Most artists are driven both to their craft and their projects. It’s what we do. It’s in our blood, our bones, our brains. Of course, some are more driven than others, bordering on obsession. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not, but I admire people who are consumed by creativity. One of…
Category: Influences
Inspiration – Music
I’ve previously written about listening to music when writing, but for this post I want to write about music as inspiration. I think most people use music as background noise when going about their daily lives, or as a distraction when doing something boring – like driving to work, toiling away in the office cubicles,…
Is Bad Fiction Good?
The consensus opinion is that in order to be a good fiction writer I must read well-written fiction. The idea is that I’m exposing myself to the best and should, in turn, absorb some positive influence from it, making me a better writer. Sure, I can see that to a degree, but does that mean…
Evolution of Language
One of the aspects of reading and writing that I find fascinating is the evolution of language. I’m one of those people who likes to read the occasional classic piece of literature (think Dickens, Tolstoy, Gogol, etc.) and I’m always amazed when I finish an older novel or story collection and then dive into something…
Those old, familiar friends…
On average, I’d guess that I tend to read anywhere from ten to twenty books a year. Not a bad number, by any means. But the other day I got to thinking about all the books I’ve read. I mean, the total must be in the thousands, but out of that number, only about a…
Inappropriate Fiction
I read a post at Tor.com recently that got me thinking. The post in question – Problematic Classics – discusses how some classic books don’t age well, especially when it comes to racism and bigotry. The author writes about the conflict felt when rereading something from childhood and discovering that it’s not quite what you…
Neil Peart
One of my early inspirations for writing was Neil Peart, the drummer and lyricist for the band, Rush. I discovered his words when I was a teenager, probably no more than 13 or 14 years old. A guy that sat next to me in one of my classes let me borrow a cassette tape of…
Philip Roth
Mr. Roth is one of those authors I’ve known about but never had the opportunity to read. I had heard of some of his novels: Portnoy’s Complaint, American Pastoral, Ghost Writer, along with his most famous (and recurring) character, Zuckerman. I’ve read of the controversy, the claims of antisemitism, the accusations of misogyny, but as…
Raymond Carver
I’ve been working my way through a copy of Raymond Carver’s collected short stories. I had read a handful of his stories when I was in college and I found a writing style that I wanted to mimic. That’s the thing with writers, especially when we’re still trying to find our footing…we feel a connection…
Hunter S. Thompson
One of my many influences as a writer is Hunter S. Thompson, otherwise known as Doctor Gonzo. Thompson was the founder of Gonzo Journalism, a style which allowed the writer to impose him or herself into the story. There’s also an abundance of surrealistic description and drug-fueled mania. He wasn’t ever going to see one…