Isn't it Neurotic?

by Christine Wells

It occurred to me today that I'm really rather odd. No, really! Hmm, I don't seem to be hearing much argument from you folks in the lair. At least you Bandita Buddies could stick up for me! What's that, Sven? Huh. It's so hard to understand him when he mutters in Swedish.

It's true. I do have a few, shall we say... *quirky* habits. Here are just a few of the more sane ones so I don't scare you too much:

1. I always have to say 'white rabbit' on the first day of a month before I speak to anyone or I'll have bad luck. And when I see the first star of the night (which my killjoy husband informs me is actually a planet, but anyhoo) I have to say that little wishing rhyme in my head.

Starlight, Star Bright
First Star I see tonight
Wish I may, Wish I might
Have this wish I wish tonight

2. I don't use bookmarks. I used to splay novels (ones I hadn't borrowed from other people) face-down to keep the page I was up to but said husband threatened to divorce me for this. I acknowledged he had a point--not about the divorce but that kind of treatment does damage the spine of the book. So I now close the book and memorize the page number. :) Yeah, I know. Since I'm a writer with a lot of writer friends I have bookmarks coming out of my ears. You'd think I'd learn to use one.

3. I always cut my elder son's 2 slices of toast into 8 triangles and arrange them in a particular pattern on his plate for his breakfast. He won't eat the toast unless it's in the same pattern every day. I don't know who is responsible for this particular quirk but I think it probably started the day I first did it that way. Lesson to self: be careful of setting precedents like this because your mother-in-law will look at you strangely when you try to explain.

4. I get depressed if the sun stops shining for too long. When I finished my articled clerkship and was admitted as a solicitor, I wanted to go with my friends to London to work but I knew I couldn't live without Australian sunshine for that long. Nor could I live without said husband. *G* So I content myself with visits. Interestingly, we spent a month there a few years ago and it did not rain once.

5. I can't have clutter on my desk when I write. Nothing is more distracting. I can write with music blaring, in crowded places, with my husband interrupting to ask where he put something, with my kids riding their scooters and yelling outside. Heck I used to type with one hand and push the stroller back and forth with the other when they were babies. But write with lots of 'stuff' on my desk I cannot. And it's not that I'm a neat freak. I could have piles of washing behind me as I'm an expert in denial (in fact, I often do. Oops!) But what's in my line of vision has to be clutter free. (That's not my desk in the picture, by the way!) If it was my desk it would not even have that much clutter. It would have the laptop and a coffee mug and that's all. Maybe a refernce book, but only while in use.

So...am I alone in my insanity? Or are there other brave souls in the lair who might possibly own up to some little quirks of their own? And if you don't have quirks or don't want to share them, what are the most endearing or annoying hero or heroine quirks you've read in romance novels?

Oh, and be aware that there are plenty of writers watching, so be prepared to have your little quirk show up in a book sometime!