Saturday, September 3, 2011

Having a Split Personality

All week I’ve been noticing a strange phenomenon. When I log onto Twitter as WritingGroove I say totally different things and react to dissimilar tweets than I do as RedMojoMama. Likewise, I’m not nearly as funny on this blog as I tend to be on Red Mojo Mama Musings. Writer gal is perhaps witty, but more serious.

Although, it was my intention to have two different agendas, I am so totally surprised at the reality of it. I created the two separate monikers because I wanted to be able to express writer stuff to other writers and the stuff of life to everyone else, including writers. I knew I had a separate message for writers than the general Twitterworld and wanted to detach the two so as not to bore the non-writers completely (which I have a tendency to do in real life if I go on and on about writing.)

So, I intentionally created my split personality. Yet, it feels a little odd sometimes. I can almost feel myself mentally putting on my imaginary writer’s outfit – granny skirt, Indian print tunic and my dangliest earrings – when on this side. WritingGroove is much more philosophical than RMM and interested in how creating is going, both on Twitter and on this blog.

Now, Red Mojo Mama wears flashy clothes in bright colors, often red. She wears dangly earrings, too, but they are more about sparkle that artistry. She’s always up for a joke, lives life ferociously within her means to do so and has more energy than WritingGroove. RMM is obviously the author of the character, Lydia, who is RMM in the book by the same name.

If truth be known, Lydia “Red” Talbot is everything the author wants to be. She’s brave, feisty, kick-ass and strong. I, WritingGroove, admire her, too, but I’m more cerebral. If that last sentence seemed a little strange, it is and that’s what I’m talking about. I belief the split is now complete.

Soon, I’ll be launching a third personality to support a business I’m jumping into. I haven’t thought up a name yet and she’ll be completely invisible to my current friends on Twitter as well as locally based. Still, I worry that with the impending three-way split, I’ll further divide and begin to act distinctly different out in the real world.

Ah, well, that is in the future. For now, I’m still me – complete and whole – when I log off. I think.

7 comments:

  1. I think we all have more than one personality- some of us cultivate them so that they have faces and names, and some of us don't acknowledge them. It's awesome that you have embraced the personalities.

    Never forget, there's always room for another personality! Good luck with your business, too, of course. Well, best of luck in everything.

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  2. Thank you so much for your support - RR - That's what I've decided to call you :-)

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  3. This is absolutely true! I have often said that writing is the only time it's okay to be schizophrenic.

    I think most writers have multiple personalities...we have to in order to jump into the many creates we create.

    ~TC

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  4. I'm glad to know I/we are not alone in having multiple personality disorder! I have 2 different day jobs with multiple contract clients as well as doing creative writing in two genres. Whenever I answer the phone, I have to look at the readout and think, now who am I to this person? Some days I probably sound confused to half the people I talk to. I hope that one day life gets simpler for us all.

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  5. I think all of us regardless of what we do, have multiple faces - even if they are more like facets than totally different personalities, to deal with the different situations/conditions we are in (i.e. - work/social)

    On the other hand, I just had a very fun image of your two different outfits having a conversation in the closet...

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  6. Good post, Kathy...and I do agree with your split personality idea. I have a couple different profiles on two sites, and there is a definite change of outfits as I switch from one to the other. Oh, just for a chuckle...I see you in a third outfit, and I think it is because my mind simply made a mental leap when contemplating your initials. You are a red M&M. :-)

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  7. When I think about all the personalities I manifest, I get a little crazy. (Some might say, "Well, duh.") Since I retired, it's easier, because I no longer have to maintain the responsible public affairs representative any more. Back then I rarely indulged the wildly imaginative writer of paranormals that now comes forth regularly. Hubby fortunately is used to both, as are kids. Grandkids seem to think of me simply as quirky grandmother. I am perhaps most "myself" in my critique groups, where my characters can come out to play in all their bravery and confusion if protagonists or depravity if antagonists. Yeah, common with writers I think.

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