Insane Asylum

Writers are insane. And when I say insane, I mean, psychotic, strange, weird, salivating, eyes bigger than the moon, I have an imaginary friend, I may think my shoe is good for dinner, and that a watch is really a sock--batty, crazed, insane. 


If you are a writer admit it to yourself now that all the cogs and dials may not be functioning on all cylinders up there in your brain. 


Did you admit it yet? Good.


Writers constantly set pen to paper or type on a word processor all for little or no money. When the work is complete, they send it off to friends, relatives, and critique group members, where they will receive generous amounts of criticism and rejection. If the writer can overcome that criticism and rejection, said writer will spend more time with pen to paper, keys to keyboard, furiously slaving away at the project. After endless amounts of work, if the writer is lucky, they will pass the criticism and rejection test from friends and critique group only to send the work off to agents and editors, who then reject and critique the work further. More work ensues until the work is either cast aside or deemed worthy for publication. If the work is published, then it is in the hands of book critics and reviewers to reject or criticize. . . again! (Whew you writers must be crazy!)


Writers constantly write for pennies. I know from experience. The pennies are all laid out on a table next to my computer to remind me of all the good times I had from my 500 words a week column. Some of you have made even less.


Like other artists, companies want to make millions from your creative genius and provide you with pittance. True story. 


Writers are constantly subjected to advice from everyone who knows better than you what you should write, how you should write it, where to send it to, and blah blah blah blah blah. The insane forget the advice, write what they want, send it to who they want, and succeed in their own manner. 


Writers are insane enough to dream. They create worlds and characters filled with love and hate, beautiful places, and experiences that enrich the lives of others. Their dreams are recorded for future generations to see, understand, and love. The lives they touch are many, few, or even just one. 


Writers are insane enough to believe that if they only touch one life, it will be enough. 


The insanity of writers brings the world love, peace, joy, and happiness to others in ways few can know or understand. 


Admit you are a writer and as such change the world for the better for someone else.