Aren’t all fiction writers a bit touched?

I asked some fellow Authors the following question:
Do you ever just get so involved with writing, become so obsessed, that your every thought is plotting for that story line? Be it driving in the car or watching television, you mind is just elsewhere. Then when you finally take a breath, decide to check e-mails you find there are over seven hundred, and over three hundred in the spam folder. Well that's where I am today.


Here are some of their fun answers:

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Cathy I can SOOO relate--as I'm sure ALL writers can.
I've been struggling to wring blood from a turnip...er I mean write more than 200 words a day on my manuscript. Yesterday, I'm not sure what happened but the dam broke. I began writing and was so lost that I didn't realize my dad was standing outside my front door. Apparently the dog had been barking for about15 or 20 minutes, dad had been knocking, calling me through screened windows, etc.
He finally walked in the house and said "Hey!"

Scared the hell out of me! I grabbed the nearest weapon and came up swinging... LOL He says "where were you?"
I grinned. "Milwaukee, having dinner with the most HOTTIE on the planet!"

He just shook his head, asked for the garage door opener and walked away.

Embarrassed us both a bit because I was dressed in a nightgown--hadn't gotten dressed yet and it was already 7 pm...I figure why bother at that point, you know? BWAHAHAHAH
But hey! Final written word tally for yesterday? 3552 words (18 pages! Hot diggity dawg! YEEEHAW!)

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Eek! That's where I've been for the last bit. Just writing and writing! And if I'm not writing, I'm plotting! I love it! I feel so full of life! Which is funny since I did go about three days without eating. My excuse? I forgot! You'd think I'd be feeling weak or brain-dead...

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My problem is nighttime. I'm in bed, eyes closed waiting for sleep and a 'damned' character says, "Hey, you forget ..... " So, I'm outta bed, into my office, at the computer looking for the section the character was complaining about. The dialogue that goes on in my head at 11 or 12 at night is evil. Sleep just won't come until I get up and fix the problem.

Okay, I've tried a pencil and paper beside the bed. Won't work. I can't read my own writing in the morning, and I live with a light sleeper. I tried the light one night! Was told to turn out the light and go to my office. So now I do. I sure would like a good night's sleep for a change.
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I have tried pen and notepad--I had a mini flashlight clipped to the spiral binding of the notebook--didn’t work for me either. If it wasn't my handwriting being illegible it was other minor irritations--the dog got excited when the light came on and thought it was time to play...cat freaked out and attacked us...etc. etc.
I now keep a micro cassette tape recorder in my nightstand and when those dang voices come shouting, I pull covers over my head and whisper into mike. Well used to whisper. Since DH doesn't live here full time I can pretty much come and go without bothering anyone else...LOL
What I like about the recorder thing is that I can do it with my eyes closed, in the dark and can fall back to sleep with minimal problems.
Last couple weeks I haven't had such problems. When you wash a couple of sleeping pills down with a glass (or three of wine) you tend to sleep pretty hard...What? Did I say that out loud??? BWAHAHAHAH

(For those who don't know me well-- I WAS joking! hehehehe :-*)

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Oh boy, have I ever? In fact, was advised this a.m. that my "medical condition" was caused by low blood pressure AND low blood sugar -- the result of skipping meals and getting dehydrated (forgetting to drink water. It's evidently really important to remember stuff like water in this high desert. lol)

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I have to drug my characters with Benadryl every night or else they will keep me up until 3 a.m.

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Moral to the story, if you’re a fiction writer and are nagged by voices, you’re not necessarily crazy and you’re not alone. I for one have learned to pay attention to those voices. Often it’s one of my, let’s call them my invisible friends, screaming at me to change something, something I made them say without their approval.

Okay so maybe I am crazy. But, aren’t all fiction writers a bit touched?