Masquerade

What is it about dressing up as someone or something else that appeals to people of all ages? From a very young age, most of us get dressed in costume, with the help of our parents, and stroll through the neighborhoods with treat bag in hand, knocking on doors, and collecting all the goodies we can fit into said bag. I still remember the excitement of sitting on the living room floor, dumping out the candy and sorting out my likes and dislikes and trading with my siblings.

I’m sure the prospect of candy-collecting is what fuels our desire to dress up when we are children. But why do grown adults continue to dress up year after year, long after they have outgrown their trick-or-treating days? For some it may be the chance of winning a prize in a costume contest. Some may be forced to participate because their work requires them to do so. But I think for most people, there is a different reason.

As children, we play pretend. We pretend through our Barbies, we pretend with tea sets, we pretend with sticks that we are Ninjas. We escape to another world where we can be anybody or anything we want. I think this carries on to our adulthood. I think people simply enjoy abandoning the mundane role of being themselves, and for one night, they can create an alter-ego that allows them to be anyone or anything!

For most people, Halloween is the only time of year that it is acceptable to play “dress up”. But for some, like actors, role-playing is almost an every day occurrence. Actors get to step into many different “costumes” through-out their careers. But it occurred to me that there is another lucky group, people who can be some one or something else any time they want.

Writers. As a writer, you can simply allow your mind to wander, and create worlds, people, events, creatures…the list goes on and on and the possibilities are endless. You can put yourself into the story and see through the eyes of your characters and imagine what it would be like to be them. You can dress in anything you like, make your hair any color you choose, and have any career you desire. You can take aspects of your own life, and change them if you like. And you can do that any day of the year!

As an adult, I’ve never really been a fan of dressing up in costume for Halloween. But I do love escaping from myself and stepping into another world. That’s why I’ve always loved reading and why I now aspire to be the best writer I can be…and hopefully a published one.

So my questions are, do you enjoy the physical act of masquerading? If you could be any character, what or who would you be? What types of characters do you enjoy writing or reading about?


A Wonderful Wednesday to everyone!

SIS Bren