I has a Tumblr

[rj_anderson]

Now that I'm plunging into revisions for Ultraviolet, I've started a Tumblr full of links and articles connected to the book.

So if you're interested in a sneak peek at some of the ideas behind the story, or just curious about unusual sensory phenomena, mental illness, and/or Northern Ontario, you may want to check out Synaesthesis.

Comments

[mary_j_59]

I had a look at this from your twitter, and it's fascinating. Just curious, though - what's a tumblr? I know what a tumbler is! (a glass into which one tumbles ice cubes!)

Also - I was a bit shocked at one of the links. Since when has synaesthesia been considered insanity? Messiaen was a synaesthete! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivier_Messiaen

[rj_anderson]

So was Nabokov, and many other famous creative people. However, it's only in relatively recent years that synaesthesia has been taken seriously and begun to be tested and investigated as a scientific phenomenon. Prior to that it was little known and often misunderstood (and sometimes still is). Many synaesthetes are hesitant to talk about their experiences for fear of being thought crazy -- or because reactions from friends and family lead them to believe that there is something wrong with them.

[rat_icefen]

It's one of the most puzzling illneses known to science but some would say that maybe it isn't so much as an illness more than something that has adapted within the persons brain to experience new senses. People believe that most people have the same capability for opening up new senses due to this discovery.

[doriscrockford2]

I never thought it was an illness; I always thought everyone saw colours when they listened to music. Until I was in my thirties and mentioned it to someone and got THAT LOOK.

[rj_anderson]

Oh, it's not an illness! I only mean that my book deals with mental illness as well as synesthesia. Sorry -- I should have phrased that better.

I have lifelong synesthesia envy, myself. I don't have any colour associations at all...

[doriscrockford2]

No, don't worry! I didn't think that YOU thought it was, just that others did. :) One reason to be happy you don't have it: whenever dancers (particularly ballet dancers) don't have their movements exactly correlated to the music (i.e. a lift as the music rises, a kick on the percussion) it makes me grind my teeth. :) They could be the best dancers in the world, but to me ... ;P