Matt A. Byron's Blog, page 3
October 8, 2016
In fear I write
I love the aspect of fear. In writing, that is. I have always been drawn to dark, unusual stories. It challenges the imagination. I like to see characters in situations that draw upon their fear and see how they respond. Will they survive? I love the concept of the impossible or improbable story. This can be said for Science Fiction and Fantasy as well. In dark horror or thrillers or whatever genre you want to label it, creating a world that no one wants to live in but being there with the characters as they push through one horrific event after another is invigorating: as a writer. And, hopefully, as a reader as well.
I’m not talking about blood, guts, gore type of horror. I like the terror of the unknown. There are limitless possibilities you can explore. Ideas are all around us. I’ve been asked many times why I write the dark stuff. Why do my stories have to be creepy. I currently have three stories in the works at some phase of the writing process. Whether that is first draft, final draft or just planning, they are there in some form. Not all creepy. Well, maybe they are to different degrees. I like the dark stuff. It’s an adrenaline ride. You can get scared in the comfort of your own house. Explore emotions you don’t normally get to tap into.
Writing is all about exploration. I like exploring the dark depths to see what I can uncover. I think fear resides just under our skin. It’s an emotion that is unprotected, easy to tap into. The words used to construct a fearful world in fiction are merely the vessel to take the reader to that place that resides just around the corner, in our subconsciousness. Fear is only a page away.
In The Time We Lose
There are moments that happen. Events that shape our lives. And before we know it, that time has passed. When we are younger, time ticks by at a snail’s pace. Slow and steady as the child wants to leap forward. No patience for the everyday cycle of life. They want to be out of school. Move out of their parents home. Independent. As we grow older, time no longer heaves at a snail’s pace. There is no more staring at the clock, wishing for time to move. The snail has grown into something more. Time now quickens to a degree that is reminiscent of a roller coaster barreling down its next corkscrew. Racing on at blinding speed. Keeping us focused on what’s ahead without ever giving us a glimpse of what we left behind.
There are points in life where you need to jump off the roller coaster and take a moment to reflect on where you’ve been. Remind yourself of the people you have met along the way that had made the journey memorable. As you look upon the world you live now, decades removed from the child you once were, remember the moments in your life that mattered. The people that made those moments what they were. Life, in all its frailty and uncertainties, can also be memorable. In our haste to move ahead, to reach the next milestone in our life, we should also look back and remember the moments that mattered with the people that helped define us. We are nothing without our past. We would be a thick sail on a windless day if it were not for the memories we hold close to our hearts.
We so often forget all the steps we took to bring us to now. The times where we leaned on those who were close to us. The laughter that brought us to tears and tears that brought us to humbleness. In the time we lose, we gain the love of the ones we have been honored to know. To cherish the moments that mattered with the people we chose to make them with. In the time we lose, we grow in the knowledge that we have lived a life with people that matter, moments that carry on in out thoughts. Cherish those around you. Remember the ones you grew up with. Each second we lose a moment in time. Make each moment matter. Remember the moments that did. Look forward to moments that will be
