Michael Potts's Blog: Bits and Pieces: Book Reviews and Articles on Writing, Horror Fiction, and Some Philosophy - Posts Tagged "writers"

With fewer Americans reading and more people writing books than ever before, especially with self-publishing being free, it is difficult to make one's book stand out. Although I try to write as well as possible, some online readers seem to enjoy bad writing, especially if so-called "fan-fiction" is factored in. The best advice I have read is that after a writer publicizes his work to the best of his ability, he should write another book. The more books an author writes, the greater the chance is that someone will be interested in one of his works. The reader may be so intrigued that he becomes interested in other books by the same author. Thus I plan to write more books and hope that some readers take notice. The joy is in the writing--most writers "have to write." If the writer is true to himself instead of someone seeking only profit, he will write a better book and have the self-satisfaction of accomplishing something rewarding. Sales are more like icing on the cake.

One stereotype about writers that, unfortunately, has some truth to it is that many writers abuse alcohol. O Henry, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, Dylan Thomas, Truman Capote, Jack Kerouac, and many others had such struggles. Among horror writers, Stephen King struggled with alcohol and drugs, and has successfully overcome his addiction. Edgar Allen Poe had a drinking problem as did Shirley Jackson. Even writers who do not have problems with drinking too much often drink an alcoholic beverage as they write. Why is this the case? Is there a link between creativity and alcohol abuse?

To be fair, some writers with clinical depression may have drunk too much to avoid the pain. Others may have suffered pain from injuries and drunk to dull the physical pain. However, I do think there is a link between drinking alcoholic beverages and writing.

What people who do not write fail to understand is that writing is a gut-wrenching, emotional experience. In writing, the author bares him or herself, psychologically stripping away barriers that are normally kept closed. I remember my own experience writing my novels--it was similar to a fugue state in which the emotions and scenes were flowing too fast to write down, and in which my body was so tense it felt as if it were on a caffeine IV. My heart pounded, my body trembled--taking a walk every hour helped with the physical stress, but the mental stress only increased. I drank a little wine or Tennessee whisky, allowing a glass to last over several hours. It slowed my mind enough to write what was inside it, but not so much that it interfered with thinking. Yet even then there were times I would have two drinks in two hourse because it was the only thing that would calm me down. It was easier writing my second novel, and I was moderate the entire time, but the gut-wrenching baring of my soul was still present. Writing is a great catharsis and can function like therapy, and I enjoyed the process of writing, but my body and emotions were taut--it is difficult to desribe the experience. Now that I cannot drink any alcohol for medical reasons, I still write, but listen to music or relaxation CDs to help.

Other writers are not so moderate--perhaps they had negative experiences in their lives that writing brought back into their consciousness. Perhaps their bodies reacted more strongly to the emotion of writing than did mine. Perhaps they had a genetic propensity to alcoholism. Some writers could only write when drunk. How can writers deal with the baring of the soul that takes place in writing?

My suggestion would be to drink moderately if you drink--if there is any hint of lack of control, leave the room and take a walk. If you are still tempted, you do not need to drink--you are depending on it, and when that happens, alcohol will become your master and you will be its slave. For those who do not drink, listen to calming music or relaxation tracks--there is plenty of such on YouTube if you have Internet access where you are writing. If there is no Internet access, bring a personal CD player and headphones along with whatever music you enjoy. For writing, I prefer either Gregorian chant or one of the works of Arvo Part--slow, meditative, calming.

Exercise is a must--take walks, at least, and if you are a jogger, go for a run. Anything healthy way to relieve stress is good. For those tempted to drink too much, rememember that dead people cannot write anything. It is not worth losing your life to solve the emotional wrenching process of writing via too much alcohol or other drugs.

Dismissing God: Modern Writers' Struggle Against Religion by D. Bruce Lockerbie

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


D. Bruce Lockerbie is a long-time writer of Christian non-fiction and was one of the editors of the Macmillan English Series books for grades 10 and 12. Dismissing God is a fascinating account of the rejection and outright rebellion against the Judeo-Christian God by modern writers. The book traces the history of that rebellion to its roots in the nineteenth century, arguing that it was spurred on by the publication of Charles Darwin's Origin of Species in 1859 and the rise of modern critical Biblical scholarship. Thomas Hardy's reluctant loss of faith was replaced by Swinburne's outright rebellion against God, saying that if Christ came and everyone bowed, he would remain standing. The Decadents revived the Romantic vision of the artist as rebel against conventional moral values, especially the values of orthodox Christian faith. Some may be offended by his discussion of the decadents, especially regarding sexual ethics, but Lockerbie is simply reiterating the standards the Christian Church has held from the beginning.

Lockerbie's discussion of Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) is valuable for the insight into his rejection and ultimate hatred of Christianity. Later, nihilist writers denied any meaning to life at all. Of course Sartre and Camus are discussed, and there is also a fine chapter on post-Holocaust Jewish writers who find a God who could or would not help them in the death camps to be irrelevant. I would add that since this book was written over twenty years ago, things have not changed -- postmodern writers are just as hostile to traditional Christianity today, if not more so, than in the past. There is much anger at God among writers -- and my question to them is, "Why be angry at a being that you do not believe exists?" There seems to be, as Lockerbie himself points out, a residual belief in God that remains in these writers. Lockerbie's analysis of eight types of atheism in contemporary writers is valuable.

The book has excellent style throughout and flows well. Even though it is an older work, I highly recommend it as a text in Christian colleges and universities as well as in seminaries. It is valuable reading for anyone interested in modern and contemporary writers' rejection and hostility to God.





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