Since I'm still "technically" recovering from surgery, I'm not supposed to take long trips, particularly driving long distances. I have precautions I'm supposed to follow. So when I started to panic about driving three and a half hours to Writer's Police Academy, my Dear Husband offered to take me. We made a stop halfway to visit One Young Son, which gave me the opportunity to get out of the car and stretch my legs. I have to admit, I was glad not to have to drive that distance. While I traveled well, the doctors know what they're talking about.
While we were on the road, I started brainstorming with The Big Guy. Trying to work through plot points in Epitaph 2, my husband has an area of expertise that is relevant. Unfortunately, he doesn't always understand how a writer's brain is wired. I'd ask a general question, and he, being an engineer, wants specifics and parameters. If I knew the specifics, I wouldn't have to ask! He doesn't always follow my train of thought or my path to logic. So I started laying out the characterization and the plot, which helped somewhat, but when I started to venture into the "woo-woo" parts, I lost him. This does not compute. He shot me a startled and confused look with the unspoken, "What??"
What can I say? My only explanation for him is that's how my brain is wired. I'm a writer. I get to have an imagination!
Sounds like every engineering student I ever dated in college. And I wasn't a writer then; I was a psych major/biology minor, so grounded in "science" but there was something about engineering majors ...
ReplyDeleteThings tend to be black and white, and when you throw in something that doesn't fit the mold - like CHILDREN, for instance - he short circuits. "That isn't logical." Well, no. People aren't always logical. Some days he is very Sheldon Cooper, but he isn't without imagination. The funny part is that when he's frazzled, his sense of logic flies out the window.
DeleteI feel your pain! I either get continuous questions to "define " those parameters or far too much information when my engineer gives an answer. Once the question is answered it is OK to stop explaining!
ReplyDeleteYES! LOL - he started telling me where my hero could buy his tools, and continued on with information I didn't need and didn't apply. (My hero already has tools.) Funny thing, I asked one of my girlfriends what she thought a few days later and she gave me exactly the right answer (concisely). I relayed that to DH and he said, "Yeah, that could work." More funny parallels on that front considering DH watches the television programs my friend had recommended I watch for reference.
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