Harry Potter and the Curse of the Cranial Cacophony...

 

 

I'm currently introducing my kids to the delights of the 'Harry Potter' films,only the first few, I hasten to add. Voldie is still in the form of the remarkably pretty Tom Riddle--nose thankfully still in situ! (Even so, he's not pretty enough to tempt my little girl. She recently informed me she loves Snape and wants to hug him 'because he's so beautiful'. A child of excellent taste, methinks!)

Am I digressing? Yes, I am. Sorry. There is actually a point to this post, if only I could get to it.

Any-whooo...in the film where Harry finds Tom Riddle's diary. What's it called? The Chamber of Secrets? Well, there's a scene where Harry confesses to his chums he's been hearing voices, and Hermione says something that stuck with me:

Hermione: It's a bit strange, isn't it?

Harry: Strange?

Hermione: You hear this voice, a voice only you can hear, and then Mrs. Norris turns up petrified? It's just... strange.

Harry: Do you think I should have told them? Dumbledore and the others, I mean.

Ron: Are you mad?

Hermione: No, Harry. Even in the wizarding world, hearing voices isn't a good sign.

So what does that say about us as writers? Are we the exception to this rule?

I don't know about you, but my characters 'chat' to me an awful lot throughout the day, especially when I'm occupied with a menial task. And it's not just the residents of my current MS. Mais non, mes amis! I have a host of new 'people' whispering away at the back of my mind, all wanting to be written. Gah!

How do you get them to shut up? Sleeping is my preferred escape route.

How do you tune out the tenants of your mind?