Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia. – E.L. Doctorow
I hate this quote. Hate it. People misunderstand schizophrenia all the time, but the idea that the imagination it takes to be a writer is anything like schizophrenia is crap.
But oooh, my characters talk to me, it must be like schizophrenia!
That’s bullshit. Do your characters tell you that you should die, that you deserve punishment and should burn in hell? Do they tell you that you are a monster, a curse, a burden?
Your imagination is not schizophrenia, any more than a swirl of water in a glass is a hurricane.
And if writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia, what does that make mine? Socially unacceptable? Why? Can people not handle me being mentally ill? Does it hurt them? Am I too scary?
Fine, then, this queer schizophrenic will embrace that, turn it into a title, wear it as a badge.
Post 12 in Socially Unacceptable: The Daily Life of a Queer Schizophrenic Wreck (2022)
This is an autobiographical series about my life, something I have wanted to do for a long time. I intend to add new content daily.
For the whole series, follow this link.
The Queer Schizophrenic 