Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Wednesdays Word: Fugueitis

This condition could hit when you have worked all day, ran errands, cooked dinner, cleaned up, put the kids to bed, and are on the verge of complete exhaustion. The line between fantasy and reality is blurred. This is the perfect time to write. But be careful, this can be dangerous if you become too entrenched in your story.

Fugueitis may be my term but the very real condition of a fugue state does happen. It can be caused by extreme stress or a traumatic event. It normally only lasts a few hours but there have been cases of it lasting much longer. You forget who you are and where you came from and the state usually involves unplanned wandering.*

Agatha Christie disappeared on December 3, 1926 and did not reappear until eleven days later in a hotel in Harrogate. She had no memory of events during that time.

Our characters speak to us; they tell us their story but always remember…we are just the messengers.

And that, my friends, is the Word.

*Note: I would be leery of accepting this excuse without further investigation from husbands or teenagers.

4 comments:

  1. Love the fugueitis. Rolls off the tongue!

    My writing often involves unplanned wandering as well:)

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  2. I don't know how you keep coming up with these awesome words! I mean, really. They should all totally be in the dictionary!

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  3. Can I claim that I have this disorder and disappear to a fancy hotel room for the next eleven days until my husband tracks me down? Just think of the spa and the cozy bed and the spa, and perhaps the pool? Ahh... I crave this wonderful thing.

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It helps to know I'm not just talking to myself.