm trying to do something and think of something else at the same time. BTW, I didn't know you had so much power - awesome, I'll have to try that. :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. We've become very sun-conscious as a society, so if you could find a parasol and begin using it, it just might catch on and you'd be a trendsetter!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Pro/con conversations with myself. Character conversations with me. Characters with each other. Sometimes it gets pretty loud in there.
    I really thought everyone did this?

    Giggles and Guns

    ReplyDelete
  16. Whether we admit it or not, most of us are in our heads talking away during every waking hour. In most cases, good thing that others can hear it. And, yes, I agree that it would invigorate most writing to let the readers hear a little of what goes on in the main character's head.

    Thanks for a great post. Have a good weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Congrats on the award!

    I have conversations with myself all the time, and imaginary conversations between other people too--and so do the characters in my book! :-D

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oooh yeah. I not only talk to myself, when I'm writing a book I have conversations with my characters, too. Sometimes arguments!

    ReplyDelete
  19. All the time-it sends my husband into shock when I am driving and have these conversations.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Sure I do. Sometimes wifey looks at me strangelike, but I tell her I'm singing a song under my breath.

    Stephen Tremp

    ReplyDelete
  21. Yes, I talk to myself. A blood courier spends a lot of them with himself and the voices inside his head.

    I sometimes hear what a long-used character might say concerning a situation. I hear what my best friend might say about what irritates me.

    It makes the day go by with more fun and style. Roland

    ReplyDelete

I'd love to hear your thoughts on today's post. Thanks for dropping by.