No off switch

When you're a creative type... especially one that creates characters and worlds and very visible things... it's hard to turn it off. It's hard for anyone else to understand.  There's just no off switch.

By day I work for an entertainment company, at home I have two 7 month old babies and an amazing wife. They are all in bed by 9 o'clock, but for me, I can't turn off. Aside from the whole being a good dad/husband thing and straightening up the house to get trashed the next day... I sit in front of the computer and write.

Sometimes it's nonsensical... or an idea that will never get anywhere but just has to get out of my head... and other times it's continuing work on separate idea.

There are plenty of nights where the mill is churning, but nothing is coming out and I have to move into another creative realm of a movie, comic or video game. But while there, I still go. I go until late at night.

I've always been this way and function pretty well on regularly on 5 hours of sleep. That functioning includes the day job, the dad job, the husband gig, the comic writing, running 3 1/2 miles every day and lifting weights for 40 to 60 minutes.

I don't shut off. 

Of course when I crash, I crash hard in the middle of the day or after being up for an hour or in the wee hours of the morning.

It's hard for anyone to understand why I can't just "go to bed." Or "lay in bed and fall asleep."

It's because one minute I could be in Gotham City, the next minute I'm in Afghanistan, then Marvel New York, then real-life LA or some other real, fictional or mashed-up place that I have and haven't been to.

Now with kids, I try to shut off... because being a dad - especially to a set of hilarious boy and girl twins - is absolutely awesome, and I love every second of laughter and frustration.

But I always want to get back to the world itching to get out of my head.