tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post2366027818454234072..comments2024-03-29T10:24:43.685-04:00Comments on SleuthSayers: The Secrets to Writing?Leigh Lundinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07921276795499571578noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-42155773906260270872013-11-15T17:30:38.979-05:002013-11-15T17:30:38.979-05:00(Chuckling) I don't doubt that for a minute, ...(Chuckling) I don't doubt that for a minute, Thelma (or do you prefer Ms. Straw). They'd almost <i>have</i> to, wouldn't they! LOLDixon Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11220791609338404147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-92197252378064467422013-11-15T17:00:34.309-05:002013-11-15T17:00:34.309-05:00Dixon, delightful piece! Some of the most "ho...Dixon, delightful piece! Some of the most "holy" people I know, who wear vestments and robes, etc, have secret parts of their lives you wouldn't believe! Thelma Straw in ManhattanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-13612412657266681742013-11-15T16:16:22.829-05:002013-11-15T16:16:22.829-05:00Glad to be of assistance, Fran.
R.T., I’m glad yo...Glad to be of assistance, Fran.<br /><br />R.T., I’m glad you got a kick out of it. Always figure my posts should be good for a laugh, if nothing more.<br /><br />Elizabeth, congratulations—to both you and your husband—on kicking the habit. Hope his heart condition is improving. <br /><br />And, thank you for your note about the 7-year-old exhibiting foot fetish tendencies. I had no idea such a characteristic could make itself known at such a young age. That’s useful information for a project of mine.<br />--DixonDixon Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11220791609338404147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-68133318171521571812013-11-15T14:46:24.863-05:002013-11-15T14:46:24.863-05:00What a great post, Dixon! I gave up smoking last y...What a great post, Dixon! I gave up smoking last year after 46 years. I didn't really want to, but my husband & I both needed to stop for financial reasons as well as his heart condition. We both slipped up a few times. I secretly bought one pack of smokes in July, finished them in August & haven't smoked since then.<br /><br />When I was a child in the late 1950s, I knew a boy who undoubtedly grew up to become a foot fetishist ... he was always trying to get little girls alone with their socks & shoes off, and he succeeded many times. He was only about 7 years old!Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00239163766419735693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-11211725110691891852013-11-15T13:05:53.257-05:002013-11-15T13:05:53.257-05:00Dix, enjoyed your blog. Well written and I got som...Dix, enjoyed your blog. Well written and I got some laughs out of it.R.T. Lawtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15523486296396710227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-81901161132162549312013-11-15T12:19:03.203-05:002013-11-15T12:19:03.203-05:00Hello again, Dixon et al, Thanks for reminding me ...Hello again, Dixon et al, Thanks for reminding me about "The Ten O'clock People." That's another good one. Fran Rizerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08655783035179620991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-19728635741316658872013-11-15T11:26:45.037-05:002013-11-15T11:26:45.037-05:00Another King story about smoking, which I enjoyed,...Another King story about smoking, which I enjoyed, was "The Ten-O'Clock People" concerning smokers who could see that aliens were taking over the world.Dixon Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11220791609338404147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-22753839287821411562013-11-15T11:23:55.582-05:002013-11-15T11:23:55.582-05:00Ah-ha! Thanks, John, for clarifying where I saw t...Ah-ha! Thanks, John, for clarifying where I saw that. As I recall, they did a good job of transferring the story to the screen.Dixon Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11220791609338404147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-63052921003413491802013-11-15T11:09:55.409-05:002013-11-15T11:09:55.409-05:00Great column, Dix. Loved that first story, about t...Great column, Dix. Loved that first story, about the married smokers.<br /><br />"Quitters, Inc." was included in the movie <i>Cat's Eye</i>, back in the 80s. I think James Woods played the guy trying to quit.John Floydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001712728130488485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-24298533160953394792013-11-15T10:58:58.346-05:002013-11-15T10:58:58.346-05:00Congratulations on kicking the habit, Fran! And, ...Congratulations on kicking the habit, Fran! And, I believe that story <i>was</i> called “Quitters, Inc.” It was a great one. In fact, I believe I saw a “New Twilight Zone” (I think that’s the show’s name) that was clearly based on the story. <br /><br /><i>The hallmark symptom of addiction is denial. The unconscious has a great ability to produce defenses that allow the smoker or foot fetishist or drinker to believe nobody knows--or whatever he needs to believe as long as he doesn't have to stop. </i> <br /><br />Elizabeth, that’s a profound statement, which makes perfect sense but hadn’t occurred to me before. Thank you for mentioning this; I believe that’s very useful knowledge. I’ve got a character who needs to conduct a little denial—or maybe a lot. I’ll have to think it over. But, thank you again, for writing this. <br /><br />Thanks for the kind words, Eve. And I’ll bet that late-night job did indeed bring you into contact with people’s secret behavior. I spent awhile driving cabs on the overnight weekend shifts, and was often quite surprised, and sometimes even appalled by what occurred in those late-night/early-morning hours.Dixon Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11220791609338404147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-78161057585793469692013-11-15T10:22:07.892-05:002013-11-15T10:22:07.892-05:00Dix, I too believe the stories, because I worked n...Dix, I too believe the stories, because I worked night-shift years ago in a corner stop in a seedy neighborhood in Atlanta, and saw all kinds of people come in for all kinds of stuff. People hide things. We all have something we don't want anyone to know about, and most of us keep it very, very, very well hidden. Great job.Eve Fisherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03015761600962360110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-47700500609408211182013-11-15T09:10:29.477-05:002013-11-15T09:10:29.477-05:00Dix, I have no difficulty believing these stories....Dix, I have no difficulty believing these stories. The hallmark symptom of addiction is denial. The unconscious has a great ability to produce defenses that allow the smoker or foot fetishist or drinker to believe nobody knows--or whatever he needs to believe as long as he doesn't have to stop. Tobacco, btw, is far more addictive than alcohol. More people want to stop and fewer succeed in doing it.Elizabeth Zelvinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13944424094949207841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-32022122372833083412013-11-15T07:18:36.654-05:002013-11-15T07:18:36.654-05:00Dixon, one of the things I love about you and your...Dixon, one of the things I love about you and your blogs is that I never know what to expect--from weapons and war to secret smokers to the foot fetish folks.<br /><br />I smoked my last cigarette on Halloween night, 1989, and to this day, I still remember how much I enjoyed smoking, but I also know that one cigarette would lead to smoking a pack before midnight.<br /><br />Your suggestion to add some secrets other than guilt to my characters will be implemented with one today.<br /><br />Anyone out there remember Stephen King's short story about quitting smoking? I think the title was<br />"Quitters, Inc."<br /> Fran Rizerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08655783035179620991noreply@blogger.com