I’ve wondered why I dig down so deep into the heads of the characters I write that I have trouble climbing out of the holes, when at the same time, I’ve always had trouble understanding what others in real life think or feel. Then it came to me: constantly having to imagine what others think or feel just to get by is perfect training for diving into imaginary characters.
We never truly know what others are thinking, we only think we know. So in the end, the imaginary characters in the stories I write exercise the same creative muscles as the imaginary personas I cast onto the real life “characters” that surround me. Maybe I should feel lucky dealing with people doesn’t come naturally. If it did, I wouldn’t be able to dig into the people and worlds I create.