THIS AUTHOR’S CHARACTERS TALK TO HIM
By Margalit Grunberger
I might have married a crazy man. My husband, Simon Menkes, claims his characters talk to him. Simon’s a novelist and, from the start of our courtship five years ago, he tried to explain to me that his characters speak through him. I know he has a wildly imaginative mind but is this a sign of insanity, creativity, or both? I’m determined to find out and that’s why I decided to interview him.
Characters have been talking to Simon since he was five years old. His first memory is playing with his younger sister, Tammy, where they’d take on the voices and personalities of characters they were imagining. In one of their games, Simon would pretend to be a stuffed animal and Tammy would be a bird they’d seen in a park. “This is something we found ourselves doing and we would do it naturally. We’ve done it all our life,” Simon said.
He describes his writing process as if he’s watching a movie. “I’ll see the movie and then I’ll write what I hear these personalities say.” A Princeton graduate and also a CPA, Simon told me that in his twenties, he acted in a local community theater and came up with a special mental construct. “I didn’t pretend to be this character like other actors. I allowed my character to come into my life; Into my soul and talk through me. I took on the emotions and the characters spoke through me,” Simon explained.
He uses the same process in writing.
In his third novel, Simon upset the three women in his writing group, including his coach, when he vacationing private detective, Cat Montgomery, stepped out of the shower in her luxurious hotel suite and sensuously rubbed lotion all over her body. The female trio insisted that women don’t apply lotion in the sensual way he described. They accused Simon of writing this part from his desire of how he wants a woman to do this, not how it’s actually done. A few of Simon’s female friends disagreed and responded that they do enjoy applying lotion as he described with Cat.
Ultimately, Simon removed this scene because he didn’t want to offend his readers, but he insisted that Cat spoke to him. “I listened to Cat and just wrote what she told me. She was on vacation at this fabulous five-star resort and she was enjoying every moment.”
Simon loves to write. It’s a part of who he is. “I love characters. I love adventures, I love people being brave and screwing up.” As a kid, his characters made him feel less alone and unstuck. When people read his books and hang out with his characters, he hopes they feel more joyful, open to possibilities and less lonely.
I’m relieved. I didn’t marry a crazy man. Simon’s a deeply creative soul who enjoys listening to his characters. Through his stories, he hopes he contributes to a more joyful and alive world. I definitely have a clearer understanding of Simon and his characters and I can’t wait to meet his new friends in his fourth novel.