Lula Diamond - Author of Chaos Conquers All
“Is this a good time to talk?”
It’s
a question that thoughtful people ask when they call you on the phone,
or pop into your office, or catch you resting your forehead on a stack
of papers. Usually they don’t want to talk as much as have you listen.
Plenty of people don’t bother to ask but come barging into your
business, ready or not. If it really isn’t
a good time, I’m not shy about letting folks know—or taking a bathroom
break that becomes an escape. I have important things to do, deadlines,
meetings, children to pick up or drop off, groceries to buy. In short,
I’m busy.
But there is one group that consistently refuses to
give me a break. They interrupt at the most inconvenient times and
refuse to be silent, put it in an email, or ‘hold that thought’. They
have absolutely no boundaries and could care less if I’m in the middle
of something else. Many a time, I’ve stepped dripping from the shower
to grab an index card and a pen because these voices will not shut up.
Or I’m in the middle of a relaxing drive with some good music, and the
next thing I know I’m hearing an argument or watching two people go at
it like cats in heat. Honestly, have they no shame? I cannot safely
operate heavy machinery in the middle of a sex scene. And try getting a
good night’s rest with this group. Good luck. Just as you’re ready to
drift off, one of them pipes up with a blackmail scheme, a heart attack
or a car accident. All drama, all the time. Except when I’m ready to put
fingers to my keyboard.
Of course, I’m talking about my story
characters, those rascals. They will not be ignored and if you make them
wait, they sulk. Silently. So I’m the lady sitting in the grocery store
parking lot in the summer heat surrounded by my melting frozen
vegetables scribbling on my receipt, or the car that swerves off the
road not to use my cell phone but to write a scene on an old McDonald’s
bag. It’s a good thing I keep a lot of trash in my car. Reduce, Reuse,
Recycle.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to hear from them. They
are a gift. They make me hoot with laughter, grind my teeth when I can’t
get their story straight, and tear up when I finally understand them. I
love those guys. I just wish they had better timing.
To Purchase
Lula Diamond
www.luladiamond.com
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