Addiction

There’s so many forms of addiction. Some are good for us, most are bad. Everything has to be in moderation. Even something like exercising too much can hurt the body. While I definitely need to exercise more often, I have my own addictions.

I recently saw an online debate about if writing is an author’s addiction. For me, it is. I need to write. And I mean I need it. If I go a day without writing, I start to feel crappy. More than a day and my husband is fearing for his life. When I’m not writing I’m always thinking about it. What could this plot point be? How can I pull this off? Will anyone even like it? Thanks to the smartphone, I can do some research while I’m out. And now that I’ve discovered the Cloud (yes, I’m a bit late), I can write if I’m out.

My characters become a part of me. I learn so much about them as humans—because that’s what they are in the world I’ve created—but I also learn about myself. I’ve figured out what kind of man I’m attracted to, what kind I get grossed out over, and the kind of woman I want to be. In a lot of ways, writing any character is like meeting a new person. I want to know as much about them as possible because they are interesting. Since I’m not good around people in my life, having another branch is refreshing. So in that respect, yes, I’m addicted.

Writing also lets me live out my fantasies. A zombie killer? Yes. A fallen angel? Why not? A woman trying to live with vampires? Of course. So getting away from my mundane life for an hour or two is very nice. I think avid readers can agree on that point.

Again, everything in moderation. So what am I doing for my addiction? I mentioned exercising above, but I’m also learning how to cook. Mostly simple things, but I’m liking it so far.

Now if I can get rid of my chocolate addiction…

Do you have anything you can’t live without?