What's Your Weirdest Quirk?

BigJ1

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I genuinely think writers (and storytellers in general) are built a little different. Our hardware may be the same as everyone else's, but something's a bit off about our software. If you're a true weaver of worlds, it's always on your mind, and that just does something to you. Does anyone out there have a weird behavior they can't help that puzzles the non-literary folks around them?

For me, it's definitely when I space out- hard. Especially when I'm a passenger in a vehicle, forget it. My spacial intelligence is reduced to nil because, given a free moment where I don't have the reins in my life, I start thinking about stories. Characters, places, events- it all just takes over. Suddenly, my wife or friends ask "hey, you alright?" because of how intensely I eye the window. Half the time I don't even remember to tell them why I was spacing out. I just tell them that yes, I'm alright. I was just thinking. I don't mention that I was thinking about a man with steel wings dueling a knight in armor made from his own protruding bones on the surface of a caged star.

What about you guys? Any weird writing-related stuff you do that weirds out the people in your life? Feel like this could be quite the titillating conversation.
 

Liz_V

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When I'm deep in the throes of a novel, I pick up little quirks and habits from my characters. I'm told it was pretty funny when I literally could not answer waitresses who asked if I wanted milk or sugar with my coffee -- because one character took it one way, and the other took it the other way, and I couldn't decide which one I was sympathizing with in real time.

Another novel, I tended to wear a lot of teal, because that's what my MC looked best in. Fortunately it's also a good color for me, but I'm not sure it would've mattered if it wasn't.

And of course, turns of phrase and patterns of speech from my currently "active" characters creep into my normal conversation.
 

Maryn

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Since my teens, I routinely fall asleep telling myself stories. Some of them continue, with favorite "episodes" rerun, for years. In the last few decades, some of these have become novels.

I don't know, is that weird?
 

The Second Moon

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I always wondered what people who aren't writers think about... I've always made up stories in my head even before I realized I wanted to write them down. It's mind-boggling to think someone could live without these little quirks, like pretending to be their characters or whatnot. I don't know what'd do when bored if I couldn't daydream about my characters.
 

Kat M

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And of course, turns of phrase and patterns of speech from my currently "active" characters creep into my normal conversation.

Since my teens, I routinely fall asleep telling myself stories. Some of them continue, with favorite "episodes" rerun, for years. In the last few decades, some of these have become novels.

I don't know, is that weird?

Better not be, since I do both of those things.
 

Liz_V

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Oh, yeah, mentally playing out bits of daily life for my characters, whatever it is they do when they're not dealing with whatever I threw at them in their books. I do that all the time, both during slow points during the day, and absolutely when I'm trying to fall asleep at night. Sometimes that turns into a bit of a story I need to get up and write down, though mostly not.

It's usually a thing I do when there's no one else around, so I don't think I've weirded anyone else out with it....

Also, watching spy shows on TV, I'll comment on what my spy characters think of the tradecraft & so on. My housemate says that's not weird, but she's been living with a writer for a long time. :)
 

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Sometimes when I'm just off daydreaming I'll pretend I'm the character in a scene and not realize I'm making facial expressions like the character would until someone says something.
 

The Second Moon

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Sometimes when I'm just off daydreaming I'll pretend I'm the character in a scene and not realize I'm making facial expressions like the character would until someone says something.

I do that, too! Twin Power! (we are identical twins in real life)

Does anyone else wake up from a dream and start naming the people from your dream? I do. Last nights dream contained a girl named Tiffany and an alien named Earos. :)Shrug: about the alien's name. He didn't even have ears.)
 

redpbass

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Sometimes when I'm just off daydreaming I'll pretend I'm the character in a scene and not realize I'm making facial expressions like the character would until someone says something.

I do that too.

Another thing is when I've been mentally ruminating through a story or scene after a while I finally get to the point where something clicks and I whip out a notebook and pencil and start writing it down. Quickly. Gotta get all those important details down before I forget them, after all. People tend to give me weird looks when I do this, and I've been told it looks like "something came over you". I've done that at work on my lunch many times, and if other people are around, they tend to give me weird looks when I finally finish and look up. People who've been around me for a while just brush it off, though.
 

Maryn

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"I just remembered something really important I have to do after work" covers it, no?
 

Liz_V

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The Second Moon - For my first novel, I woke up one morning with the full names of all the main characters, as well as the general scenario and three key scenes, crystal clear in my head. Does that count?

(It was weird even by my standards -- the story didn't exist on any conscious level before that. And then one morning, poof! instant novel. Well, except for the writing-it part. :ROFL: )


Randomly stopping and scribbling down an idea... isn't a thing everybody does?
 

