Why write
more?
A
question writers often get is, Where do you get your ideas from?
One hears many smart answers to the query, most often weak lines
about an Idea Store. Many replies are too rough to print here.
Some authors can write on any topic if they think a paycheck is
in the offering. Robert E. Howard did this in the 20s and 30s. If
a new market popped up, he cranked out a tale for it, be it horror,
adventure, tales about boxing, or a genre he gave birth to, sword
& sorcery. I won’t even get into the fact that the 5 cents
a word REH wrote for back then is still the norm pay scale these
days.
I
always assume ideas drop into the mind randomly for everyone like
they do to me. From what I hear, though, this wouldn’t be
so. I’ve talked to many writers who can not function without
a brew of coffee that would peel the chrome off a '66 Chevy Nova.
Others try to be Hunter S. Thompson and ingest other substances
to bring on the creative muse. Still, many more have to have a few
drinks in them to calm down enough to create. Well, to each his
or her own.
Recently, I read an article on the late Phillip K. Dick. He thought
that later in life he was possessed by something that made him write.
His mind did work on different levels and Dick’s life is one
of bizarre twists. I highly recommend his fiction, though it can
be wild at times. In pop culture many know his work only as the
films BLADE RUNNER and TOTAL RECALL. Read a few or his short story
collections. Good stuff. A tortured soul often produces good work.
Must every writer be in anguish to create something meaningful?
Probably not but the emotional train wrecks of writer's lives have
made some entertaining reading. As cruel as that sounds, their emotional
bile has made for many a cracker jack tale. The other thing I encounter
the more writers I meet is, folks take this writing stuff WAY too
seriously. Tell a good tale and get out. A wish for leaving a lasting
dent in the history of the literary genre reminds me of an old phrase
my late father was find of…about wishing in one hand and,
well, you get the picture.
So, if not demonic possession or foreign substances, I reckon ideas
come from the mind, generated from things you’ve read or experienced.
I always implore people to read, not just fantasy or horror, but
history and the classics. The mind can fire off an original idea
if there are various canvasses to splatter them against. If not
for a knowledge of history and warfare, I doubt LORD OF THE RINGS
would exist. If Stephen King had no knowledge of the Bible or hadn’t
read DRACULA (Or Lovecraft) I’d wager his writing would be
different.
Also, live life. That is the best teacher. Experience and new places
can spur the mind into vistas unknown. It can also dissolve writers
block and push one on further. Meeting new people and observing
other's behavior really can make the gray matter boil.
Recently, I visited Canada for the World Horror Convention. I’d
never left America before and it was an interesting time. After
a wild week, I returned home ready to rock and roll on the keyboard.
Talking to various editors and folks who were interested in my work
spurred me on if anything else. Does that interest spark the creative
muse? Not really, but it gives the will to write a kick in the pants.
Spending time around writers is always fun because one gets to hear
about others and their creative processes. To be frank, one has
to draw it out of some writers how they do it.
Sacrifice is important…not calves or anything, but time. If
one has a family, it gets tough to divide up the time and give love
to everything. I thought of chucking it more than once, but something
inside pushes me on. Discouragement is the companion of most writers,
followed closely by disappointment and angst.
But
that act of creation and the delivery of something entertaining
is worth the struggle. I saw a writer from Wales named David Price
in Canada. I’d met him in New York 2 years ago. He bought
one of my books, and I was pleased to hear he actually read it.
He told me it was a fine piece of storytelling. It was a great feeling
to be a loud party and hear a reader recount how much he enjoyed
something I did.
That makes me want to write more.
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