We all have times when we feel–and act–a little nuts. Some of us…really nuts. I’m not talking, taking random people at the mall out with my little gun. Don’t even own a gun.
But I get crazy sometimes and think about random crap I certainly don’t need to say. Its just better if I have my characters say and do these silly, weird things.
I think this “craziness” urge is very normal and I think it’s part of the reason so many people love Halloween. On this day, they get to let the crazy out, dress like a fool and do silly things, like TP their friends’ houses. Yes, I’ve succumbed to doing the latter…as an adult. And I wasn’t drinking. It just seemed like a silly, fun thing to do. We weren’t doing permanent damage, like egging cars or shooting out tires on the freeway.
To our dismay, someone in the neighborhood called the cops and we got busted by some very understanding officers. They probably got back in their cop car and sniggered about these adults doing such a childish thing.
My point here is that I think we all have crazy thoughts, I just get to use these in the fiction I write. I get to put my characters in ridiculous situations and show their reactions. Some writers gleefully say they torture their characters. I have a lot of affection for my characters, but I have fun writing them into situations I wouldn’t want to get into myself.