"but how are you supposed to find romance if you don't go to bars?"

[ontology]

At work today I was informed by my co-worker (male, twenty-five) that I need to cut loose more often. Apparently this is because my two-week holiday with my family next month will not involve drinking, partying, and picking up strange men in bars. "Getting drunk isn't my idea of fun at all," I said. "Hangovers are really not my idea of fun." He kind of looked at me and protested, "Don't knock it till you try it!" Uh, thanks, co-worker, but no thank you. (Disclaimer: very much not a teetotaller. If it weren't illegal, what with me being not quite nineteen, I would probably have a glass of -- very fruity and girly -- wine fairly often.) But seriously, I have no desire to lose all of my inhibitions and do things I would be justifiably embarrassed about later, possibly even ashamed of, not to mention putting myself in danger. Also, hangover. No-one enjoys a hangover. Why not just avoid them altogether by being responsible with the drink? Also, strange men in bars? Yuck.

But -- seriously? I am uptight? I need to cut loose? I mean... no one has ever said this to me before. Ever. And when I told my parents they laughed even harder than I had.

In other news, I persuaded a girl to buy a copy of A Countess Below Stairs. Hurrah! Also need to write post for book blog BUT WHAT ABOUT.

Comments

[take-a-sadsong.livejournal.com]

I wasn't really sure I was going to post at all here because I'm not sure if my opinions would seem too strict or overly religious, but my entire life is deeply, deeply rooted in holiness so I really have no intentions of ever drinking because I don't want to be so intoxicated in my body that I lose connection with my spirit.

With that said, I'd have to go back to what Kyra said earlier, only that this is a different circumstance but I believe the same principle holds true. In my stories, people die. It's quite possible that sometime in my writing a main character will murder someone. That does not mean that I have to go murder someone in order to accurately portray the feelings one experiences while commiting a murder. Nor would I have to steal something because a character does, or climb a mountain with too little supplies. Part of good writing is creating scenes and circumstances vividly, realistically, and believably, especially when you haven't done those things. Feeling like you have to do everything your character does in order to explain it clearly is... sort of cheating. :D

Though I think it's awesome to write about experiences you have taken part in, I wouldn't do anything you don't want to do for the sake of writing. Your spirit is more important. The bible says that are bodies are the temple of the Lord, and obviously trashing them = bad/not win. What you can do while still maintaining a Godly holiness is up to you and your convictions. :)

/honestly unjudgemental sermon