I obviously like reality since I read blogs which talk all about the reality of a writer’s life. I blog about reality most of the time when I’m not procrastinating with quizzes and forums and such. Reading romance writer (or any writer’s) blogs give me comfort about my reality, knowing that I’m not alone in this crazy writing thing. Maybe I consider reading and writing blogs as part of my work, part of my reality and responsibility, while I prefer TV to be as unrealistic as possible. Which brings me to reality TV shows…

There seem to be far too many of them. Some are probably really good (even I got into The Apprentice last season, albeit quite late) but some just seem really stupid, pointless and yes, even scary (wife-swap, anyone?). But my personal complaint with reality shows goes farther than that - because if I wanted reality all the time, I’d only watch the news (okay, most of the news) and I certainly wouldn’t be writing romance novels.

Reality is laundry and stupid people and sick kids and dieting and responsibility. Even on Survivor, the most unrealistic reality show of them all, people still fight about the same crap they’d fight about if they were at home. (here I admit that I’ve watched one episode, the season finale of the very first Survivor and I never tuned in again.) Depressing, really. And I do not want to escape my reality by watching someone else’s reality. Or any reality.

Romance writing, for me, is escapism. When I’m writing, I’m out of the laundry/dieting world and taken like Peter Pan and Wendy to that magical place where I exist with my characters, where sometimes I am my character, and I get to have a hell of a lot of fun. I can make things up, order that world the way I’d like it to - and, when my characters aren’t being too bossy, I rule that world. Like Hades rules the underworld.

And then, of course, even Peter Pan grows up and Wendy returns home. And I return to that reality world where the three year old with the most adorable smile in the world rules me and the entire house. And I know I’m lucky enough to have a job that keeps me close enough to my reality to reach out and literally touch it.

On a side note, I’ve discovered two new blogs that have nothing to do with writing, but they absolutely crack me up. They’re husband and wife, and their blogs are named, respectively, Bitchalicious and Ihaveacrazywife.com. And yes, they’re very realistic. Maybe I just prefer reading about reality in small doses…

Steph T.

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 25th, 2004 at 10:21 am and is filed under TV & Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.