A Game of Telephone

So today on Twitter, I confessed the following: "My cell phone has been uncharged since August when I visited my agent, Laura Bradford, in San Diego. Now it's charged up again, but I had to Google how to turn it on." People seemed to find that super-amusing.

That makes me sound like some kind of Luddite, I know. But the truth is, I just hate the phone. I adore computers, both laptop and desktop. I love how much faster I can do my work. (I wrote my first novel on a typewriter at age 15, and before that, I was scribbling stories in spiral notebooks. I know some people disagree, but for me technology allows me to work better and faster. I'm all about that excellent efficiency:  no offense to anyone who still prefers longhand.) Someone made the joke that Laura had cut me off from the phone because I must use it too much.

Well, actually... no. The charger went missing and I couldn't be bothered to locate one until yesterday. I did manage to scrounge one up in our drawer of orphan cords, and so my phone is powered up for the first time in over two months. I don't like the land line any better. Eve Silver said we must be twins separated at birth because she hates the phone too. And she's not the first writer I've heard espouse this opinion. Shiloh Walker is also a phone hater.

First, let me articulate my somewhat Victorian stance on phone calls. When someone calls me without prior arrangement, it presumes I will stop whatever I am doing and handle their needs right then. I find that rude, and I opine they should email me first to arrange a mutually convenient time. That way, we are assured nobody is inconvenienced and we can enjoy the conversation. I will almost never dial anyone up without doing so. Recently I did it with my agent on a Sunday, and I feel like a total heel, but she had pinged with news about my Razorland sale, then she disappeared off the 'net. There was just no way my meager self-control could permit me to wait until Monday. I  had to call, but I felt awful over it, sort of needy and cringing, but it was absolutely irresistible. Prior to that, it had been years since I rang anyone up without notice. Additionally, I find the phone is less than ideal for me because I can organize my thoughts better in writing. There's an intimacy to it that seems strange to me. You mean just anyone can dial me up? Really? How bizarre is that!

So these things in mind, I decided it would be fun to take everyone's temperature on the telephone so I can find out if phone-hating is a writerly thing, (maybe we all tend toward the reclusive?) or if it's just personal preference.

So how do you guys feel about random phone calls? Are you all big-time chatter or would you prefer to do all your talking on IM and email?.