One complaint I hear quite often from my friends and family is that I am not a social person. They call me a recluse, or a hermit. One of my neighbors treats me like I'm a vampire bat.
"Hey, Jill, nice to see you out of your cave!" he takes great pleasure in repeating every time he sees me walking my dog. I take great pleasure in popping back retorts I can't repeat here. This comes from a guy who frolicked in his backyard last summer with his pig and a water hose. Some folks haven't earned the right to point fingers.
I hear things like, "You know my phone number" and "I still live in the same place, you know," all the time from those who are trying to guilt me into going to Wal-Mart, the mall, or some other public torture chamber. It's no secret that I don't like crowds and I'm not into marathon shopping. You won't find me out an about on Black Friday, cruising the big 'After Thanksgiving' sales, either. There's not one gaming system out there that's worth me going to jail over because I decked some lady so I could get the last one. My kids can go with last year's model, thank you.
I've tried to explain to those who care for me that my lack of an active social life is common among writers, at least the ones I know. Writing tends to be a solitary activity, unless you choose to write with other people, which may be a little difficult. Almost all of my writer friends are online buddies, making a group writing effort near impossible. I suppose we could write and Skype simultaneously. At least no one's reading over
your shoulder, that way.
Speaking of my writer friends, I have asked them about their level of social activity outside of their homes, just to see if I really am antisocial. The general consensus is that while they do enjoy certain social functions (like writers' conventions and writers' group meetings), writers are happy to stay home and write. In fact, they prefer it.
Technology has made it easier for people to become extroverted introverts. I can be a social creature with the click of a mouse or at the touch of a keypad in no time, without leaving the house, or even my couch, if I don't want to. I can sit on my rear end and communicate with people by email and text messages and never actually speak to them on the phone. While this eliminates the need for makeup and hair fixing, I do not stay in my pajamas all day. That would be considered lazy.
It's not that I don't like being around people in general. I suppose I have just learned to enjoy my own company, now that my kids are in school. What parent doesn't love having a quiet house, at least once in a while? If the need for conversation arises, I just talk to myself and the pets. I can be social. Just ask the cat.
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