How I Do Things

"Wait, so your screen saver is all _______ now?"

Those words were said by my coworker a few days ago after I had downloaded a lot of images centered around the theme of my next series of short stories and possibly a novel legnth work.

I told her as much.

Her response was to comment on the fact that everytime I am going to write something, I tend to over indulge in it. And you know what?

She's right.

From Westerns to Erotica, Super Heroes to Fairy Tales, The Arctic to Lovecraft, no matter what I am going to write, I spend a fair amount of time burying myself in all that I can related to it.

I watch movies, I read books, I play video games, and pretty much anything else I can get my hands on.

It serves two purposes for me. One, it helps me learn what has been done in the genre before. I look at everything that's been created and blend it all in my head in the hopes that something new will come about from it.

It also hypes me up. It gives me a creative excitement for the upcoming work so that I am not starting with little to no energy when it comes to putting my fingers to my keyboard.


So if you are struggling to write something, perhaps in a genre you are unfamiliar with, go watch some movies in that genre. Pick up a couple books and speed read through them. Wrap that genre around you and learn its secrets as your eyes take in all they can.

You'd be surprised what your muse might give you in return.