Voices in my Head

You know when an author says their characters are living in their head, talking to them? They're not crazy. It really is what happens to us when we write. ...Most of us anyway. Some writers really are crazy.
When you're writing a story, especially a lengthy one, you spend so much time ruminating and thinking about the characters that eventually, their a constant in the back of your mind. When you do mindless tasks, you can almost hear them talk. When you dream, sometimes you dream of them, of a scene you're about to write. Maybe at times, you almost catch yourself saying something one of your characters would say.

This is just like any good movie or book, when the story and characters stay with you and days later, you are still thinking about it, maybe even quoting dialogue (Star Wars geeks, you know what I mean with this).

Today at work, I found myself imagining my characters Kylie and Bret talking to each other and bickering. I was coming up with dialogue I couldn't wait to write down. Even when I was busy doing stuff I should be paying attention to (making food.....), I could still hear them in the back of my mind.

So yes, we may be a tad schizophrenic, what with hearing the voices of fictional characters in our heads and all, but how else are we supposed to write and develop great characters? It's not exactly safe to type on a computer when you're driving, or practical in a shower.... It's all in your head!