My real life is boring. Honestly. My day is filled with many of the same activities anyone else’s life entails: Cleaning out litter boxes, doing laundry, cooking dinner, and providing taxi service to my daughter. I see you yawning, so I’ll stop there.
Authors—okay I can’t speak for all authors, just me—are not glamorous. In fact, because my writing is done primarily at home, my lifestyle revolves around cotton pajamas, an ultra-comfortable but horrendously ugly housecoat, and a sublime pair of slippers. Occasionally, I rise to jeans and a t-shirt. And make-up? Hah! Who is going to see me besides the dog and my computer screen?
That’s why I write. Because I can imagine all sorts of lives way more interesting than my own.
In my writing life, the heroes always take out the trash and never wail because supper isn’t ready. The heroines never leave their bank card at home when they go to the grocery store and never realize just as they’re getting on the highway that they forgot to put gas in the car. The heroes never leave their wet towels on the bathroom floor and they love to cook—every night if necessary. The heroines slay villains left, right, and center, and still manage to keep the house clean and smelling like vanilla.
Truth is, I love my life, unglamorous as it may be. Being a writer is the second best job in the whole world (for me, being a mom comes first). Each and every day, I visit strange and wonderful places, meet interesting people, beat down bad guys, and reward my hero and heroine with their ultimate desire. It doesn’t get much better than that, right?
Okay, blog readers, time to fess up.
How many of you have gotten so wrapped up in a book (whether writing or reading) that you forgot to do something important? I once go so lost in my writing I forgot to go watch my sister’s kids while she and her husband went to an appointment—one of them ended up staying home. I apologized profusely for a week. Thankfully, they know what I’m like and they forgave me. Anyone else?
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I often get so caught up in a book that I’ll forget to eat. I’m the one who has to make the meal, so that’s a lot easier to do than you might think. Especially since I live alone, so there’s no one to ask when supper will be ready. I’ve also forgotten to meet up with friends. Until the phone rings, that is
. Fortunately, like you, my friends know what I’m like, so I usually get a reminder call during the day to NOT START READING when I get home from work. All I can say is, thank all the gods for friends, or I’d probably be found one day a mummified corpse on the couch clutching the latest McCleave.
by Zita Hildebrandt May 5th, 2009 at 10:51 amI’m so glad I put my coffee down BEFORE I read your comment Zita! LOL on the mummified corpse! Family and friends, gotta love ‘em.
by Annette McCleave May 5th, 2009 at 11:21 amThat is the cutest cat picture.
by Brandy W May 5th, 2009 at 1:28 pmYes it has happened to me. I have gotten so wrapped up in a book that I for got to do something. I have also done this on the computer! My life is also very boring.
by Quilt Lady May 5th, 2009 at 1:59 pmBrandy — that’s my cat, Minou, in my dryer. I can’t leave the door open or he jumps in. The cat hair doesn’t bother me as much as the thought of accidentally shutting the door and locking him in.
by Annette McCleave May 5th, 2009 at 2:01 pmQuilt Lady,
I can get sucked into the Internet, too. I love blog hopping and Facebook and Twitter, and occasionally I discover hours have vanished inexplicably. Gone. Just like that.
by Annette McCleave May 5th, 2009 at 2:05 pmHi,
by chey May 5th, 2009 at 4:42 pmI’ve been known to get so caught up in my book that I forget to go to sleep.
I’ve never gotten so caught up that I completely forgot to do something, but I have been late to appointments because I didn’t want to stop reading until I finished the chapter.
by Jane May 5th, 2009 at 6:00 pmI get so caught up in my books, my poor puppies suffer, if I could only read and walk at the same time (never mastered the chewing gum & walking thing either!)
I’m looking forward to your book Annette! It’s on my wish list…
by Susan G May 5th, 2009 at 7:21 pmChey — Been there, done that. I LOVE books that make you forget to sleep.
Jane — I can so totally see that happening. Just…one…more…page.
Susan — Puppies forgive so easily, thank goodness. My dog comes over to the desk and just stares at me when he wants something. Amazing how a simple stare can break through my zombie concentration.
by Annette McCleave May 5th, 2009 at 7:44 pmI like Jane’s version: I didn’t FORGET to stop reading; I CHOSE to ignore the rest of the world. So there.
by Jessa Slade May 6th, 2009 at 1:44 amOh, gosh. I hate to admit this. I was on deadline and forgot to feed my out-of-town neighbor’s cat. It was two days, and I think the poor kittie was fine, but my neighbor was steamed! I don’t blame her though. I felt terrible! TERRIBLE!
by Kim Lenox May 6th, 2009 at 10:47 pm