Imagination Overload

I love this quote.  I’ve had conversations on my own for years.  So glad it’s not just me.  The worst part is when someone comes in and wonders who the hell I’m talking to!  How on earth am I supposed to explain that to any other perfectly sane person.  Not that I’m not sane – I am, really I am – it’s just that I can argue away quite happily with imaginary characters, putting all points of view forward.  It used to be fine when I was in the house on my own.  Now, though, my other half is retired and I think he’s getting rather worried about my sanity 😉

The thing is, how else am I going to find out if an argument/discussion/question etc., will work if I don’t talk it out?  How else can I get to know my characters if I don’t talk to them to find out what they like/don’t like?   How else will I find out if I’m going to like my protagonist and, thus, if I’m going to want to save them from whatever dire situation they find themselves in?  How else am I going to figure out which one of them is actually the rotten apple that really shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near the cider press?

Anyone else have this, sometimes, rather embarrassing little habit?