The Second Moon

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The Second Moon - For my first novel, I woke up one morning with the full names of all the main characters, as well as the general scenario and three key scenes, crystal clear in my head. Does that count?

(It was weird even by my standards -- the story didn't exist on any conscious level before that. And then one morning, poof! instant novel. Well, except for the writing-it part. :ROFL: )


Randomly stopping and scribbling down an idea... isn't a thing everybody does?

Wow! That's incredible.
 

Busy_Sample

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Yes, me too, spacing out. My kid will literally get in my face and say, "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy" over and over before I blink and am like, "What do you need?"

I also have a weird quirk where i will start thinking while I'm driving then get myself lost. I get lost ALL THE TIME. It's horrible and embarrassing. I got lost just yesterday going to Chipotle. How does that happen? It's like I can physically drive, but my mind is so gone that I have no idea where I'm going or where I've been. I sort-of wake up and am like, "Where am I?"
 

DiloKeith

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Since my teens, I routinely fall asleep telling myself stories. Some of them continue, with favorite "episodes" rerun, for years. In the last few decades, some of these have become novels.

I don't know, is that weird?

Not weird (although consider the source of this opinion!) The only way I can calm my brain and fall asleep is replaying or editing my stories. Unfortunately, I don't remember most of the WIP edits. I recommend the story-telling method to people having trouble falling asleep because trying to think of nothing to calm a busy mind is more difficult.
 

BigJ1

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I don't think that's weird at all! Plenty of authors tell themselves their own stories visually, in their heads. I do this often!
 

BigJ1

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That's funny as heck. I've never named characters from dreams, but I do totally mimic my character's faces to test out how to describe them. I also act out questionable lines/scenes when I'm by myself to cut the wheat from the chaff :partyguy:
 

BigJ1

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I'm loving this. So many things we all thought we might be the only ones to do. Weirdos unite! Where y'all at- I know this isn't everybody!
 

Kat M

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Just drove 30 miles through a dark forest muttering all the beats of a scene, over and over, sotto voce. Probably looked like a crazy person. I'm OK with that!
 

TheMontess

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I suppose it's not that weird but I've bought random items of clothing (such as a camisole with inbuilt support rather than one you wear over underwear) to see what it would feel like to wear!
 

Liz_V

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I do totally mimic my character's faces to test out how to describe them.

I have done this!

I've also acted out scenes, though in my case it's usually arguments or fight scenes, to get the blocking sorted out.
 

hjrey

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Not weird (although consider the source of this opinion!) The only way I can calm my brain and fall asleep is replaying or editing my stories. Unfortunately, I don't remember most of the WIP edits. I recommend the story-telling method to people having trouble falling asleep because trying to think of nothing to calm a busy mind is more difficult.

I definitely do this, and if I think of something good I'll make a note on my phone. Though my husband finds it funny that thinking about my story helps me fall asleep (it really doesn't sound like a good thing when you say it aloud).

Weird quirk I have: sometimes I'll blow on ice-cream, forgetting that it's cold, not hot.
 

Abbeysroadlesstaken

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I don't have a good filter. I try to be kind to people, but I default to truth and tend to regret it later. I also default to what is efficient. I was a monitor for a study hall and it was held in a health classroom. I was preparing for an anatomy mid-term and dragged the skeleton that was hiding in the corner next to my desk. It looked like he was waiting for me to sign a paper and expired waiting. I did very well in the mid-term and finals. I didn't realize the girls in the study hall had a running joke of Mr. Bonejangles and Abbey. In that way I'm pretty dense, but getting a good grade was more important than appearing normal. If I appear normal, it's like having a matching socks on a toddler--a complete accident.
 

The Second Moon

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I was just making coffee when one of my grumpier character's voices popped into my head. He said, "Who ever said 'caramel' should go die in a hole... Please and thank you."

I laughed out loud. I have never written this and I have no idea where it came from.

Immediately, I build a scene where the speaker, a grumpy familiar, and his witch were trying to get order for their friends for ice cream flavors. The witch had warned the familiar not to be rude. Then someone asks for caramel ice cream. The familiar is so disgusted that he says "Who ever said 'caramel' should go die in a hole." The witch glares at him and he adds, "Please and thank you."

Has a random snippet of dialogue ever popped into your head like that? It happens to me all the time. Please tell me I'm not alone.
 

porlock

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As a mystery writer, I often see black plastic bags on the side of the road and always wonder if there's body parts inside. Or go by an isolated place and wonder "that's a great place to dump a body." I'm really not weird or anything.:evil