This morning, my husband had an epiphany. I had made some comment about how he hadn't taken the garbage out once the whole time we've lived in this house (not entirely true, but close - though it's not his fault...he just hasn't been home on trash day in a while...though of course I left that bit out ;-D ) and then a short while later made some other comment about how in 10 years of marriage, I'd never seen him not put salt on something he was eating.
He sat there for a second and I could literally see the light bulb go on over his head. He grinned at me and said, "I just figured it out. Writers exaggerate."
I just broke down laughing.
Do writers exaggerate? Um yeah...it's sort of in our job description, at least if you write fiction (exaggerating is sort of a major no-no in non-fiction).
However, I do try not to exaggerate too much in my real life. But you know what? That is sooo much easier said than done. After I sat and thought about it for a minute, I realized I really do exaggerate, a lot. I'm not just cold, I'm freezing to death. The bookcase I put together wasn't difficult, putting it together required a degree in rocket science. My kids aren't irritating me a little, they are driving me insane :D I didn't wake up three times with my daughter in the middle of the night, I was up ALL NIGHT LONG.
For a second, I felt a little bad about this. I'm an honest person. I mean, I have a really hard time lying. In fact, I tend to giggle a bit when I try to do it and my face turns red. But after a bit more reflection, I decided that exaggerating the regular occurrences in my life isn't a bad thing. Like I said, I'm honest. I don't exaggerate on my taxes or in any serious aspects of life.
But when it comes to describing my mood or the more routine things going on, yeah, I like to spice it up a little :) Why not? It makes things more fun, more interesting. There might be 8 inches of snow in my front yard, but darn it, if I'm going to bother mentioning it, then we are BURIED. Are there a few toys on the floor? Nope. The house is DESTROYED. Am I having a bit of a bad hair day? Not at all. My hair is so horrible I'm just going to shave my head :D
So how about you, my fine writer friends? Do you tend to exaggerate? Or do you just call it exactly as you see it?
Exaggerate. What fun is it to be grounded in reality.
ReplyDeleteOh, I exaggerate everything. Most of the time. Okay, not all the time. :)
ReplyDeleteI think I've said the same things you've listed, almost word for word, countless times. The truth is so boring. ;)
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting. I'd never thought about it before because I consider myself an honest person too, but you're right. I exaggerate. Interesting. I think I'm going to go over-analyze this a bit because, hey, that's what I do!
ReplyDeletelol ooo over analyzing is a good one :D a post for another day ;D
ReplyDeleteI would never exaggerate. Never. Not once.... Okay, I do :)
ReplyDeleteI try not to exaggerate, but I do. Mostly learnt it off my mum. :) But when I think about it, if the other person doesn't know that you're exaggerating, it's like telling a lie. A white lie, but still a lie. Nevertheless, it can be fun and highly amusing. Say the time I told one of my siblings that there were still heaps of lollies left... when there were only 2. I ate them.
ReplyDeletelol okay, that one is a little more like a white lie :D I tend to do it when I'm describing things, like the examples I used - so it's hopefully obvious that I'm just stretching things a bit :)
ReplyDeleteWOW. Your husband is a GENIUS! I never really got that about myself!
ReplyDeleteMe? An over-exaggerating drama queen? Nooo... Okay, maybe sometimes...a little...only when I want attention. DON'T JUDGE ME! *giggle* =D I think it's part of my creative nature.
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